Dentistry

To see some video seminars regarding dentistry log onto

 www.dressageclinic.com

What are the advantages and disadvantages of power tools in dentistry?

Dentistry has come a long ways in the past 20 years.  More options in terms of equipment help vets do a better job of looking after your horses' teeth.  Tranquilizers make major dental work easier and safer for both horses and people.  Routine work on young horses does not require power tools however, and may be detrimental to the longevity of your horses' teeth.  There is only so much tooth for that horse's lifetime.  In reality they do not continually 'grow' as is often heard.  The teeth start out long when the horse is a young adult. Over the years however, they are gradually pushed out as they are being worn down at the grinding surface.  In old horses there is very little root left and the teeth eventually become unstable and may start to fall out.  This process is accelerated if the teeth are uneven and may be pushed to one side or other.

I often like to use handfloats so I have good control over how much tooth I remove.  Less is better as far as the longevity of the teeth and the horse goes.  Typically I will use the power float only if there is an abnormality or the teeth are really rough.  This can happen if the teeth have not been done for a long time.  Trying to reduce hooks and overbites without powertools is very difficult and perhaps a waste of time.  Many horses can also be trained to accept a manual float job without tranquilizers. I find many owners really prefer this as well. (See this link for some viewpoints on hand floating. http://forums.hcbc.ca/.//YaBB.pl?num=1172907382) In an ideal situation one would only have to use the powertools for hooks or uneven surfaces, and could do the basic maintenance in between with hand floats.  Please don't use this as a benchmark to judge your vet by however; many vets do better and safer work with tranquilized horses and judicious use of power tools.

Where is WEST NILE now?

Here is a great link to see where the disease hit;

•  http://westnilemaps.usgs.gov/wa_veterinary.html?adjacent=id