Equine Dental Services
Routine equine dentistry is an important aspect of preventative care that can significantly impact your horse’s welfare and performance.
Horses have specialized teeth adapted to continuous grazing. Unlike human teeth, horse teeth erupt throughout their life and can become imbalanced if they are not worn down evenly. Uneven wear can cause significant discomfort, especially for performance horses wearing bits and bridles during exercise. Horses chew in a side-to-side motion. The full range of lateral motion required to chew coarse forage allows the teeth to wear evenly. In the wild, horses would spend up to 18 hours a day grazing forage.
Domestic horses typically consume less forage (grass and hay) and more concentrates (grain), which take less time and range of motion to chew. As a result, the horse’s teeth don’t wear down as fast or evenly on their own. Uneven wear leads to dental imbalances, further limiting the range of motion and preventing horses from adequately grinding forages for efficient nutrient absorption. The best preventative dental care schedule for your horse depends on his age and workload, but most horses need at least annual dental check-ups. Your veterinarian will float your horse’s teeth at these appointments to maintain proper alignment and avoid problems.
Porcine Dental Services
Pot-bellied pigs have become popular pets and great companions for many families. They do, however, grow long tusks that curl laterally out of their lips and can be quite sharp. These sharp tusks can be dangerous, causing injuries to their human or fellow pet companions, even unintentionally, just with a close range, quick head movement or side-swipe.
Your veterinarian can sedate your pig to safely trim the tusks using a wire saw. While sedated, she will also take the opportunity to get a more thorough examination than swine typically permit while fully awake, as well as trim hooves, clean around the eyes and ears, and administer any necessary vaccinations and dewormer. These services should be performed as part of an annual wellness visit for pet pigs.
Canine and Feline Dental Services
Rinconvet Mixed Mobile Practice recommends that all pets have a yearly oral examination to assess the need for any necessary dental cleaning/prophylaxis. Dogs and cats are prone to developing the same types of dental diseases and problems as humans, including gingivitis, periodontal disease, tooth decay, staining and cavities. The process of dental decay and disease starts every time your pet eats. When your pet eats, food particles get on their teeth and gums. This fuels the bacteria in your pet's mouth, causing an acid attack on the enamel of their teeth and creating a sticky, clear substance called plaque. If the plaque is left on teeth, it hardens into tartar. When plaque and tartar are left on your pet's teeth for an extended period of time, it can lead to gingivitis, periodontal disease, cavities and oral infections.
When it comes to detecting potential oral health problems in pets, owners must be vigilant in noticing changes in behavior. This is because pets often do not act like they are in pain until the pain is severe. If your dog or cat is drooling, has unusually bad breath, has signs of discomfort while eating, has broken or loose teeth, has staining on the teeth, or has swollen and/or red gums, it is important that you contact us to schedule a dental checkup. If necessary, Dr. Amy Nevens can facilitate scheduling your pet for a teeth cleaning and gum disease treatment at a local small animal clinic.
