Had dentist on Friday - electric rasp !!!

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shmoo

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Hi,

Never seen one of these before - always hand rasps back in the day and I missed the last visit on my mare. Lovely guy, really calm and kind and to the point, but wow - it was noisy and scarey - horses were fine - just me :D.

My TB mare kept one eye on me, one on him and looked to be choking the whole time... Sort of had a Marty Feldman eyeball thing going on... Shows how long I've been away - but well... i've never seen the like :D
 
I've never seen an electric rasp used either. My horse has his done by a vet that uses the old hand rasp. Although by the time it was done I'm sure he'll be looking into buying an electric one! Lol the rasp kept going blunt. Fortunately my lad is very chilled out about it so just stood there quietly for the 45 minutes it took. But I wonder if he'd need sedating if it was an electric one and they're that noisy as he's a bit of a big girls blouse about some things. Having said that, he was an angel with his first bib clip and even I was nervous of the clippers
 
The electric one is called a dremil and is actually the cheats route. It can also be used to do feet and such likes. I would be worried that someone is using such a sharp, potentially dangerous piece of equipment on a horse that wasn't sedated. One wrong move and you are in a heck of a lot of trouble. The other thing with them is that it is very easy to take too much of the tooth off at a time without noticing. I would never allow one to be used on my horses unless absolutely necessary.
 
Ours uses an electric rasp and has done for a couple of years, never had ours sedated to be done. He also uses non electric rasps and think its just another tool in their kit.
 
Had my horses done by a new (to me) and recommended dentist a couple of months back. They have never had one used on them before but none needed sedation - even my youngster who kicked up a fuss with previous dentist. Dentist let me touch the rasp when on, just had it on my finger - it wasn't harsh as far as I could tell.
 
I did ask about sedation. Neither of mine needed it (I said this nice and confidently before I knew it wasn't a hand thing) I was just being nosey. He did say lots of horses IHO just needed a more experienced dentist, not sedating. Have to say if it was me with that in my head i'd have kicked up more of a fuss.. I'd be a terrible horse come to think of it. :D
 
EKW said:
The electric one is called a dremil and is actually the cheats route. It can also be used to do feet and such likes. I would be worried that someone is using such a sharp, potentially dangerous piece of equipment on a horse that wasn't sedated. One wrong move and you are in a heck of a lot of trouble. The other thing with them is that it is very easy to take too much of the tooth off at a time without noticing. I would never allow one to be used on my horses unless absolutely necessary.
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^^ This.

I specifically ask that mine is done with hand tools.
She has been done once, whilst sedated, by the vet with a power tool. She seemed okay but I was :eek: at the apparent lack of finesse with them. I also didn't like the fact that she was practically drowning in her own saliva, it was a very messy affair.
 
I used a vet instead of an EDT this time (was taking a blind wolf tooth out too) & he brought an electric rasp. It's the first time ove seen one & I must say I was very impressed. It was super quiet, the horse didn't mind it at all & it was a easy & pleasant experience :)
 
The power rasp is now widely used by dentists and is actually a lot safer than people think. If it accidentally touches tissue then the rasp will stop, you can use it on the soft skin on the inside of your wrist and the the rasp will stop. They also have pins inside the head, so that if a horse bites down on the rasp, the pin will break and the power rasp will stop.

They do take off more tooth than the manual rasp, so I will only use an experienced, qualified EDT, and a very severe malocclusion should still be corrected in stages. They can be a lot safer particularly for older horses, the pulling about with manual rasps can be a bit too much for older horses with slightly loose teeth. Most horses tolerate it very well, again as there is not much rough pushing/pulling inside the mouth.

With an experienced and qualified EDT, they can do a much better job with the power rasp than manual, and it also saves their arms when they are doing 10+ horses a day.

If used in the wrong hands, both power and manual can cause damage.

Also don't confuse a powerfloat with a dremel. I have only seen a dremel used once by a vet, and I didn't like it at all.
 
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Umbongo said:
The power rasp is now widely used by dentists and is actually a lot safer than people think. If it accidentally touches tissue then the rasp will stop, you can use it on the soft skin on the inside of your wrist and the the rasp will stop. They also have pins inside the head, so that if a horse bites down on the rasp, the pin will break and the power rasp will stop.

They do take off more tooth than the manual rasp, so I will only use an experienced, qualified EDT, and a very severe malocclusion should still be corrected in stages. They can be a lot safer particularly for older horses, the pulling about with manual rasps can be a bit too much for older horses with slightly loose teeth. Most horses tolerate it very well, again as there is not much rough pushing/pulling inside the mouth.

With an experienced and qualified EDT, they can do a much better job with the power rasp than manual, and it also saves their arms when they are doing 10+ horses a day.

I have only seen a dremel power rasp (difeerent to the power rasp) used once by a vet, I think it came from new Zealand. That was not a nice looking peice of equipment and I think it could cause some damage.

If used in the wrong hands, both power and manual can cause damage.
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this
 
Have seen our EDT uses both 'normal' rasps and electric depending on which horse. It did suprise me that the mare actaully let him near her with the electric drill and stood really well for it.Previously used vet(equine vets) for teeth and mare was a nightmare,would fight the gag,back up until she could go no further even attempted to rear couple of times.
With the dentist stands like a donkey which does help to get the job done properly even with electric tools.
Can't say about taking too much off the teeth as horses always appear fine afterwards.

