Frequently Asked Questions
Table of Contents
- Q. How often should my horse have his teeth floated?
- Q. What does the term floating mean?
- Q. What are bit seats, and why are they important to my performance horse?
- Q. Do all horses need their teeth floated?
- Q. Does my horse need to be sedated to have his teeth floated?
- Q. What is the difference between wolf teeth and canines?
- Q. How do I find someone qualified to float my horse's teeth?
- Q. What is the difference between an Equine Dental Technician, and an Equine Dentist?
- Q. Do other equines, like donkeys and mules need their teeth floated?
- Q. What is the cost of having my horse's teeth floated?
- Q.What do wild horses do about dental care? I mean, how do they solve their dental problems?
- Q. Does Equidentistry have a veterinarian available to provide veterinary services?
Q. How often should my horse have his teeth floated?
A.
How often your horse needs his teeth floated will depend on several
variables. One factor is age. If your horse is under 10 years old his
teeth are erupting faster than that of an older horse. He may need his
teeth floated as often as every six months. A horse older than 10 will
probably be fine on a yearly program.
Another factor is level of
work. A pleasure or a pasture horse, may do well on a 6-12 month
schedule where as a performance horse will greatly benefit from a 3-6
months schedule.
There are many other factors that come into play.
The best way to determine if your horse needs dental care is to
schedule an appointment with your local dental technician or dental
veterinarian. They can then tailor a program for each individual horse.
You wouldn't wait until your horse was lame to schedule a farrier
visit, so don't wait until your horse is dropping grain to call in a
dental tech.
Schedule:
Birth: To check for any congenital defects.
Under 10: Every 6 months, beginning at 6 months old.
Over 10: Yearly.
Performance Horses: 3-6 months.
Seniors: Check ups every 3-6 months, however actual floating is done yearly in most cases.
Q. What does the term floating mean?
A. The term floating usually refers to the removal of sharp points from the horse's cheek teeth. The horse's maxilla is wider than it's mandible, thus the outer edge of the upper teeth have nothing to occlude with and like wise for the inner edge of the lower teeth. This is what allows these points to form, like uneven wear on a tire tread. This is just basic floating, the term can however, be broadened to refer to complete-mouth care. This means all the horse's dental needs are addressed. A horse's dental needs may include, rounding of the canines, incisor reduction, wave reduction, treatment of the gums for periodontal disease, evaluation of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) etc.A good dental technician or veterinarian will evaluate each horse's individual needs and then treat accordingly. Floating may be done using hand floats, or using specially designed power tools. Both are great options to keeping the horses mouth healthy and comfortable.
Q. What are bit seats, and why are they important to my performance horse?
A. A bit seat is created by rounding the first set of cheek teeth right where the bit sits any time we ask the horse to collect, turn, stop, or do anything that involves contact. A bit seat makes certain that the horse cannot get his cheek caught in between the bit and his teeth, and also ensures he cannot chew on it. This allows the rider control and takes away the horse’s excuse to act up. A performance float can drastically improve a horse in the show ring and at home.
Q. Do all horses need their teeth floated?
YES! YES! YES! All horses, regardless of breed, gender, age, type of work, need at the very least annual dental care. Do not wait until you see signs of a dental problem, this means that the problem is already hurting your horse. Dental care is all about preventing these problems. All horses need the sharp edges that form on the edges of the teeth removed, as well as their chewing surfaced leveled, and their incisors kept even .The main purpose being to allow them to eat efficiently and comfortably as well as to prevent disease. Each horse will receive additional benefits from this, a few examples are given below.
The performance horse: needs to be s comfortable doing his job and dentistry helps to maximize his performance potential, by allowing a full range of motion of his jaw.
The young horse: needs to be checked for the timely shedding of “caps” (baby teeth), remember they have caps on their cheek teeth as well as their incisors.
The older or dentally challenged horse: needs to be checked for loose and or diseased teeth and periodontal changes
The pasture horse: needs dentistry to prevent health problems like choke, and colic pasture horses will RARELY show signs that something is amiss until the problem is in its advanced stages
Q. Does my horse need to be sedated to have his teeth floated?
A.
Yes. In order to do a thorough exam and provide complete dental care
your horse must be sedated. There are rare exceptions to this, but not
many.
