Routine dentistry is of paramount importance in the health care of your horse. At Tamworth Equine Veterinary Centre we endeavour to provide dental examinations and therapy is the manner that you would expect at your local human dental practice.
As with human dentistry the cornerstone of good dental care is preventative therapy. The horse, being a herd animal is very adept at coping with significant dental abnormalities and is an expert at disguising dental problems until they become advanced. Thus it is important that problems are recognised at the time of a routine dental examination well before they become detrimental to your horse’s health.
Examination
A thorough routine dental examination will involve the assessment of the teeth and surrounding soft tissue structures. This will involve the use of a full mouth speculum and a specialised light source.
Due to the complexity of the examination, and for the safety of the horse and handler, all horses are sedated for routine dental procedures. A careful and complete oral examination is critical in the diagnosis of dental pathology and the planning of dental corrective procedures.
Some of these corrective procedures may include:
- Reduction of sharp enamel points and the balancing of the dental arcades
- Further investigation and treatment of abnormalities that are or may result in dental disease.
- Just like humans every horse should receive a routine dental examination every 6-12 months.
- Dental procedures are performed with state of the art dental equipment (both non-motorised and motorised) allowing for the flexibility in the treatment of a wide range of conditions.