All horses, regardless of age, should have a complete oral exam performed once a year, or more often for horses with certain oral problems. The horse will be given a light standing sedation and the veterinarian will place a speculum in the horse’s mouth. The entire mouth, both teeth and soft tissues, will be evaluated for any potential problems such as ulcerations of the cheeks or tongue, sharp enamel points, lost or broken teeth, retained caps, wolf teeth, infection, excessive wear, etc. Based on the oral exam, a floating may be recommended to remove the sharp enamel points and correct any maloccluisions (hooks, ramps, waves) that can develop and cause problems with the chewing surface or movement of the jaw.
A licensed veterinarian should ALWAYS perform your horse’s oral exam and floating. The lay dental practitioners may have no formal training in equine dentistry and are unqualified to do a complete oral and physical examination. Legally they cannot sedate horses, and are unable to address problems in the back of the mouth without sedation and a speculum. With the use of motorized equipment, we can address each tooth specifically and accurately. Standing sedation and mouth speculums have made dental procedures safe, low stress, and gentle on the horse
Type: General Care
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ID: 3131
