how often would you have teeth done?

[ILuvCowparsely]

He's not allowed to, that's why!! IV sedation is a vet only job! He could use Domosedan (which is far more effective then Sedalin) but it'd very expensive and still requires a prescription.

I know that - I mean never had a horse needing a vet there to sedate before he started

 

[catroo]

Frequency six - twelve months depending on animal.

Vet vs EDT . . . Well that's down to the skills of the vet or EDT. I make a choice based on the individual and their manner and skills and not on job title. I think it's a bit ridiculous to say never vet after a bad experience with a particular vet or vice versa. I have access to a very good EDT and a very good vet. Both recommend each other if one isn't available.

 

[Prince33Sp4rkle]

in 20 years of horses we have never had one sedated for routine rasping. I use an EDT but if he wanted them sedating he would ask, he knows his job and works for the top guys in every discipline..............we have only ever sedated put a drop of anaesthetic in for wolf teeth.

ive never had horse really bad for him though,they usually settle once they realise it doesnt hurt and i HAVE had some with awful teeth(think parrot mouth, waves,missing teeth, the lot!)

mine are done every 6 months @ £75 for EDT alone.

i wouldnt be concerned by power tools, but would by sedation as standard.

 

[pennyturner]

At risk of getting jumped on here; never. So far (20 years) it hasn't been necessary.

They're on rough pasture, no hard feed, and all put on and hold weight easily, so they're clearly OK without. One of the ponies is around 30, and would happily chew his way through a wicker basket!
I've heard many tales of problems caused by poor dentistry, and if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

[minesadouble]

At the risk of sounding a bit preachy, if you use a an EDT (as I do) please please
Please check this list and ensure they are on there;-
http://www.baedt.com/members_5357.html
We used to use a well known EDT who had been given glowing reports by many people. We had heard nothing but good about him. He did our horses for many years - never any sedation necessary, he was fabulous with the horses. However, part of the reason that the horses never objected was that he was working so inefficiently there was nothing to object to.
One of his patients was an elderly livery whose mouth was in an absolutely horrendous state when we got our fully qualified EDT - he was appalled at what the previous 'EDT' had done - or not done!
Please don't use an EDT who is not qualified or who claims to have qualified in another country. It's just not worth the money and you are also risking your horse's wellbeing.

 

[rara007]

I have spoken to a vet practice dentist who favours power rasps because apparently manual rasps do not allow the very back teeth to be done easily or properly. First time I have heard this. ?

If you think about how a one way manual rasp works- to rasp the very back tooth the rasp has to be placed and pulled back, placed and pulled back, etc. Power tool you can just place it the once.

 

[Clodagh]

At risk of getting jumped on here; never. So far (20 years) it hasn't been necessary.

They're on rough pasture, no hard feed, and all put on and hold weight easily, so they're clearly OK without. One of the ponies is around 30, and would happily chew his way through a wicker basket!
I've heard many tales of problems caused by poor dentistry, and if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I agree that horses kept as naturally as possible don't need it done as a matter of course. My vet always says they only grow so much tooth, you don't want to keep taking it all off. My youngster had his wolf teeth out and a couple of sharp edges sorted, before he was bitted on vets recommendation, older boy never has anything done. Mine live out and have hay fed from ground level.

 

[EventingMum]

At the risk of sounding a bit preachy, if you use a an EDT (as I do) please please
Please check this list and ensure they are on there;-
http://www.baedt.com/members_5357.html
We used to use a well known EDT who had been given glowing reports by many people. We had heard nothing but good about him. He did our horses for many years - never any sedation necessary, he was fabulous with the horses. However, part of the reason that the horses never objected was that he was working so inefficiently there was nothing to object to.
One of his patients was an elderly livery whose mouth was in an absolutely horrendous state when we got our fully qualified EDT - he was appalled at what the previous 'EDT' had done - or not done!
Please don't use an EDT who is not qualified or who claims to have qualified in another country. It's just not worth the money and you are also risking your horse's wellbeing.

Totally agree, I know how much training has to be done to pass the BEVA exam and become a member of the BAEDT. Many people say their "dentist" is good because their horse doesn't object to having their teeth done but actually have no real way of checking if the work has been carried out well, it's not like farriery where it's easy to see the work carried out and assess the quality of it. The BAEDT have a complaints procedure and members have to attend regular CPD training and agree to adhere to the association's code of practice. Unfortunately until there is an exemption order passed under the Veterinary Surgeons Act anybody can legally undertake rasping of a horse's teeth with little or no appropriate training or qualifications - would you go to an unqualified human dentist yourself?

 

[Hoof_Prints]

every 6-12 months, my EDT said the high level dressage horses he did had theirs done/ checked over once a month! Although I use my vet now, he's a dental specialist and always handy if extra work is needed that requires sedation etc.

 

[ycbm]

If you think about how a one way manual rasp works- to rasp the very back tooth the rasp has to be placed and pulled back, placed and pulled back, etc. Power tool you can just place it the once.

Which is exactly why it is so much easier to take off too much with a power tool than a manual rasp, which is why I won't use a dentist who uses power tools since one of my horses was scalped close to gum level by an edt qualified vet.

To answer the original question, yearly, and I have a proper gag I bought off eBay and check them myself if I'm not happy with anything.

 

[glenruby]

Firefly - just a suggestion (but in my experience this is usually significant), the previous dentist may not have sedated your horse but equally has not improved your horses mouth and may be part of the problem. I would also suggest that biannual dentals are much of the reason why your horse has got a dental abnormality (wave mouth) as annual dentals carried out by an experienced dentist (under sedation as required) would have this under control. 3monthly dentals are usually required x 2-4 sessions until the crown length is under control. Thereafter 6 monthly dentals are the norm.