Why I will now always use a Vet for dental work.

Custard Cream

Custard Cream

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My mare has had her teeth checked yearly by a registered and highly recommended Equine Dentist. He's not cheap, he's really good when handling the horses and has an excellent reputation in the area. He's difficult to get hold of because he's so busy.

Mare always excellent for him, no sedation required. Last May he said her teeth were so good she only needed a small rasp and it took him 15mins. (And charged me £70).

So far, so good.

Beginning of April I noticed mare was starting to drop food. Contacted the ED but couldn't fit us in quick enough, so booked for my vet to come out.

Mare incredibly sore. Problem being she has gaps between her back teeth which food gets stuck in. Gaps full of rotten food hence sore gums and why she had started to drop feed. Mare needed sedation, course of ABs and another look a week later.

The week later was today. More sedation and an hours worth of work by the vet. Whilst he's working away I ask how her teeth have got so bad in only a year. Vet says that the problem has been there for much longer than that. I explain about the ED and vet says it would have been obvious that there was an issue, even if the mare wasn't sore. I looked in her mouth and the problem was obvious to me as a layman.

The gaps have been widened to try to prevent food sticking, but she has dental filler in place and will need very regular check ups in order to try to keep on top of the problem as it can't be prevented.

I'm in no way seeking any recompense, I'm just gobsmacked that a professional ED did not see the problem. Vet said ED was 'fine for rasping' but 'should have told you to contact vet".

I'm just mortified that my mare will have been uncomfortable all this time and even though I thought I was doing the right thing in having her teeth checked by a registered ED, I'll be using my vet from now on.
 
Oh dear :/

Sounds like your EDT must have been in a bit of a rush, 15 mins doesn't seem very long at all (and expensive! Most of the ones I've heard of round my way charge £35-45).

I've got to say though, that it sounds like a personal mess up, rather than any difference between using an EDT and a vet.
 
I have just had the exact same experience with my youngster - he also has a gap which collects food. This wasnt spotted by ED.

With my other 2, one was fine, the other has a hole in his tooth which again should have been obvious.

Mine get done every 6 months; used ED for about 3 yrs, for the first 2 yrs he seemed fine, but over the course of the last 2 visits or so he didnt seem to spend much time on the teeth so I was glad I got a second opinion.
 
^^ just what I was thinking hnmisty

I had a useless vet make an arse of a rasp with the pony (normal edt was away & he needed doing). I wouldn't say I would never use a vet again, I just wouldn't use that vet again. Infact i used a different vet when a blind wolf tooth needed taking out of the new horse & he did a fab job.

Glad your getting on top of it though xx
 
I know it's more down to the actual person doing the job, you get crap Vets and good EDT's, just been my experience. It's a bitter pill to swallow when you believe you've been doing the best for your horse and all this time she's probably been trying to tell me somethings up.
 
I'm sorry but don't see how you can blame him when he last saw your horse a year ago!? My old boy developed a large diastema in four months!
 
I have the best of both worlds :), yes it is expensive but as three of my 5 needed sedating this year it was worth it. I use a vet who is an ED as well :)
 
Zizz - Vet said the problem has been there for years and should have been obvious to anyone who looked deep into the horses mouth. It's not something that has happened in the last 6 months. Horse has odd mouth conformation and the gaps between teeth should be regularly cleaned out......otherwise they cause problems, which is what has happened now.
 
Mouths can change dramatically over the course of a year. Please don't tar all EDTs with the same brush.

A good, well trained EDT or a vet with specialist dental training should both be competent at identifying, cleaning out and if necessary packing diastemas. Diastema widening and the prescription of antibiotics are jobs for the vet. In a ideal world an vet should be able to work alongside an EDT and this is often the case. My son is an EDT (well trained and qualified :p) and has specialised equipment to clean out and pack diastemas - many vets don't. He's often recommended to clients by vets and will refer horses to suitable vets if necessary too.

If you have a vet who is competent with teeth that you trust that's great and hopefully your horse is now comfortable but as others have said it's very much down to the individual vet or EDT.
 
