Equine dental technician

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AntxGeorgiax

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Hello everyone, happy Friday!
I bought my horse back in October last year. When had the vet to check her out I mentioned teeth and she said as a 5yo with no problems eating etc there is no need/reason to get an EDT.
However, this is still no problem I just would like to ensure there is nothing brewing in there! She seems no different, taking a bit longer to eat as her feed is bigger.
Hasn't been ridden much so can't tell any difference.
Just wondering, should I bother? Is it worth it? Any good ones around bucks /chiltern areas?
What do I ask? Is there anything I should look for? Anything to prepare horse for the rasping etc?
What do they do? Any special language I should look out for to understand?
Just basically what to expect and what the procedure is, and if anyone has an estimate of a cost that would be really helpful.
Thanks :)
 
I assume when the vet examined her mouth at vetting the teeth were in good condition and had probably been attended to at some time so you were recommended that they did not need doing. Most horses have their teeth rasped annually some more often, I like to get them looked at before the horse starts work, many young horses will need something doing, waiting until there is a problem eating is really leaving it far too long.


I cannot help with an EDT in your area but have just had all mine done it cost £40 per horse.
 
That's exactly how I feel, which is why I would like to get them looked at before she starts eating more.
Reading the original post it sounds as if she has a problem eating- this is definitely not the case, she eats fine just takes a little longer and she now has a big feed for winter, completely normal.
Don't have too much history with her so not sure if there is a record of said teeth checks, I would like to have it done more out of interest than necessity.
What do they do? Anything I can prepare her for? I saw a pony having his teeth rasped and it looked awful! :/
 
My comment about eating was towards your vet not you, it seems strange advice, one pony that was done last week had terrible teeth he has had a few bouts of colic probably due to the fact he was not chewing properly although he appeared to be able to eat ok and was very fat, he is much more comfy now and hopefully the colic will not happen again.

Back to your question, the dentist will usually take a few minutes to relax the horse before putting the gag on, most horses do not mind at all surprisingly as to us its looks very uncomfortable. Once the gag is on they can examine the mouth properly to feel what work needs doing, they will then rasp the teeth as required, it can take a while and they may let the horse have a break during the work.
Preparation is not really possible apart from making sure you have a fairly well mannered horse, somewhere secure and well lit to work and probably a cup of coffee for the dentist.
Of the 8 I had done they were all really good including the pony with bad teeth that had never been done before and had only been here a short while, just stay calm and let the professional do his job with you as an assistant and all will be fine.
 
AntxGeorgiax said:
Hello everyone, happy Friday!
I bought my horse back in October last year. When had the vet to check her out I mentioned teeth and she said as a 5yo with no problems eating etc there is no need/reason to get an EDT.
However, this is still no problem I just would like to ensure there is nothing brewing in there! She seems no different, taking a bit longer to eat as her feed is bigger.
Hasn't been ridden much so can't tell any difference.
Just wondering, should I bother? Is it worth it? Any good ones around bucks /chiltern areas?
What do I ask? Is there anything I should look for? Anything to prepare horse for the rasping etc?
What do they do? Any special language I should look out for to understand?
Just basically what to expect and what the procedure is, and if anyone has an estimate of a cost that would be really helpful.
Thanks :)
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Well at her age she needs done at least once a year, possibly every six months depending on her teeth.
They often don't show how bad their teeth are.

Definately have a good dental tech take a look, a good one will let you see whats going on and explain everything simply for you - ours lets us feel the teeth before and after the work, explaining everything as he goes.

We pay £40 per horse for the dentist, generally he or she will come, have a good examine of the horse's teeth and mouth, they use a gag to keep the horse's mouth open and then they will use either an electric or hand held rasp to treat any issues they find.
 
Is there a website for all registered EDT in england or a number for a general group to call? Or would a vet reccomend? If possible I would like to find one via word of mouth so will try and find one, I'm not in a huge rush but I would like to get it all checked out for peace of mind and to make sure she is comfy.
Thankyou for your replies!
The vet said something along the lines of 'as she's young her teeth are grinding on the grass as she eats so will be wearing down naturally, youngsters like this and ones just broken haven't had much played around with their mouth so should be fine(my mare had only just been broken at 5 when I bought her ) maybe in a year or so get them looked at but she doesn't think they will really need doing as its mostly common in oldies'
I can't remember word for word because it was over a year ago, but I often wonder about it!
Will try and get in touch with a few :)
 
My dentist and my previous dentist both said something along the lines of the young teeth are growing faster so throw up sharp edges faster than an older horse, once they it really old then they start to need doing more often again because of the angles to the teeth.
Both of our young horses, 6 and 7, throw up ridges and sharp points much more faster than our 16 year old. They need done every 6 months or so and the 16 year old only needs done every year
 
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