Do i need a dentist to look at my horses teeth, or can the vet do just the job?

[ellieplatt]

My horse is due his annual F+T and Teeth, last year I had the vet do his teeth. Lots of people at my yard have a 'Horse Dentist' do their horses teeth, so I'm wondering if I need to have him looked at by a 'Horse dentist'? He hasn't had any problems in his mouth this past year, and he's 10, so i'd of thought if he had any teeth that needed removing they would have been by now?

Can the vet tell me if there are any problems with his teeth except that they are sharp? Or if any other dental work needs doing?

Opinions?

 

[Marydoll]

Both are capable of doing the job, but if the horse needs sedated for work, the vet needs to do this

 

[FairyLights]

I only ever have the vet. One of our vets really dislikes dentists ; he says they can cause more problems and often over file the teeth and file teeth which dont need any attention.
I agree. I am a horse owner of over 40 years and we never used to have teeth filed unless there was a problem eg horse quidding or hanging on to a rein .

 

[ellieplatt]

So would you say the vet will pick out any problems or issues he has with his teeth? Just as a dentist would?

 

[PingPongPony]

I never have the vet to do teeth. A horse dentist has had many years training towards becoming a dentist, they have studied teeth for years, whereas a vet has studied everything not just teeth thereforethe teeth part wouldn't as in depth as a dentist would. I think of it as, if you had a toothache, would you go to your GP or a dentist? But everyone has their own opinion, both are ok i guess, i just personally prefer the dentist.

 

[chestnut cob]

I use my vet for the big horse because he needs to be sedated, plus he has pretty average teeth without any issues. The new one had rubbish teeth which needed a lot of work. I did get my vet to take a quick look but had a dentist out to do the work. Once his teeth are "normal" I'll probably switch over to the vet but for now, he needs to be seen fairly regularly and has some complex issues which I think are better suited to a dentist.

 

[HBM1]

Fortunately my vet is also a qualified horse dentist. I did hear something awful the other day that anyone can set up as a horse dentist? For that reason alone I am afraid I would always go with my vet and his certs.
Edited to add I do know there are horse dentists who are properly qualified too

 

[Marydoll]

I think it depends on the vet tbh ive had 2 vets, both had an interest in equine dentistry and studied equine dentistry further,
My vet im with now, also was very interested in, and studied teeth further, she runs dental clinics weekly from the surgery, that is why i use them.
Ive never used an EDT in the main because i trust the vets i use to do the job, they are also able to sedate if work dictates this for treatment, wheras an EDT isnt allowed to do this at the moment

 

[Kat]

I use the vet as mine needs sedating, and there is no way I'm paying for the vet to sedate her on top of the dentists fees.

I think unless your horse is extremely good then it can be difficult for a dentist to do a really good job with an unsedated horse.

The head girl on our yard said that she likes a horse to be done by the vet under sedation every now and then as they can really have a good look at the hard to reach places then. She told me that she has come accross horses that have had regular dental treatment that still have long standing problems that are only uncovered when the horse is done under sedation for some reason.

 

[L&M]

I use my vet who is an equine specialist - I have them done with their yearly vaccs so saves 2 call outs!!

 

[blood_magik]

I use my vet for two reasons: the oldie needs sedated and he seems to trust Gavin
he's done a good job in the past so I continue to use him.

 

[Javabb94]

I only ever use EDT!
He always does a good job IMO
Horse doesn't need sedated either so it doesn't matter

 

[Welshie Squisher]

My experience of dentists is poor, so I now only trust my vet. But our vets have done extensive training on top of their normal vet training to do teeth.
I think it's really down to the individual, both in theory should be capable

 

[BigRed]

I think you will find that decent vet practises realise they are losing valuable revenue to EDT's and they send their people away on courses to keep them up to date on teeth. If you want your horse done really well, then sedating them lets the vet do a really thorough job. I thought the dentist was doing a good job until he retired and the vet came... he sedated her and spent a long time getting rid of the hooks at the back.

 

[Kat]

I think you will find that decent vet practises realise they are losing valuable revenue to EDT's and they send their people away on courses to keep them up to date on teeth. If you want your horse done really well, then sedating them lets the vet do a really thorough job. I thought the dentist was doing a good job until he retired and the vet came... he sedated her and spent a long time getting rid of the hooks at the back.

Yep our vets are always saying in their newsletter that one of the vets is also a dentist and hammers home the additional training they do etc.

 

[Oddjob's Wife]

I had a terrible experience years ago when my vet was looking after my pony's teeth. He became a violent headshaker and under veterinary care for some time. Vet concluded it was a brain tumour and we would probably have to have him pts. Took him to the riding school where I had lessons, my RI had a feel and came out of his mouth with his hand ripped on the sharp teeth. A friend rasped them for me and the head shaking stopped instantly.

Then I used a horse dentist for years on my next horse - happily, I thought - until I moved and employed the services of a different EDT, who needed to do extensive work to put right what had been messed up over the years. I trusted this EDT as he was able to tell me how my horse was going and what he did with his head and bit, without asking me a single question!!

Now, though, I use our vet as the whole practice are qualified 'to the teeth'!! in dentistry and, as has been mentioned before, if you need sedation, it saves involving two sets of people.

I guess what I'm saying is it can be a minefield but both are fine, so long as they have had adequate training. Just ask what qualifications/training the have first before choosing.

 

[mcnaughty]

I never have the vet to do teeth. A horse dentist has had many years training towards becoming a dentist, they have studied teeth for years, whereas a vet has studied everything not just teeth thereforethe teeth part wouldn't as in depth as a dentist would. I think of it as, if you had a toothache, would you go to your GP or a dentist? But everyone has their own opinion, both are ok i guess, i just personally prefer the dentist.

