Horse Teeth & Dentistry -
From The Horse's Mouth!

What makes a Horse Teeth Specialist or Equine Dental Technician different from your Vet? How often should you have your horse's teeth examined by a Horse Dentist?

These are some of the questions often asked by horse owners, keen to keep routine health costs in a manageable budget.

The answers are very similar to those you would apply to human dentistry.

After all, if you neglect your teeth over many years and don't keep your regular check-up appointments, often you find that substantial and costly repair work is required when you finally see the dentist.

Our horses depend on us to make sure their teeth are healthy and able to do their job so that food is properly digested and energy levels are maintained.

So it follows that having your horse's teeth checked at regular intervals as a form of preventative treatment will help avoid costly bills and loss of use through dental emergencies.

Wild horses never see a teeth specialist in their lifetime, and of course this is true, but they are also not subject to the demands of a domesticated horse's ridden workload.

Horse Teeth - Rule Out Pain As A Cause

If, for example, you ride your horse every day and he has a tooth problem, it will affect not only his ability to concentrate on his job but also his overall condition will suffer.

He may be unable to eat as efficiently as normal and may experience dramatic weight loss.

Many owners find that a horse's sudden behavioural change can be attributed to dental pain as the horse finds a way to resist work, evading even a mild contact on the bit or becoming extremely reluctant to wear a bridle.

Our advice in these situations is always first to rule out any pain before attempting to correct bad behaviour.

The horse has only one way of showing us that he is hurting and his outlet is evidenced in rapid changes to body language or behaviour.

If your horse is clearly in pain it is important that you make adjustment for this in areas such as their diet - increasing soft and easy to swallow foods (perhaps a soaked bucket feed made up of sugar beet, chaff and mix) supported by soaked hay or haylage would be more appropriate than pelleted feed or coarse hay.

Also, we recommend ceasing any form of training, schooling or ridden work to prevent pain-related behavioural problems from arising, until your dentist has examined the horse and rectified the problem.

Horse Teeth -
Prevention Better Than Cure

How often should your horse's teeth be examined? Approximately every 6-9 months is advisable, although your Dental Technician may advise shorter intervals if your horse is either very young or in advancing years or has problem areas that need more frequent attention.

The cost of routine examination and treatment varies from one Technician to another. Some make no charge for the routine check-ups but do charge a callout fee. Alternatively you may prefer to ask your vet to check your horse's teeth when your horse's regular booster vaccination is due.

Qualified To Do The Job

An Equine Dentist is someone who has attained a Veterinary Science Degree and a Degree level qualification in Human Dentistry. As such, these are the only persons who should carry out dental surgery such as extractions or any procedure where anaesthesia is administered.

However, Technicians who have passed the British Equine Veterinary Association / British Veterinary Dental Association examination will be empowered to carry out veterinary procedures due to an exemption order. At present there is no legal authorisation for any other individual to carry out such procedures.

As shown above, other problems can often be traced back to dental issues, therefore having a knowledgeable specialist examine your horse regularly, can save you time and money in the long run.

How Do You Find a Qualified Equine Dental Technician?

Before you ask anyone to examine your horse, it is a very good idea to satisfy yourself that they hold the qualifications that they say they do.

We recommend asking for their business card when you make the appointment (and before treatment commences) so that you can research the qualifying body to whom they belong. Sad to say that a number of "rogue traders" exist in the horse world and letting one of these so called "Horse Teeth Specialists" treat your valuable animal is unwise and extremely risky.

For a list of Members approved by the British Association of Equine Dental Technicians please click here to open their website in a new window.

Unfortunately using a Horse Teeth Specialist who later is found not to be qualified to examine your horse's teeth may also invalidate your Horse Insurance Policy not to mention the damage they may inflict on your horse.

We hope you have found this information helpful - if you would like to find out about other horse health routine checks please click on the link below. Return from Horse Teeth and Dentistry to our Main Health Check page