Tooth Care for Horses

Ive been thinking about teeth this week horses teeth in particular. Thats partly because my own horses are due for a dental check up but also because theres been a report in one of my journals that really made me think how much dental work has moved on in the last ten or fifteen years!
When I was training as a vet an equine tooth check mainly involved grabbing the tongue having a quick feel round then rasping away at anything that felt sharp. If you were properly equipped youd use a gag aka a dental speculum if not many vets were happy to work around the horses tongue and teeth.

Nowadays that sort of cursory examination really isnt good enough in many cases. There are a lot of very well trained and experienced vets as well as good equine dental technicians EDTs who would probably need a sit down if they saw some of the things that were commonplace not that long ago!
We also have many more paraprofessionals now EDTs who have a variety of qualifications and there seem to be fewer quacks out there than there used to be. That said if youre asking an EDT to do your horses teeth check out their qualification first if something goes wrong some insurance companies wont pay out if the EDT isnt registered with the BAEDT British Association of Equine Dental Technicians.
For a start a proper tooth check up needs to include a clinical examination of the horse is he losing weight? Are there any lumps or bumps on her head that might indicate a tooth root problem? How well are his intestines working to digest his food? Its also true that it is not possible to do a full mouth exam without a gag of some sort. If youre brave enough yes you can feel the outside edges of the teeth by running your hand up but anyone who thinks that holding a horses tongue will stop them biting your fingers has either been very lucky or hasnt tried it! A gag really is essential so you can examine the inner surfaces of the teeth and also so you can have a look at the mouth. Although you can learn a lot from feeling there are some conditions that are easier to detect and evaluate by sight using a head lamp or a pen torch to have a good look around