- Equine dental care involves routine checkups and floating of horses' teeth to address sharp points and malocclusions that can cause pain and issues with eating, weight, and performance. - Examinations should be every 6 months to a year depending on the horse's age, with foals checked after birth and older horses seen more frequently. - Floating files down sharp points on teeth that continue growing throughout a horse's life. Leaving teeth unchecked can lead to various problems noticeable to owners or not. - While some horses need sedation, most can be floated by hand without issues as long as the equine dentist is experienced. Power floating is quicker but risks tooth damage if over

1. What you need to know about
Equine Dental Care
by
John Langton EqDT
Johnlangton100@yahoo.com 1-570-647-9620

2. What should your Equine Dentist or
Vet have with them?
● Speculum ● Floats
Mouth Rinser

3. When Should My Horse be Checked?
● Foals
Should have their
mouths examined
soon after birth.
● Prime Age Horses
Once a horse
reaches about 5
years old and most
teeth have erupted
you can move to a 6
month or 1 year
routine float.
● Older Horses
Depending on comfort
and weight retention
you are going to want
them seen 6 months to
a year apart.

4. What is Floating? And why should
you have it done to your horse?
● “To Float”
Is to level.
● As Horses Grow older
Their teeth continue to grow. Even their adult
teeth grow right up behind the the baby teeth
and force them out. They keep growing well
into adulthood and as a result grow sharp
points. These sharp points can poke their
mouths and make it very uncomfortable for
them.

5. But my Horse is fat and eating fine!
Do they still need their teeth floated?
● Yes, While your horse maybe considered an “Easy
Keep” and not require any dental work to put or
keep weight on. There could still be underlying
issues affecting them.
● A horse that is regularly ridden needs their teeth
floated to make sure they are comfortable with the
bit. Wolf Teeth, Deciduous Caps can cause pain
while riding.
● Malocclusions can also lead to TMJ Syndrome,
Choke and Colic.

6. What can happen if they go unfloated?
● You'll notice head
tossing.
● Dropping Grain.
Their teeth are poking
somewhere making it
hurt to have the bit in
their mouth and their
trying to let you know.
When their trying to
eat you'll notice more
food falling out of their
mouths than going it.
Costing them more
energy to eat, Burning
more calories eating
less and causing
weight loss.
Packing/Quidding
If you notice balls of
hay and food falling
out if their mouths.

7. Other Signs
● Foul Odors coming
from the mouth.
● Nasal Discharge
● Facial Swelling
● Head Shyness
● Refusal to eating
● Eating Slower
● Head Tilting
● Choke
● Colic
● Hearing a Squeak
when they eat.
● Weight Loss
● Riding Issues
● Drooling
● Bucking
● !Nothing!

8. Nothing!
That's right,The most common sign your horse needs to be
floated is NOTHING. Most horses wont show any signs of
pain or try to tell you something is wrong, They'll just quietly
go about their lives acting as if nothing is wrong. Until the
problem because so severe that it maybe unfixable or
require extensive effort to correct the issue.

9. What are the benefits?
● Better Mastication
● Better Riding
Performance
● Proprioception
The main benefit is their going to eat
better. Eat more comfortably and be
able to keep their weight on or
possibly gain more weight if needed.
Every horse is happier when
their healthier. And keeping the
sharp points and other mal-
occulusions at bay. They are
going to have no reason but
respond better.
Believe it or not proper dental work
will make your horse walk better and
have better awareness of their
surroundings. Proprioception is the
ability to know where you are, and
where your respective body parts
are, in relation to the environment.
For a horse, a lack of this sensation
could lead to injury. So keeping their
mouth in proper balance is very
important. An unbalanced head can
lead to them miss judging jumps or
other obstacles out on the trail.

10. Does Floating Hurt the Horse?
● So long as the EqDT or
Vet knows what there
doing there should be no
pain associated with it.
Unless the horse has a
serious tooth problem or
some kind of gum
disease. Horses have
“Hyposdont” Teeth. What
that means in their crowns
are much longer than ours
and allows for more wear
and tear before getting to
the root.
● However, Horses can
cause more problems
than necessary. Biting
the float, Pushing the
float with their tongue
can cause bleeding.
Their mouths heal very
quickly so even if you do
see a lot of blood. It
should be healed in a
matter of minutes.

11. EqDT vs. Veterinarian
● Who has more
experience?
● EqDTs
● Severity of Issues.
In Vet School generally the curriculum
regarding equine dental care is very short.
Most vets leave Vet School with less than 6
hours of training in Equine Dental
procedures. With no field experience.
Not all states have legalized EqDT's
and every state has a different set of
laws regarding what EqDTs can do
versus what Veterinarians can do.
Sometimes there are things a
EqDT can not do on their own.
They need a Veterinarian's help
for sedition purposes or advanced
procedures that can't be done in
your backyard or at your barn.
Assuming its someone who did go to
school and has credentials. They've
spent more time in the field and took
comprehensive classes far more than
Vets did in Vet School... Veterinarians
who are serious about doing Dental work
generally go to these schools as well for
furthering education in the field.
● Legal Issues
● Cost
Generally speaking an EqDT is
cheaper and save on a farm call.

12. Sedation
● Will my horse need it?
● Can you give my
horse Sedation?
● Staying Cost Effective
Maybe? I can't say for sure every
horse is a case by case assessment.
Anyone who tells you every horse
needs it is lying. But sometimes their
too nervous or had a bad experience
and in order to do a good job they
need something to take the edge off.
No, I can not prescribe any drug to
your horse, Nor can any other EqDT.
Only a veterinarian can do that.
Cost is probably a big factor in
your Equine Dental decision So
why do you want me to come out if
I need sedation for your horse?
We're still going to have to call the
Vet anyway. Hopefully not... While I
cant give you any sedation myself
there is nothing stopping you from
asking a vet for it yourself You can
explain a EqDT is coming out to
check your horses teeth and you'd
like to have some on standby just
in case... Or simply its not a bad
idea to have it around the barn
anyway.

13. Power Floating vs Hand Floating
● Which is safer?
● Difference?
● My preference?
Neither. A lot of people are scared of
power floating and there is a stigma
that comes from a power floating
dentist. But so long as they know what
there doing know the risks and how to
use the power float. There is little to no
risk of injury to a horse.
The biggest factors in the difference
between Power or Hand is this. A
power float burns hot and if you stay
on one tooth for too long it can burn
out the root and kill the tooth. A hand
float is a much higher risk for cutting
and causing a horses mouth to bleed.
While I have nothing against power
floating. I always feel I can do a
better job by hand floating and feeling
exactly whats going on in the horses
mouth. Plus Horses are generally
less threatened by the Hand Floats
over a big loud float that makes noise
and gets shoved in their mouth. But
there are benefits to power floating as
well. Its quicker, If a horse as a
serious over powering tooth a power
float can knock it down much quicker
and safe the horse from a long
stressful day of being rasped by a
hand float.

14. What does my Horses mouth look
like?