Sunshine Coast Equine Veterinary Clinic
Dentistry
Equine dentistry is an important aspect of horse care aimed at maintaining healthy teeth and gums, allowing your horse to eat correctly, and maintaining overall good health.
Most adult horses should have a routine dental check-up on an annual basis and this should be performed by a qualified veterinarian.
Horse teeth, unlike human teeth, continue to grow throughout the life of the horse and can become sharp and painful or malaligned if not floated regularly.
Experienced Equine Surgeons
Sharp teeth are not only painful for the horse but may affect performance due to their effect on the bit seat and also impact the horse’s ability to digest food properly.
During an equine dental appointment, our veterinarians will thoroughly examine your horse’s mouth, teeth, and gums using a gag or speculum that allows them to completely visualise and palpate every tooth in the mouth.
The most common procedure performed in routine dentals is floating of the teeth to remove sharp edges. This is done using both our motorised dental float and more conventional hand tools. Motorised power floats should only be used by qualified veterinarians and our veterinarians have undergone specific training to use them.
Our vets will examine your horse and treat any dental diseases or injuries in consultation with you in order to get the best outcome for your horse.
maintaining proper dental health
Equine Dentistry
Other common procedures undertaken as part of our dental services is the removal of caps (the remnants of the foal’s temporary teeth) and wolf teeth extraction.
More complex dental matters such as molar extractions, sinusitis due to dental disease and fractured teeth can all be treated at our clinic.
Equine dentistry helps a horse maintain proper dental health and can help prevent more serious health issues in the long term.
Regular dental check ups are essential for maintaining your horses overall health as good teeth will allow food to be properly chewed, digested and absorbed and avoid expensive wastage.
