Equine Dentistry

Burleson Equine Hospital offers complete dentistry care for your horse including performance power floats, wolf tooth and cap removal, premolar and molar extractions, sinus flaps, and mandibular and incisor fracture fixation. We utilize both motorized and hand-powered tools and provide maintenance and preventative dental care to horses of all ages. Our doctors have spent an extensive amount of time improving their dentistry skills through certified training, continuing education, wet labs and short courses.

Teeth in the adult horse are very long with the reserve tooth present in the maxillary sinus cavity. These teeth continuously erupt throughout the life of your horse and the development of sharp points and hooks can occur over time based on how they chew and break down feed material. Because of this, horses require annual dental attention to prevent the development of permanent dental disorders, irritation to soft-tissue structures in the mouth, dropping feed, and weight loss. The inability to breakdown plant material can lead to impaction of the intestinal system and development of signs related to colic.

Whether you transport your horse to the hospital or need dental work done on the farm, our veterinarians can service your horses’ dental needs. We recommend twice-yearly oral exams during your routine health examinations and vaccination appointments to ensure your horse’s mouth remains healthy. Our hospital has a full-service dental facility, and we can perform procedures including but not limited to dental equilibration, wolf tooth removal, cap extractions, incisor reduction or alignment, molar malocclusion correction, extractions, restorations, periodontal disease treatment, etc. All dentistry procedures are performed by licensed veterinarians who are specially trained in equine medicine as well as with specialized equipment. This ensures your horse will have the safest, most comprehensive care available.

There are currently several laws in Texas governing who can perform equine dental procedures. As of May 30, 2011, the battle over who can perform dental work on Texas horses, veterinarians or non-veterinarian tooth floaters, was resolved when the Texas Legislature moved to professionalize the practice of non-veterinary equine dentistry by passing House Bill 414. Veterinarians know that equine dentistry is much more than floating teeth—or filing down the sharp points in a horse’s mouth that may cause injury or difficulty chewing. Equine dentistry is a key part of comprehensive equine health care, which includes floating and an evaluation of a horse’s entire mouth (i.e., teeth, gums, jaw and tongue) for signs of disease as well as a horse’s entire body. In aging horses, improperly cared-for teeth can cause weight loss, malnutrition and even death. In most cases, equine dentistry also requires the use of potentially dangerous (if not used by a licensed veterinarian) sedative or tranquilizing drugs, which non-veterinarians cannot legally administer. Veterinarians can assess a patient and determine the safety of these drugs, and they also know how to reverse unexpected negative reactions to drugs should your horse have a problem. Veterinarians also know when it is necessary to use antibiotics or other agents to protect the horse’s health and prevent spread of disease. Because of this legislation, Texas horses and their owners are afforded a level of protection unavailable in the past.