What does an Equine Dentist do?
An equine dentist DOES NOT brush a horse’s teeth. Horse’s teeth do not stop erupting their entire lives and thus need to be filed down periodically throughout their lives. This process is called floating a horses teeth.

What are caps?
Caps is the term that equine dentist use instead of saying baby teeth. These are baby teeth on the first three molars of the four arcades and all of the incisors. Between the ages of 2 1/2 and 4 1/2 your horse will lose 24 of their baby teeth.

What can I do to help you when you come to my place?
I like the horses to be caught and in a suitable stable or small yard before I arrive, this allows the horses time to relax after being brought in from the paddock. I will need clean water to mix with my disinfectant.

How do I make payment?
Payment can be by cash, direct transfer or credit card at the time of the appointment. If paying by direct transfer a receipt of the transaction must be emailed/sms at the time of the appointment. Sorry, I do not take cheques, Amex or Diners Club.

How often should I have my horse’s teeth done?
Horses that are fed a high grain diet i.e. racehorses should be routinely floated every 12 weeks. Horses that are fed a predominately roughage/low energy diet should be floated every 6 months until they have finished losing all of their caps (baby teeth), this occurs until approx. the age of five. Once all the caps have gone, I recommend a routine dental float every 10-12 months.

How old should my horse be when I first have the dentist out to look at him?
As a general rule, when your horse is 2 years old and/or the horse is going to start wearing a bit, whichever one comes first. If your horse is not wearing a bit, 2 years of age is the best age to start.

Will my horse be able to eat after you float their teeth?
Majority of horses will spit out the first mouthful of feed after having their teeth floated. This is equivalent to the ‘rinse and spit’ of what we do at our dentist visits. After that first mouthful your horse will eat immediately after finishing floating.

My horse is in good condition and he does not spill grain when eating, why should I spend money on floating?
Your horse may look like he is eating fine but once you open up his mouth he may have a few different problems. It is always best to have your horse’s mouth checked by a qualified equine dentist to make sure. Your horse may have sharp points that hurt his checks and his tongue when chewing.

My horses manure has whole kernels of grain and/or stems of hay in it. What does this mean?
This means that your horse is having a hard time grinding his food. His digestive system cannot absorb the nutrients from that food because the beginning of the horses digestive system, chewing, is not working properly. For your horse to convert the feed into nutrients in the most effective and efficient manner he requires full lateral excursion of his jaw. Removing sharp points on the outside of the upper arcade and the inside edge of the lower arcade gives him this full lateral excursion.

Do you use hand floats or power floats?
I only use hand floats.

What are wolf teeth?
Wolf teeth are small sometimes irregularly shaped teeth that are located in front of the first upper molars and sometimes though not as common, in front of the first lower molars. This tooth is usually noticed when someone puts a bit in the horse’s mouth and the horse can be sensitive. The tooth has small roots and can be irritating to the horse when the bit hits it.

Should my horse have time off after removing wolf teeth?
Your horse should be fine to ride the next day.

Do you sedate all the horses when working on them?
Many horses don’t mind having their teeth filed and stand still for the procedure. Some horses do need a small amount of sedative. If your horse needs sedation a Vet is required to administer the sedation. It is illegal for any person who is not a registered Veterinarian to carry, supply or administer sedation to horses.

Can you work on all breeds of horses?
I work on all breeds, shapes and sizes.

Does my horse need antibiotics after removing teeth?
No, generally horses mouths heal very quickly and there is no problem of infection. Flushing the mouth with salt water can help to keep the spot clean while it heals.
There are 12 incisors and 24 molars. Then if your horse is male and sometimes female it could have 4 canine teeth. Some horses get wolf teeth and there can be as many as 4 though it is much more common to see 2. A total of 36 to 44 teeth in the beginning but after wolf teeth are removed just 36 to 40 teeth.