Q. What is the difference between wolf teeth and canines?
A.
Wolf teeth are the horse's "first premolar," however they are not big
rectangular teeth like the other premolars, but little fang like teeth.
They are located just before the first cheek tooth, and can cause
severe pain for the horse when riding with a bit. A horse can have both
uppers and lowers, but the most commonly seen are uppers. These teeth
are best removed before the horse is two, as the root is less
developed, but they can be removed at any age.
Canines are the
male's fighting teeth. They are located in the interdental space
between the cheek teeth and the incisors. Males usually have uppers and
lowers, however, these teeth are usually not present in females.
They can be present and are usually smaller in mares. Canines can become very sharp and dangerous if left unattended, so a
dental technician or veterinarian must file them down regularly. These
teeth are not usually removed unless the tooth is diseased as their
root is quite long and is a difficult shape to extract.
Q. How do I find someone qualified to float my horse's teeth?
A. Here are four questions to ask a potential equine dental professional:
Do you use a light sourse? Its dark in there. If a head light of some type, or a flash light isn't used the practioner can very easily miss problems.
What training do you have? The person should be able to give you the name of a dental school, or a person with whom they apprenticed. If they are a veterinarian make certain they have done some continuing education pertaining to dentistry after veterinary school. "I just figured it out" is not an acceptable answer.
Do you have references?
Q. What is the difference between an Equine Dental Technician, and an Equine Dentist?
A.
These two terms are often used interchangeably; many people believe this
is incorrect, and many believe its silly to get into such semantics
over a title. An equine dental technician is a lay person with special
training in the field of equine dentistry. Many people believe that
only a doctor (ie a dvm, or a dds) should use the term dentist. The
most important thing is to make sure who ever is working on your horse
is trained to do so, and if sedation is need make sure it is a
veterinarian doing so.
Q. Do other equines, like donkeys and mules need their teeth floated?
Q. What is the cost of having my horse's teeth floated?
Here is a basic price guide :
Basic or Performance Float: $85
Horses age 6 months- 2 years old -$45
Horses over age 30 requiring only minor floating- $45
Ramp removal- $10 per ramp
Hook removal- $10-$15 per hook
Incisor reduction/realignment- $60
Wave Reduction- $10-$20
Farm call- $20-$100. Based on mileage from Mechanicsville, VA. May be waived for large barns.
Extraction prices may vary based on the age of the horse as well as other factors.
Cap Removal- $15
Wolf Teeth Removal- $30 per wolf tooth
Molar Extractions- $50 and up
Incisor Extractions- $30 and up
Canine Teeth Extractions - $40 and up
Dental Fillings and Restoration- Case by Case
Orthodontic Corrections- Case by Case
Sedation- *Must be prescribed by your veterinarian.*
(State reglulations regarding dental technicians vary. Some procedures not available in all states, or must be performed by our on site veterinarian)
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! All exams are free. Farm calls still apply.
ATTENTION EQUINE NON-PROFITS. Meredith offers significant discounts to 501(c)3s. Please contact her to set up an appointment for your horses.
Q. What do wild horses do about dental care? How do they solve their dental problems?
A. Wild horses are constantly grazing grass (not hay) and are constantly wearing down their teeth, both their incisors and molars, thus they will do a more effective job of even wear.... but still not as effective as proper dental maintenance, which brings me to the real way they cope- death. Wild horses have an average life span of 15 years, domestic horses usually push late 20s to 30 . Thats not to say that all wild horses die of dental complications but its certainly a factor.
Q. Does Equidentistry have a veterinarian available to provide veterinary services?
A. YES! Equidentistry has several veterinarians in its "network" that are available to provide full service veterinary care. This means you no longer have to choose between a veterinarian and a dental technician, you can have both.
Computerized Radiopraphy (x-rays) : Extra-oral and Intra-oral
Sedation
Antibiotics and other necessary prescriptions
Wellness Exams
Standing Steinman Pin Extractions (less invasive than surgical bone flaps)
Last revised: 03/01/11
If you have a question that has not been listed here, please use the for on the "Contact Us" page to send me an email. Or send me an email directly at barlow@equidentistry.com