My horses have been done by both EDTs and Vets and have been fine with both. My gelding has decided now that he is older he doesn't have to have his teeth done and requires sedation now as twitch doesn't have as much effect, so will get some sedalin or ACP from the vet and EDT will do teeth. If he needs IV sedation then vet will do it, I don't have a bother with either :)

I would say however well done for not naming, lots would have, I would just not contact him again and if he contacts you about a check up explain politely what has happened and tell him vet is dealing with it. Hope your mare is more comfortable in her mouth soon :)
 
After two bad experiances I will never allow an EDT near one of my horses again luckily my vet has done the extra trainning so it's easy for me.
 
Now I am of the opposite opinion - I'm not a fan of vets doing edt work unless they have tools and are specifically trained in edt work. I have used vets in the past and all they have been able to do is a quick rasp - even they have admitted they are limited in what they can do - complete waste of time.

I use an EDT, but get the vet out to sedate beforehand - the edt comes recommended by the vets. Mine took around an hour, and he has recommended a diastema widening session next time he comes.
 
I had an EDT that I thought was good. Came highly recommended and even a vet used her. When I finally got another EDT out due to problems I was having, it was apparent that I had been robbed.

I now have a vet that actually likes the dentist aspect of things. My EDT uses the power tools and is brilliant too.

And FYI, sometimes horses actually survive and thrive on a once a year doing. Mine are all different as to when they need seeing based on what's seen. I have 2 on a yearly schedule. It doesn't mean I'm cheap or neglectful.

Terri
 
I agree EDT really does have to be good. I am lucky I have an EDT without the big ego and he does a very thorough job and if one doesn't need doing he checks and will not charge.
I have used 2 poor EDTs - one missed sharp hooks (2 visits!!!) on my mare's teeth causing her high head carriage which to me was unforgiveable as I even questionned a reason for this head carriage with them. Problem found and sorted by my now regular recommended EDT.

The other completely misaligned my WB's teeth (he was away at another yard - hence this dentist was used)- just filing one side and not the other - he was a pig to handle, but then they should have said and not done a shoddy job that left him worse off than before the visit! My regiular EDT was appalled.
 
A good EDT will be better than a vet as teeth is all they do, but there are lots of not very good EDT's (as well as terrible vets - for teeth)

If I saw him do the whole thing in 15 mins I'd have gone straight away for a second opinion.
My EDT always shows me what's he's done (before and after) and gets me to feel their teeth myself I I can feel what he's taking about, he takes a good 40 mins or so for 'simple' mouths and is £35. He's also just got his something or other top qualification that only about 30 EDT's in the UK have - it's taken him years of training.

Equally I can do a three day course and set up as an EDT - I'd be nice handling the horses but rubbish with teeth!
 
Goldenstar said:
A EDT however good canot sedate a horse and that's always a big issue with using one.
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Agreed but mine suggests domestin (not sure if that's the right spelling) it's one of the two ingredience in vet sedation and you can give it yourself in a wormer type fashon - just under the tongue. You have to get it from your vets but no call out fee and it's ready when every you book the EDT for.

Having had a vet do a terrible job of sedation (vet clearly scared of 14 hh pony and couldn't find vein!) then didn't give very much so pony still running round stable! I'd always use the gel myself - worked perfectly and less stressful for pony by far.
 
I have had the vet do my horses teeth for 40+ years. In the old days it was a couple of rasps and quick file, used to cost about a tenner. Last month I had an old mare that needed checking as she was losing weight, had come from a knowledgeable home where she had been well looked after. Vets comes with full kit,with head torch.Seems she hadn't been done for ages, needed sedation and 45mins worth of work. He phoned me a week later to check all was OK.
There are good and bad in any proffession, the thing is with a vet they have a business adress not just a mobile phone and have profeesional standards to adhere to. I would far rather give my £50 to a vet who by the way doesn't charge if they do not need doing than someone who there every chance of not tracking down if there is a problem.
 
Owners should ask questions and educate themselves rather than expect every professional to be competent. They aren't.

On balance, I prefer EDT's to vet's. My experience of vet's has been that they are too quick to sedate and just give the teeth a quick tickle.

I've only used one vet that I'd have back for a routine rasp, but several EDT's who have been excellent and passionate about their work.
 
"Owners should ask questions and educate themselves rather than expect every professional to be competent. They aren't."

