At Northwest Equine Veterinary Associates we have been especially interested and dedicated in equine dentistry and periodontics for many years. We utilize modern dental equipments designed specifically for the equine mouth and teeth. This allows for good visualization and detailed floating resulting in correction of dental disorders with gentleness and comfort for the horse. In most cases, horses should have their teeth floated every 12 to 18 months for general teeth maintenance. Common signs of dental problems consist of:
- Poor performance, reluctance to exercise, bucking
- Fighting or chewing the bit, head tossing, tongue lolling
- Difficulty gaining or maintaining weight
- Difficulty chewing, drooling, dropping feed or small bundles of chewed feed
- Bad breath
Dental services provided at Northwest Equine:
Routine dental care (teeth floating)
Routine teeth floating typically includes the removal of sharp edges, overgrowths, hooks, spikes, waves, loose caps, incisor corrections, wolf teeth extractions, canine reduction and correction of poor occlusion. At Northwest Equine we use various new motorized Dremel, Swiss and Makita floats with rapid cutting solid carbide and diamond chip surfaces so that a gentle and fast floating can be performed and the horse’s mouth kept open for the shortest time possible. A few manual tools are also utilized in some cases. We also possess similar tools for floating miniature horses.
Dr. Rothschild performing routine dentistry at the clinic.
Advanced dentistry services
By using ultra modern equipment and technology we are also capable of treating major and less common tooth disorders such as cavities, tooth root disease and tooth fractures, severe bite disorder correction (orthodontics), as well as periodontal disease (gum disorders, pockets, abscesses, among others) that can cause severe pain and infection if not treated appropriately. Composite restorations and tooth extractions are often necessary in some of these cases.