Tooth Removal- Is it safe?

Storminateacup

Storminateacup

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Jacks first upper molar on the left hand side has a large gap between it and the second molar.
The vet says this is called a diastema (gap).
Over time food has impacted upwards into the space and eventually caused the root of that tooth to go rotten.
X rays show the root as being only about a quarter the size it should be.
As a result my horse has bad breath, as there is active decay, however the vet tells me it is not likely to be painful at this
stage. He has advised me that Jack should be X-rayed again at the end of the month to see if the decay has progressed.

At the time of the first visit in September he treated the gap and the decay with a blue filling material most of which seemed to drop out over the next few days.
The vet tells me that the greatest danger is that the decay could spread along to the next tooth behind in the jaw socket and onward eventually to the others, possibly resulting in abcesses and at worst blood poisoning and death. He says antibiotics are not very effective at cleaning the infection and decayin tooth sockets, and that the best thing to do is an extraction.
Jack is now booked in on the 28th for an X-ray and proceed.
Just would like to know if any of you have had similar tooth problems and how they were managed and what was the outcome.
I am particularly determined to have this done under a local anaesthetic, as I do not think generals are good risk for horses unless it is a life and death situation. ( one hears of so many tragedies about horses breaking legs after GA when attempting to rise.)
Also how have others managed with an extracted tooth and the associated wear problems.
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Atty had two baby teeth fron incisors when I got him, turned out the adult teeth were all balled up behind them.

The whole lot was taken out under heavy sedation and local and he came through it fine. They packed the dentists wax in the gap along with plugs of cotton soaked in antibiotics. The wax fell in a couple of days and most of the plugs over the next week. One had to be pulled out with tweezers when the vet checked a week later.

He came through all this fine and a lot easier than I expected he would.
We keep a good eye on his teeth and were 8 months post opp and he dones't need anything done yet.
 
There is a risk with any operation or surgical proceedure. So no one can say it is safe. However, as your vet has explained, doing nothing is not safe. With problems like this it is safest to act whilst the problem is in its early stages, the risks are lower and your horse will be up and running more quickly.

I had a pony many years since who had lost a tooth right at the back under the eye. The opposing tooth had to be removed because it was not wearing down and would ultimately end up growing in to the upper jaw and causing infection. The offending tooth was removed under a general anesthetic and all was well.
 
My 25 year old horse had a molar tooth out under sedation 2 years ago as it was cracked and bits of food were getting stuck in it. When she had her teeth checked last month, she has lost another one!
 
Ok, Firstly taking impacted baby teeth is far less traumatic than taking Jacks molar out. Also Hanikis 25 year old molar would be a lot less traumatic due to there being little reserve crown (tooth below gumline) and the tooth will not be anchored in as much as Jacks. Jack is only 11 and so will have a good 4-5" of tooth to remove below the gum line and this can take hours to do. The best way to do it (your vet will recommend the best way) would be under GA via repulsion where a hole is cut into the face (above the root of the tooth) and the tooth is knocked out from the outside. This is the most common technique used for molar removal. Take into consideration that molars are the last 3 teeth with the very last being nearly as high as the eye, therefore with the mouth open at its widest it is often not wide enough to pull 4-5" of tooth out therefore needs to be done from the outside. My advice is to go with the vets advice as molar removal is not as simple as people think and should not be compared to impacted baby teeth or removal of teeth from older horses!
Best of Luck xx
 
That's really interesting VictoriaEDT - I had no idea they would take the tooth of a middle aged horse out through the side of the face. I hadn't really thought about the amount of tooth in the gum although obviously I know the teeth keep getting longer. Our old vet always said it was a good job horses couldn't open their mouths any wider as they could administer a serious bite if they did!
 
Hi my horse had to have two back teeth removed in 2006 the 4th upper molar on both sides had fractured, she had the remains removed under heavy sedation, and was fine. she still has smelly breath (we were warned) and has her teeth checked/rasped every 6 months so the opposing teeth don't grow into gaps, she was 10 at the time
 
all depends on the situation and the best way to treat that individual horse, the vet may chose to do it another way. Haniki its not that the teeth get longer, I would say they are at their longest at around 3-4 years of age and then they wear down around 3-5mm a year depending on the individual horse and coarseness of their diet so gradually over the years their teeth keep wearing until they expire.
 
A friends mare had molar removal for same problem under GA as a 25yo - vet felt leaving it was more risky as she was starting to stop eating due to it. Went in through mouth rahter than exlernally.

Mare was fine and home 2 days later - wasn't keen on it being flushed with a syring twice a day though
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Years ago my Welsh D had a suspected root absess, they were going to drill that out through the nasal bone due to it's location but luckily xray shadow was an old injury and it turned out to be a case of sinusitis.

Edit to say - mares tooth that was removed from mouth was about 5" total size as her owner still has it
 
OK I get the molars and incisors are different scenarios due to the ease of access to teeth.
Atty was 8 when he had his removed and incase I didn't make it clear his baby teeth were fine and were removed what was behind them were balls of impacted adult teeth that ended up requiring part of the jaw to be removed to get them out.

So not an easy operation and it took 4 hours to complete.
 
Thanks for all your informative replies.
Jacks tooth has only a short root due to the amount of decay, and the vet says removal will be via the mouth not the side of the face. Therefore although it may take a long time to get it out, it is done under a local. I hope the procedure will mean that he will be rideable within a week or two after the op and from what I have read from this forum it is likely to be a favourable outcome.
 
My now 11yr old had upper 4 and 5 removed as a 4yr old under GA. He had had what we thought was sinusitis on and off since 2yrs old. It turned out to be congential malocculsion, similar to what you describe. The food had gradually worked its way up between the teeth, gradually rotting them away, until both the roots were affected.
He had a bone flap, and the 2 teeth removed. Subsequently about 40 staples, and a catheter left in situ which need to be flushed on a daily basis (I did this at home once he was discharged). The packing that was put into the space fell out within a day of him getting home, and we did have a problem after which food going back into the sinus cavity, which meant more holes drilled in his head, and more flushing.
However he recovered completely, grew and extra 2-3 inches at 5yrs.
He now does have a dent in his face, and you can see the scars in the summer. He has one big sinus area on that side, and I'm told he sound differents to other horses when he is breathing hard.
He has not long term effects and events at PN level depsite only being 14.1hh.
 
My horse had this proceedure too, he was only 4 at the time and had a fractured cheek molar which the vet tried to remove under heavy sedation. Unfortunately it fractured completely so he then had a GA to remove it via a bone flap on the side of his face. This was a success although aparantly took ages to do as Im told a young horse has long roots. It was then flushed for 3 weeks via a trephine in his upper sinus. His face changed shape a lot in the first year and I though he would look deformed but you wouldnt tell unless you really scrutinised him. He is black and he has no white hairs from the proceedure. We did have relapses of putrid smelling discharge which still come ang go but he did end up having another trephine in his lower sinus which has left a small dent.
He has to have his teeth done with a mechanical rasp twice a year and the last time it was done the vet commented that his teeth had moved.
Hope all goes well for you.
 
Wow, thanks for all the info everyone...I'm so glad I found this thread. My gelding is due to have his 4th upper molar removed under GA in a couple of weeks and I'm quite nervous about it to say the least! They will have to remove it from the side of his face so was unsure what to expect when all is done. Keeping everything crossed it all goes ok! Good luck to you and your horse Kate! x
 
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