What Umbongo said has made me feel better about electric tools being used
 
EKW said:
The electric one is called a dremil and is actually the cheats route. It can also be used to do feet and such likes. I would be worried that someone is using such a sharp, potentially dangerous piece of equipment on a horse that wasn't sedated. One wrong move and you are in a heck of a lot of trouble. The other thing with them is that it is very easy to take too much of the tooth off at a time without noticing. I would never allow one to be used on my horses unless absolutely necessary.
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Not all dental power tools are dremels. The older ones tend to be dremel / black and decker type things with dental fittings attached. Most EDTs will use something like a L'clair or similar which are specifically designed for dental work and would certainly not be used on feet and are most definitely not a cheats route.

These tools are a result of advancement in equine dental care and BEVA / BVDA qualified EDTs and vets will have been trained and examined on using them and in such hands they are safe to use. As Umbongo says they are better for older horses who's teeth may be expiring as there is less drag, they are also will cause less soft tissue damage than a manual rasp as they will stop on contact. People are often surprised at how readily many horses accept them without sedation. A thorough job can be done more quickly and efficiently than with hand tools which reduces the time the gag is on and so is less tiring and stressful for the horse.
 
Umbongo said:
The power rasp is now widely used by dentists and is actually a lot safer than people think. If it accidentally touches tissue then the rasp will stop, you can use it on the soft skin on the inside of your wrist and the the rasp will stop. They also have pins inside the head, so that if a horse bites down on the rasp, the pin will break and the power rasp will stop.

They do take off more tooth than the manual rasp, so I will only use an experienced, qualified EDT, and a very severe malocclusion should still be corrected in stages. They can be a lot safer particularly for older horses, the pulling about with manual rasps can be a bit too much for older horses with slightly loose teeth. Most horses tolerate it very well, again as there is not much rough pushing/pulling inside the mouth.

With an experienced and qualified EDT, they can do a much better job with the power rasp than manual, and it also saves their arms when they are doing 10+ horses a day.

If used in the wrong hands, both power and manual can cause damage.

Also don't confuse a powerfloat with a dremel. I have only seen a dremel used once by a vet, and I didn't like it at all.
Click to expand...

This^^ - last time the dentist was with mine, which was only 3 weeks ago, he showed me how it used and the fact that it stopped when it touched soft tissue. Would only want it used by experienced EDT though, although I wouldn't use an inexperienced EDT anyway!
 
Mine is done with an electric rasp (looks like a giant electric toothbrush) it's very quick, very quiet and very effective :-) never had any problems, no excess drool no choking no silly horse. I think he prefers it to the manual rasp. Much less pushing and shoving in his mouth :-)
 
Mine uses electric or manual dependant on the horse and the problems. I am happy for him to use either
 
Our EDT has used a power rasp for the last 5 plus years. Last time he did my boy he told me about a broken tooth. Vet came to look and see if she could do anything with it but also brought a range of dental equipment with her including the most up to date electric tools (and knew how to use them!)
 
My dentist was trained by Gary Singh and we had a loooong convo about the use / misuse of power tools last time he was here. He advocated using them for the bigger jobs as it is quicker and easier for the horse (and EDT).

The problem is where EDT's are getting lazy and using them all the time. They do create more heat and will take off more than a manual rasp. Over time, used every time, they can cause more damage to the tooth as a whole and potentially shorten the lifespan of the tooth. He most certainly would not advocate using them every single time.

Personally I am very uncomfortable with their use for every visit.
 
What Umbongo said.

My horses have never needed sedation with my current EDT and his power tools are practicality silent. Certainly not loud enough to stop me talking at him ;)

My EDT demonstrated his electric rasp against his arm; it shuts off completely so that it can't catch on any soft tissue.

I also agree re the drag. When you compare the resistance the horse has to use against a manual rasp and the duration compared to electrics I'd pick my qualified EDT with his any day. I've never heard of it referred to as the " cheats way" before?
 
So with what umbongo said in mind, who is a good BAEDT qualified dentist in the SE essex area that people would recommend? Last few times I just use my vet but that doesn't seem to be the recommended approach anymore as my vets don't have the specific dental qualifications. However, my pony normally needs sedating. I definitely want personal recommendations rather than just picking someone off a list though.
 
My dentist uses an electric rasp and none of my horses mind it (even my super sensitive Appy who hates being clipped!) He has been doing him he was a four year old though - so ten years now! And he is well used to it and I've never had any problems with their teeth. We have an old pony too who's teeth are loose and my EDT said that if he was to rasp them manually, they would fall out! :eek: :p
 
Mine does it manually no way am I having a black and decker in my angels mouths do it properly or go home is my stance in EDT I'm afraid. That said mine is awesome so I've no need to look for anyone else who might try and install shelves instead
 
My vet does all our teeth now, with the tb he has to be sedated as he won't let the back of his mouth be done and even with sedation his tongue is really strong, vet uses the dremil, vet is qualified in it, and then finishes off with the hand rasps. It's quicker and less fuss ESP for horses that even sedated don't like the time it takes.

My others get hand rasped as they don't need the Dremil.
 
My EDT uses power (dental) tools and explained to me how more precise it is and how less noisy and dangerous it is for the horse. I was very very impressed. It certainly wasn't a dremmel it was a proper piece of horse dentistry equipment.

I wonder if we use the same one TPO!
 
My vet always used the hand rasps and each time my tb used to get very stressed and he never really finished the job as it got dangerous.

Then someone else at the yard was using an EDT who came highly recommended so I booked in. He used an electric float which my horse tolerated better. He said my horse had a very small mouth and the vet (who EDT said was very good with teeth) would have struggled with a hand float to deal with some hooks right at the back without sedation.

The result of this was that he was no longer fussy about nosebands, used to hate even a cavesson but after that was fine.
 
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