The removal of material from the front teeth of a horse (nippers, incisors) has been recently embraced by modern equine dentists. Horses have died from this procedure. There is no basis in good science for performing incisor reduction and until someone proves to me the necessity for it being done, I will not do it. The veterinary profession has moved …
Sedation Equine Dentistry
In modern equine dentistry, many terms from human dentistry are now being used in the horse field and sedation dentistry is one of them. It’s use in equine dentistry is primarily to play on your own fears of the human dentist based on your prior experiences. In my practice, over the past year, the need to use drugs in a …
Speculum Use In Equine Dentistry
A speculum is a device that holds open a body cavity. The type used in equine dentistry varies. A full mouth speculum places two metal plates between the nipper teeth and a lever is used to hold open the mouth against hinges of the device located on either side of the cheek. I have one horse in my practice whose …
Power Floating In Modern Equine Dentistry
This video describes the difference between power tool floating and hand floating. You may be surprised with what I say. Power tools are actually not a problem. It is the application of poor scientific theories and lack of horsemanship in the technique used that I prefer not to associate with. In addition, the new business of power floating has taken …
Equilibration And Lateral Excursion In Equine Dentistry
“Equilibration” and “lateral excursion” are definitions used in modern equine dentistry to describe issues seen inside the horse’s mouth. These dentists evaluate the movement of the jaw and adjust this movement through filing off edges in a manner that aligns the jaw. I feel that there are three issues that invalidate these procedures. So why do so many horses after …
Cavities In Horse Teeth
Cavities do occur in horses, but they usually resolve by themselves either by self repair or a piece of tooth breaks off with no harm to the horse. There are some equine dentists “filling” horse cavities saying that the horse will live on average 5 additional years because of the treatment. This is just a play on your emotions based …