I'm just going to pick up on this point. I'm not a numpty, I'm well educated, but I don't know about horses teeth. That's why I paid for a professional, not a cheap charlatan, to regularly do my horses teeth. If we don't expect professionals to be competent, what's the point of regulatory bodies and the job having a professional status? I have a degree in animal science, not veterinary medicine, therefore I expect my vet to be able to do a better job of things than myself. If a professional EDT tells me the horses teeth are fine, why should I question it?
 
Custard Cream said:
"Owners should ask questions and educate themselves rather than expect every professional to be competent. They aren't."

I'm just going to pick up on this point. I'm not a numpty, I'm well educated, but I don't know about horses teeth. That's why I paid for a professional, not a cheap charlatan, to regularly do my horses teeth. If we don't expect professionals to be competent, what's the point of regulatory bodies and the job having a professional status? I have a degree in animal science, not veterinary medicine, therefore I expect my vet to be able to do a better job of things than myself. If a professional EDT tells me the horses teeth are fine, why should I question it?
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It wasn't a personal attack on you but a general observation. As owners we need to ensure the vets, saddlers, back people, farriers etc are competent and are suited to each horse's needs.

For example, not all RI's are equal. Clients choose the best one.

If you put a bit in a horse's mouth, wouldn't you check its mouth now and then and have a little knowledge about its mouth, as you would about its hooves ?
 
OP I feel for you, it's seems so unfair when you trust someone who should know what they are doing and it turns out your horse has been in pain because of your trust. Saying that don't judge all ED the same, mine is brilliant and it was my vet who recommended him.
 
I have seen the other side of the coin. An inexperienced vet rasped our elderly mare's teeth, the mare was her usual perfectly behaved self but ended up having her tongue rasped, poor soul, with blood everywhere, of course.
The next time I booked an EDT who is also qualified as a vet, warning her that the mare might need to be sedated after her last, unpleasant, experience. Fortunately the mare was again well-mannered and stood like a rock. I sha'n't be having a vet again for their teeth, unless they have also trained specifically as EDT.
 
honetpot said:
I have had the vet do my horses teeth for 40+ years. In the old days it was a couple of rasps and quick file, used to cost about a tenner. Last month I had an old mare that needed checking as she was losing weight, had come from a knowledgeable home where she had been well looked after. Vets comes with full kit,with head torch.Seems she hadn't been done for ages, needed sedation and 45mins worth of work. He phoned me a week later to check all was OK.
There are good and bad in any proffession, the thing is with a vet they have a business adress not just a mobile phone and have profeesional standards to adhere to. I would far rather give my £50 to a vet who by the way doesn't charge if they do not need doing than someone who there every chance of not tracking down if there is a problem.
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Sorry, this is nonsense. Yes, my son works with a mobile number, that way he can be contacted throughout the day. As he can sometimes be away working for several days at a time a mobile number and email are the best ways to contact him. However his address is on the dental chart he leaves with every client detailing the work carried out. He is also on the BAEDT and BEVA website so details could be gained through them and complaints can be made to the BAEDT, registration also ensures correct insurance, qualifications, CPD etc. A headtorch is the least of the equipment, his tools, both manual and power, diastema cleaner, varying sizes of gags plus much more are probably worth in the region of £15,000+ so hardly some fly by night who will disappear.
 
horserider said:
Owners should ask questions and educate themselves rather than expect every professional to be competent. They aren't.

On balance, I prefer EDT's to vet's. My experience of vet's has been that they are too quick to sedate and just give the teeth a quick tickle.

I've only used one vet that I'd have back for a routine rasp, but several EDT's who have been excellent and passionate about their work.
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I agree with this theres no point in blindly trusting professionals and the top of list would be vets I am very cautious about trusting vets I don't know , equal top with vets would come farriers who can lame horses and end their working lives if you put trust in the wrong one . No matter what it is you have to arm your self with knowledge to protect your horse.
 
^took the words out of my mouth :)

Would be interested to hear of op's EDT is on the BAEDT list.

Personal preference here is always a BAEDT. With thebest will in the world vets will not have done as much about teeth as someone doing a well recognised, quality and lseveral years long full time qualification in teeth. Sedation? I asked a very well known and very good EDT how many he needed sedating, and he thought less than 1 in 200. I've watched him treat perhaps 60 odd horses, hes a good horseman, and that's why he usually doesn't need to sedate for even quite complex work IMO :)

Power tools are my bug bear. Having seen the difference and discussed it with then that know, I would far rather use someone with power tools.
 
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