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Many of them have done excellent work, but just as in
any other field of endeavor, there are a few less-than-desirable providers
amongst them too. In the last few years, veterinarians have begun
following the lead of the “lay dentists”, with mostly good effects
(nothing is absolute, there is a downside to everything, isn’t there? The
cost may be higher per session of dental work, but the advantages far
outweigh them in terms of increased longevity, superior performance, and
much higher feed
efficiency.
Quite
often veterinarians and dental technicians work together in a
mutually beneficial arrangement. |
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We find that horses that have gone more than six months since their last good dentistry almost always have points forming on the outer edge of the upper cheek teeth. Even though the teeth of the horse erupt throughout life, too much or uneven wear leads to severe problems in a very high percentage of our horses.
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Grass, hay and grain
contain silica, a very abrasive substance which causes the teeth to be
ground down continually. Since the upper cheek teeth are set wider
apart than the lowers, sharp protuberances are left on their out
edges. These points cut into the lining of the cheeks often resulting
in ulcerations. |
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Why all the concern about a few little points? How could sharp edges on teeth cause a big strong animal to die before its time? According to Dr. James Turk, a pathologist at the Veterinary Diagnostic Lab at the University of Missouri
College of Veterinary
Medicine, the abrasions in the lining of the mouth allow bacteria and
toxins to enter the horse’s system, putting stress on the heart,
liver, and immune systems, all of which takes its toll on the horse
over the years. It naturally follows that we can most likely extend
the life expectancy of horses by providing thorough dental care at
least once yearly as opposed to waiting until they are beyond help as
is too often the case. |
(Paul Simon’s words don’t really apply to the information about horse dentistry, but sometimes it seems to be that way.) I recently asked several of my classmates (who have been practicing veterinary medicine for over a quarter of a century) if they were familiar with bit seats, incisor reduction, wave reduction, and several other terms familiar to competent equine dental technicians. They were not familiar with the terms. There’s a good reason for that! When they have a busy practice, whether it’s horses-only or a mixed practice, they usually do not have time to become proficient at in-depth catastrophes in the mouth. |
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(Many of these “new” terms can be found in literature from the late 1800’s early 1900’s, but they were not popular for several decades — after the advent of internal combustion engine-driven vehicles. |
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