Routine and Advanced Dental Care for Dogs, Cats, & Horses
for your pet's teeth and gums is an integral component to their overall
health. Preventative Care starts at an early age with brushing and may
include feeding a tartar control diet to help remove soft tartar.
Developmental problems include: failure of baby teeth to shed resulting
in malocclusion, abnormal emergence of adult teeth, over- and
under-bites, failure of enamel to form properly, and overcrowding.
Adult Dogs and Cats:
out of Five Adult Dogs and Cats have some form of tartar
accumulation with periodontal inflammation progressing to bone and tooth
loss. Periodic inspection reveals brown or yellow staining and surface
material. Your Pet's breath will be FOUL! Additionally, the gums may
be swollen, red, and bleed easily from a light touch. Your pet may
manifest pain by chewing only on one side of it's mouth, or not chewing
food at all.
commonly see broken teeth. Most owners do not notice abnormalities in
their pet's mouth. Tumors in the oral cavity are more common in older
pets. Dental infection is PAINFUL, and dental infection results in the spread of bacteria into the blood stream affecting internal
organs. Prolonged dental infection may cause your pet to be less
active and unresponsive to you. Dental infection will shorten your
Your pet will be anesthetized for his or her procedure. Modern anesthetics are safe. IV fluids are given and a cardiac respiratory monitor is always used. During your pet's dental we
evaluate injured teeth after they are cleaned. Dental x-rays may be taken. Suspicious teeth are evaluated. Treatments include: extraction, pulverization of retained
roots, root canal surgery to retain damaged teeth, medicated resins, gum
resections, artificial bone replacement, and other means. Most pets
are admitted for dental procedures in the morning, and discharged later
in the afternoon. Some pets require blood evaluation and ECG prior to
anesthesia. Pain medication and antibiotics are prescribed as needed.
(See Dental Radiography)
Articles: Dental Care for Cats Dental Care for Dogs Root Canal Treatment for Injured Teeth
horses' teeth continue to emerge throughout their lives with most adult
teeth present by 5 years of age. Dental Health is crucial to a horse’s
health, well-being, and performance. Dental Problems are common. In
order to diagnose dental problems early and treat them effectively, it
is important have your horse’s teeth examined yearly.
of horses continually grow throughout the animal’s life. The teeth can
grow and wear unevenly just as a horse’s feet do. Certain dental
problems, such as malocclusion (upper and lower teeth do not meet),
broken teeth, and abnormal wear (as from cribbing), can interfere with a
horse’s ability to ingest and grind it’s feed properly.
To do a quick examination of your horse’s teeth:
1) Lift the upper lip and observe the gums and upper incisors for wear and occlusion.
Pull down the lower lip with one hand and use the other hand to pull
out the corner of the mouth. Observe the first few molars for sharp
hooks and points, the sawtooth-like projections along the outer edge of
the upper molar arcade and along the inner edge of the lower molar
arcade. These teeth generally reflect the state of the other molars.
Accumulations of “cuds” of chewed grass or hay in the cheeks indicate
3) In a darkened stall pull out the horse’s tongue
and use a flashlight to look into the back of the mouth to see the rear
molars, tongue and cheeks.
Dental problems can lead to eating
difficulties, unwillingness to accept the bit, mouth injuries or sinus
infections. Signs of dental disease include weight loss, difficulty
chewing, dropping hay or grain while chewing, head-tossing during
riding, nasal discharge, facial swelling, colic, and many whole pieces
of grain in the manure. Poor feed utilization is common.
Important Points in Treatment
A horse’s teeth periodically need to be filed down or floated to remove
sharp points on the outside edges of the upper molars and inside edges
of the lower molars. The average horse requires floating at least once a
year to prevent injury to the cheeks and tongue. “Hooks” on mismatched
teeth may need to be cut and smoothed.
Wolf Teeth: Wolf teeth are
the rudimentary first upper premolars located near the large upper
second premolars. These first appear in late yearlings. Bitting problems
are more likely if the wolf teeth are small and loose. Wolf tooth
removal is relatively simple.
Tartar: Accumulations of
yellow-brown tartar or calculus around the base of the teeth should be
periodically removed to prevent gum disease and tooth loss. Tartar
usually accumulates around the canine teeth and occasionally the
Infection: Infection of an upper tooth can spread to
the bony compartment between the roof of the mouth and the eye
(maxillary sinus), causing sinus infection and pain, and a discharge
from one nostril. Infection of a lower tooth can cause swelling along
the jaw bone. Horses with tooth infection may have an unpleasant
“rotten” odor about the mouth or emanating from the nostril on the same
side as the sinus infection.
Malocclusion: When a tooth is
missing, the tooth in the opposite arcade continues to grow and may
require periodic cutting to prevent mouth injury and to allow normal
We can do routine dental floating on the farm for
most horses with IV sedation. For more complex procedures, restraint
in a stocks at the clinic, or short term anesthesia may be required.
Horses may be dropped off for the day and retrieved later following
their dental treatment.
(See Equine Services)
Articles: Equine Dentition & Dental Problems Horse Health Care
Member of the American Veterinary Dental Society