Equine Dentistry

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Whilst the golden age of the horse has passed, there is a lot of sage advice that came out of this period of history pertinent to good management and care of our equine friends. The old proverb , "It's not the horse that draws the cart but  the oats," provides a good reminder that without adequate nutrition the most willing of horses cannot work effectively. Which leads us into the corollary that without good teeth, a horse will also be unable to perform. At MVC both Richard and Bec are experienced equine dentists having examined and tended hundreds of horse mouths.

We generally like to sedate our equine dental patients as it helps to

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(1) Relax them so they are not stressed.

(2) Allows us to tend the teeth right up the back of the mouth which are hard to get at otherwise.

(3) Permits a full oral examination.

(4) Increases the degree of safety and level of expertise with which the dental and examination can be performed for both horses and humans. 

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Yes, Equine Vet Dentistry probably costs more than what your average farrier or lay dentist would charge to run a rasp or float over your mare's pearly whites but we are university trained and dedicated to ongoing professional development in the field of equine medicine and dentistry. Likewise we are the only professional group professionally trained and legally permitted to sedate horses for dentistry. 

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Signs that your horse may have bad teeth requiring floating are quidding or dropping of feed whilst chewing, chewing with head to the side, lugging or being heavy on the bit, weight loss, gulping feed down, choke, long stems in the manure, being head shy. Please contact us to book a dental.