The Mouth Jack A speculum is a device that holds open a body cavity. The types used in equine dentistry vary. A full mouth speculum places two metal plates between the incisor (nipper) teeth, and a lever with a locking mechanism is used to hold open the mouth against the hinges of the device located on either side of the ... Read More ..read more

Drugs Are Being Used Today To Replace Horsemanship In modern equine dentistry, many terms from human dentistry are now being used in the horse field, and sedation dentistry is one of them. Its use in equine dentistry primarily depends on your fears of the human dentist based on prior experiences. Drugs Given By A Non-Veterinarian Is Not Logical And Illegal ... Read More ..read more

Are Power Tools More Effective Than Hand-Floating Horses? This video describes the difference between power tool floating and hand-floating. You may be surprised by what I say. Power tools are not the problem, per see, though the use of power is not needed with carbide steel against tooth enamel. It is the application of poor scientific theories and lack of ... Read More ..read more

“A New Profit Center” Developed Without Science Modern equine dentists have recently embraced the removal of material from the front teeth of a horse (nippers, incisors). Some horses have died from this procedure. There is no basis in sound science for performing incisor reduction, and until someone proves to me the necessity for it being done, I will not do ... Read More ..read more

Based On Poor Science And Not Needed “Equilibration” and “lateral excursion” are definitions used in modern equine dentistry to describe issues seen inside the horse’s mouth. These dentists evaluate the movement of the jaw and adjust this movement by filing off edges in a manner that aligns the jaw. I feel that three issues invalidate these procedures. So why do ... Read More ..read more

These Are HORSE Teeth, Not HUMAN Teeth Cavities do occur in horses, but they usually resolve by self-repair (but also with the removal of starch/grain) or a piece of tooth breaks off with no harm to the horse. Some equine dentists “filling” horse cavities say that the horse will live, on average, five additional years because of the treatment (stated ... Read More ..read more

Horsemanship versus Auto Mechanic Power tools (air or electric) used in equine dentistry can be effective when used by trained equine dentists, but eliminating horsemanship deprives the horse from being part of the process. What I don’t like about power tool use is the immobilization of the horse, over-drugging, mouth jacking, and head suspension. This goes against every fiber of ... Read More ..read more

A Horse Chews 10,000 To 40,000 Times Per Day Horse teeth continually erupt, but painful ulcers develop in the adjacent soft tissue as the cheek teeth wear against each other, creating points, and the tongue strops them into razor-sharp edges. Many horses object to this pain. The result is poor bit performance and disuse of the tooth, leading to local ... Read More ..read more

Are you willing to reach in a horse’s mouth? There is no practical way to determine that your horse has been floated well. This is why so many bad equine dentists exist. Modern equine dentists use a light and a jacked open mouth to show you an issue, but using sight is not a complete way to evaluate the mouth. ... Read More ..read more

Removing Pain Removal of the source of pain from the mouth of the horse is the primary purpose of equine dentistry. Most problems or pathology of the horse mouth are secondary to pain. An observation over my decades of floating is the alignment of the teeth after about two years of dental care. It is as if they were wearing ... Read More ..read more