Dentist OR Vet

Toffee44

Toffee44

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Had a small debate with someone on my yard.

I have never had the vet do my horses teeth, I have always used a dentist. I wouldn't go to the GP for my teeth.

As far as I am aware dentists have a couple of years training where as vets have a few weeks, but this woman understanding is that the dentist by law is not allowed to surgically take out a tooth. Therefore why have a dentist??

Opinions please.
 
I use the vet much to the horror of many. He is well qualified in dentistry as well and does an excellent job and has all the tools for sedation etc if required but never necessary.
 
I have a dentist for routine work. I knew of one pony who had to have a tooth surgically removed and the vet and dentist worked together ! EDT's now need to be BEVA approved to practice.

The dentist costs me £30 per horse and does a really good job. He is a true horseman too, and it is very, very rare he needs anything sedated, Vets are too quick to sedate IMHO. The vet would charge well over £100 for the same work too.
 
I used to use the vet but now use an EDT. The EDT seemed to spend more time on the teeth and told me exactly what was going on in there wereas the vet didn't. The EDT is cheaper to, but that's not the reason I use her :p
 
Dentist for routine check-ups but Vet if you suspect a more serious issue. Try and book routine checks with others in the yard to keep costs lower.
 
The vet does only one of my horses as she need sedation and it takes 2 vets,:o:o the others have the equine dentist and he does a marvellous job and handles them quietly and they like him.:):)
 
I did use my vet, but a few weeks afterwards I had the opportunity to use an EDT who is well known and reportedly very good. He found a few issues that the vet had missed (nothing major) so I stuck with him from then on. I suppose there are good and bad in everything.
 
I always use an EDT for my horse. That's his job and he does it day in day out, vets don't. If horse needs to be sedated because it's difficult to treat or needs more serious work, the vet comes out to sedate (or we take the horse to the vets) and the EDT carries out the work
 
I use an edt, but have had two horses who needed wolf teeth removed. Edt told me to get vet for sedation and he,d remove them. It was cheaper for me to just let the vet remove them as vet is pretty good with teeth as well. Edt did,nt mind and will continue to do the yearly work. Got to save pennies somewhere!
 
I'm pretty sure it is correct that a dentist cannot do anything surgically (like extracting a tooth) that has to be done by a vet. I use a dentist for 3 of mines, one pony has to be sedated so I do get the vet to her, but 2 of the vets at my practice had done extra training in dentistry. I would only ever use a dentist who was registered with BAEDT.
 
My EDT is also a qualified vet (and was very helpful when I told her we were considering pts for elderly cob after an inexperienced vet had said her heart was dodgy - it isn't and she's still with us 2 yrs later).
A different newly qualified vet had previously rasped the poor cob's tongue, rather than her teeth and made it bleed.
I'll stick with EDT.
 
Dentist every time!! I once had the vet do my new dressage horses teeth, he then started to rear and be very fussy in the mouth so i had a good dentist check him and he was horrified with the state of his teeth, so much so he was surprised i could get any work out of him.
There are very few vets who are actually qualified dentists, as someone else said, would you let your GP do root canal treatment!! I know I wouldnt!!!
 
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