Not sure this is strictly true ..... "years of training" to be a horse dentist - would need to check on that one, and vets don't just skim over their training of each particular part of a horse's anatomy.

 

[maggiehorse]

funnily enough i,ve just got home from having my 3,s teeth done by my EDT , my tb gelding hates the power tool work so stephen has suggested a light sedation in future for him , hes happy for my vet to do his teeth or will do them with vet sedating

 

[Nightmare before Christmas]

I never have the vet to do teeth. A horse dentist has had many years training towards becoming a dentist, they have studied teeth for years, whereas a vet has studied everything not just teeth thereforethe teeth part wouldn't as in depth as a dentist would. I think of it as, if you had a toothache, would you go to your GP or a dentist? But everyone has their own opinion, both are ok i guess, i just personally prefer the dentist.

My vet told me this They are very honest with me, plus with wanting to do vetmed myself and with friends on the course, they spend like a week on equine teeth and move on!

dentists spend 3 years learning and many year perfecting, so I know who I would go with

 

[FairyLights]

So would you say the vet will pick out any problems or issues he has with his teeth? Just as a dentist would?

Yes

 

[claireandnadia]

I've used both and found both good but this year i will be using the vet as they only charge £30 and there is no call out charge.

 

[Cocorules]

Yes a vet will pick up issues with a horses teeth. It is not like years ago when vets did not have the knowledge about teeth and dentists did not exist. Now vets have learnt a lot from small animal dentistry which is carried out by vets and apply it increasingly successfully to horses.

I use a vet who has is a qualified dentist too but would say any vet as an absolute bare minimum is capable of spotting problems with teeth. They have the advantage of being able to sedate so can really have a good look at the teeth with minimal wriggling from the horse.

 

[Marydoll]

My vet told me this They are very honest with me, plus with wanting to do vetmed myself and with friends on the course, they spend like a week on equine teeth and move on!

dentists spend 3 years learning and many year perfecting, so I know who I would go with

Yes id agree if id a vet who basically told me they werent up to the job.
I know a person whos EDT said her horse didnt need sedation to have teeth done, she had her vet do her horses teeth when she had problems under saddle, when sedated the vet could see the work needing done at the back that had been missed for a good while, because the horse would only allow good access to the mouth under sedation.
My vets are all very skilled with their training in doing teeth, they are an equine only practice and one has done further extensive training in dentistry and holds dental clinics, i know who id choose
Ive never needed an EDT as my vets have been more than capable of doing the job. At the end of the day, its up to the individual and whether they trust the person used is doing a good job.

 

[lozz]

I will only use the EDT after a bad experience with my pony who the vet managed to not notice a 5mm spike on both sides of his mouth at the back. This lead to 3/4 eppisodes of choke and some horrible ridden work. All fixed by an EDT.

 

[EventingMum]

There are EDTs and vets who are capable of doing a competent job on horses teeth, however there are both EDT’s and vets who do not do this. Regardless of who you choose to use it is the owner’s responsibility to check up on the training and qualifications of that person. It is not correct to assume that vet will be better trained than an EDT or vice versa without some research. I do personally know of two vets that choose to use an EDT for their own horses teeth although they happily do non dental work with horses.

At present the law allows unqualified / untrained people to undertake category one procedures (the removal of sharp enamel points), anything more than this should only be done by suitably qualified person. The BEVA/BVDA qualification is a rigorous exam that can be sat by both vets and EDTs. Members of the BAEDT have all passed this exam and a list of such members can be found here: http://www.baedt.com/members_5357.html.

It is true that the law only allows vets sedate horses, however many vets are happy to sedate for suitably qualified EDTs. However the recent introduction of domosedan gel which is a very effective sedative for most horses for dental work, means that provided a vet is willing to prescribe it (most will do as long as they have seen the horse in the preceding six months) the owner can administer it saving a vet call out. Also for many smaller/ mixed vets practices it is not economical for them to invest in all the equipment a good EDT is likely to have as they are unlikely to use it day in, day out like an EDT would.

All in all whether to use a vet or EDT is a personal choice and owners should obviously assess the competence of the vets and EDTs in their area when making their choice.

 

[KVH]

I will only ever use an EDT.

 

[kerrieberry2]

I've always used my vet but I am very picky about which vet does it as one tried doing without sedating my horse and stressed her out completely then ended up sedating her anyway! I'd told her from the start she needed sedating!

I have always just used the vet because she does need sedating! have also been warned off of a couple of dentist's in hampshire, so best to stick with what I know!

 

[Sparkly Snowdrop]

My vet told me this They are very honest with me, plus with wanting to do vetmed myself and with friends on the course, they spend like a week on equine teeth and move on!

dentists spend 3 years learning and many year perfecting, so I know who I would go with

My vet said he did 3 days on horses teeth during his whole Veterinary training! My EDT has a refresher course every year! I know who I would choose and my Vet is very happy with how the EDT has treated my horses teeth.

 

[Shutterbug]

I have used both - never had a problem with either but all my horse ever needs is a rasp and hes very well behaved for the dentist. I tend to just use my vet now though as his teeth and vaccines get done at the same time so its just more convenient

 

[grandmaweloveyou]

My vet covers all aspects of equine dentistry and checked rasped my boys teeth a couple of weeks ago while on a visit for something else.....cost me more for the rasp than having the dentist out though!!! Still its all done now...