Equine Dental Care in Central Illinois
We provide comprehensive dental care for most equine needs, from basic cleaning and floating to corrective dental interventions. All horses, from weanling to senior, benefit from annual dental examinations. This simple routine care can reduce the amount of tooth loss, diagnose other medical conditions such as choke and colic, and may ultimately prolong a horse’s lifespan.
The Importance of Regular Dental Care for Horses
Routine dental care helps:
- Prevent tooth loss and discomfort
- Identify underlying medical issues like choke or colic
- Improve feed efficiency, as horses that can chew properly are able to get more nutrients from their food
- Enhance your horse's quality of life, preventing pain or difficulty when eating, which can lead to weight loss or other health issues
Our Equine Dental Services
We use power equipment during dental procedures to ensure greater precision, efficiency, and effectiveness. This allows us to accurately correct issues such as sharp points, uneven wear, or other dental problems that can cause discomfort and affect your horse’s ability to eat properly.
Our dental services include:
- Routine cleanings and floating: Floating is the process of smoothing out sharp points on your horse’s teeth to prevent pain in their cheeks and gums.
- Tooth Removal: In cases where teeth need removed, Dr. George is equipped to handle these cases.
- Dental exams at the clinic or your farm: For your convenience and the comfort of your animal, we offer dental exams both at our clinic and on-site at your farm. Please note that proper facilities are required when performing dentals on farm including power to the barn.
Warning Signs Your Horse Needs a Dental Exam
You may notice signs that indicate your horse is in need of a dental examination. Watch for these warning signs:
- Dropping food: If your horse is dropping hay or grain out of his mouth while eating, it could be a sign of dental discomfort.
- Weight loss: Difficulty chewing can lead to improper digestion, causing your horse to lose weight or not get the most out of their feed.
- Foul odor: A strong, unpleasant smell coming from your horse’s mouth or nose could be a sign of an infection or other dental problem.
- Bloody saliva: Bloody saliva coming from the mouth could indicate a more serious issue, such as tooth decay or injury.
- Refusing the bridle: If your horse is reluctant to accept the bridle or bit, this could be due to pain from dental problems.
- Excessive yawning or tilting the head: This behavior may signal that your horse is experiencing pain while chewing.
Why Annual Exams are Essential
Regular dental exams are a simple yet crucial part of maintaining your horse’s health. Horses chew their food side-to-side, which can cause sharp points to form on their teeth. These sharp points can hurt the inside of their cheeks and gums, leading to painful sores and difficulty eating. By performing an annual dental exam and smoothing out these sharp points, we help keep your horse comfortable and ensure they can eat properly.
Don’t wait for symptoms to worsen! Call us today to schedule your horse’s dental exam and keep them happy and healthy for years to come.