Dr. Ashleigh has provided high quality equine dentistry services along Denver's Front Range for years. She offers routine dental care and maintenance floating as well as geriatric exams, correction of malocclusions, and more all aimed at improving performance and comfort for your horse. Dr. Ashleigh uses a combination of motorized equipment and hand files and has extensive training and expertise in equine dental care. We also welcome referrals of sinus infections, dental extractions, and other corrective procedures.

Why Equine Dentistry?
Caring for your horse's teeth is a vital part of maintaining health, comfort, performance, and longevity. Even very young horses should have annual oral examinations and floating because even very young horses have sharp dental points that can affect their ability to eat and their receptiveness to the bit. Young horses should also be checked for erupting wolf teeth and any retained "caps", which are juvenile teeth that haven't fallen out like they should. Wolf teeth can cause pain when a bit pinches the cheek tissue against them and retained caps are usually extremely sharp and cause discomfort and difficulty eating. As horses age, their teeth continue to erupt as they are worn down by chewing their feed. Sharp edges or "points" form along the outer edges of the top teeth and the inner edges of the bottom teeth. These points can be painful when a bridle or headstall places pressure on the cheeks, forcing them against the sharp edges of the teeth. Over time these points progressively get larger and eventually start to form deep sores or ulcers in the cheeks and tongue. Not only does this make any sort of riding uncomfortable, but it also makes eating difficult and painful. As horses age, any small misalignment of the teeth becomes progressively worse without proper dental care. Problems such as missing or infected teeth, wave mouths, sinus infections, hooks, ramps, etc used to be considered simply a part of aging in the older horse. However, we now recognize that these problems actually begin early in the horse's life and can be prevented if treated when they first begin. For more information on equine dentistry and how it can benefit your horse, please see http://www.equinedentistry.info.

What Is The Difference Between “Equine Dentistry” And Traditional “Floating”?
Most all equine vets can perform a routine “float”, wherein they use hand files to rasp the sharp edges from the horses’ teeth but that is it. What happens when a horse needs a full evaluation? Or other corrections, such as removing the teeth that can cause discomfort and difficulty chewing? A complete oral exam allows an equine dentist to address any problems with the incisors, and to identify issues like periodontal disease or loose and infected teeth. A general equine veterinarian is limited in their scope of dental service, however, Dr. Ashleigh provides a complete dentistry evaluation and “equilibration” service that involves a thorough mouth examination that allows all problem areas to be addressed and serviced.

Dental Recommendations:
We recommend a dental examination at 12-18 months of age and then at least once a year. Even very young and very old horses can benefit tremendously from regular dental evaluations and care. Please do not hesitate to call if you have any questions about our dentistry services or how they can benefit your horses. We also offer discounted group rates, so call if you would like to schedule a dental "clinic" at your barn.