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McKinlay & Peters Equine Hospital

Dentistry

In the past 15 years the most profound advancements and changes in equine medicine have come in the field of dentistry.

Veterinary staff at McKinlay & Peters Equine Hospital performing a dental examination on a horse

From the 1800’s till the early 1990’s, there was little change or advancement in equine dentistry despite radical changes in medicine and surgery. Basically, in the past, a horse never had its teeth “floated” till it was old, losing weight and obviously had difficulty chewing. By that point in its life, it likely had severe dental abnormalities and the practitioner’s expertise and tools were inadequate to alleviate those problems. Fortunately for the horse, this scenario has dramatically improved recently. We now have completely shifted to preventative maintenance rather than reactionary dentistry. The primary goal of any dental intervention is to improve the quality of life of the horse in question. The two main areas of concern are function and performance. 

A dental procedure being performed by McKinlay & Peters Equine Hospital

To accomplish these goals, we have made a significant investment in both equipment and learning. Our doctors are constantly upgrading their knowledge base through certified continuing education and case discussions amongst themselves. It is our firm belief that it does not matter what kind of tools you have; you must first know how to use them. With great power tools comes great responsibility. To be able to put our knowledge and skills to the best use, we have invested in the best equipment available. Our doctors have a wide array of both hand and power tools at their disposal. Obviously, there is much more to dentistry than just “grinding on teeth.” Because of that we also have digital radiography, extraction equipment, and lab analysis so that we can effectively diagnose and treat almost any oral issue your horse may have. Finally, we have also invested in two portable stocks. This allows us to provide the same safety, stability and comfort for your horse in the field as we can do in the clinic. 

Closeup dental

From a functional standpoint we look at things like bite plane, lateral excursion, and molar occlusion. These are fancy terms to describe how efficiently and comfortably your horse can chew its food. From a performance standpoint we want to do everything we can to make your horse as comfortable as possible when it has a bit in its mouth. Our goal is to provide you with a healthy, happy horse that can reach its full potential. By doing that we want to prevent future problems from coming up and we want to optimize life span. Please remember the key to preventative dentistry is catching problems early-this means we need to look closely at the mouth to catch small changes. We are happy to take a “quick peek” during a physical exam to look for glaringly obvious sharp points, but without a sedated oral exam we cannot evaluate every tooth as well as the gums and particularly changes at the back of the mouth. Best practice is to perform a sedated oral exam at least once per year, just like you going to the dentist for regular checkups. If your horse does not need any intervention, that is great, but it gives us the opportunity to intervene early if needed. Even if your horse was evaluated within the last year, if you notice any changes in their chewing or how they react to the bit, please tell your veterinarian and request a sedated oral examination.

We appreciate the opportunity to attend to your horse’s dental needs. We have doctors that are passionate about dentistry and strive to provide the highest level of care available in the industry. Because of this we can provide everything from the most basic oral exam, upper-level performance floats, complicated extractions, and treatment of sinus infections.