Dentistry

All our ambulatory vets are skilled in undertaking routine dental examinations and treatment on your yard.

Horses’ teeth continually erupt throughout their lifetime, meaning they require regular dentistry for the prevention or early detection of problems such as carries, diastema, or periodontal disease.

Since horses are stoic animals, dental pain can often go unnoticed as they will often adapt and continue to eat through discomfort.  Initial signs of dental disease can be subtle, highlighting the importance of regular routine dental examination.  In more advanced cases clinical signs of dental disease include quidding (dropping food while eating) or a failure to maintain weight.

Early identification of dental disease leads to prompt treatment.  Sometimes, routine dental examination identifies complex dental pathology which cannot be dealt with on the yard.  These cases can be referred into our hospital for the attention of our specialist team.

Bi-annual dental examinations are strongly recommended for younger horses during the critical stage of dental development to enable identification and prevention of tooth eruption problems, malocclusion, misalignments or ‘retained caps’ (deciduous teeth that have not shed). As young horses’ teeth are softer than older horses’, they are more likely to develop sharp enamel points which can lead to painful ulceration.  Older horses and those with known dental disease also benefit from dental examination and treatment at least twice a year.  For many adult horses with healthy mouths, however, annual examination and treatment is sufficient.

An annual routine dental with sedation is included with our Horse Health Programme membership.