Why do we sedate horses for their dentals?

The advancement of what we know about the horse’s mouth has been huge in the last few years. Did you know that a horse has approximately 127 pulp cavities in its mouth, and even more importantly, that these can be examined during your horse’s routine dental?

To allow an in-depth, complete oral examination of the teeth and oral cavity, as well as to perform the required treatments, sedation is a necessity. We know that, although some horses allow a dental to be performed without sedation, their anxiety, movement, and agitation can alter the alignment of their jaw, prevents a thorough examination, and puts both horse and vet’s safety at risk.

Modern equine anaesthetics and sedations are safe and have minimal potential adverse reactions. Veterinarians are fully trained in the use of these drugs and can rapidly diagnose and treat adverse outcomes if they should arise. We are also trained in sedating horses with different medical issues such as heart murmurs or cardiac disease.

Veterinary dentistry, like human dentistry, is rapidly becoming an area of medicine that requires specialist equipment, education, and abilities, with the bar of expectation continually being raised.

The consensus from the Australian Veterinary Association and the Equine Veterinarians Australia is that equine dentistry cannot be performed without adequate sedation, a full mouth speculum, dental pick, a dental mirror, and a good light source!

Vet in the Valley is HIGHLY trained in the area of Equine Dentistry, with our aim to ensure yours horses mouth is kept healthy and function to keep your horse happy and competitive for as long as possible. We also acknowledge that dental issue play an extreme role in your horses longevity in their later stage of life. Dr. Libby is especially interested in geriatric management, and making your older horses as comfortable as possible.