Herbie - 2015-03-18 9:08 AM My dentist is our very own canchasr1 on here and I can honestly say she is the best I have ever used!  She is certified through the state veterinary board and every horse she works on she pays very close attention to in order to be sure their mouth is perfect.  I'm so happy to have found her for my horses and to call her my friend!



Now that being said, there are others who are not so good.  I had a vet do a filly's teeth one time and break off her wolf teeth and not tell me.  I feel like some vets don't pay close enough attention....they get in and get out.  The person who I want working on my horse's teeth works slow and takes their time to make sure everything is balanced and perfect.   

Canchasr1 - 2015-03-18 10:28 AM Thank you girl. I appreciate that.



To answer a couple questions I saw..

1. All Equine dental providers in the state of texas must be Certified and Licensed through the Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners. Certified means that they have attended and passed the required schooling, certification exams both written and practical and a jurisprudence ( laws) exam for the vet board. If your dental provider hasnt, they arent legal. 

2. As far as the question regarding vet supervision: CEDP's are required to be under "general supervision" ( basically within phone reach) of a vet for routine floats, other more difficult issues may require direct or immediate supervision of a  vet, which translates to onsite/ or within the same room. 



I know there is alot of argument for and against hand float/ power float.

All I can say is there are good and bad in both. Do your homework.



as far as the original poster and the partial tooth left in her horse,

That is common practice to leave the unaffected portion in the mouth if at all possible. This keeps the horse from having a gap in the dentition and keeps a tooth inside the archade to wear opposing teeth.

The problem comes with the way the tooth has broken and proper after care which is difficult.  In upper molars, it is common to be able to save a portion of the tooth due to the way the pulp chambers lay if it was broken down the middle of the tooth front to back, not side to side.

That being said, everyone has things that go south at times. I have and im sure every other CEDP has, it isnt that you dont try to do everything right, it is that every horse is different and react differently just like people.

 

Canchasr1 - 2015-03-18 9:28 AM Thank you girl. I appreciate that.



To answer a couple questions I saw..

1. All Equine dental providers in the state of texas must be Certified and Licensed through the Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners. Certified means that they have attended and passed the required schooling, certification exams both written and practical and a jurisprudence ( laws) exam for the vet board. If your dental provider hasnt, they arent legal. 

2. As far as the question regarding vet supervision: CEDP's are required to be under "general supervision" ( basically within phone reach) of a vet for routine floats, other more difficult issues may require direct or immediate supervision of a  vet, which translates to onsite/ or within the same room. 



I know there is alot of argument for and against hand float/ power float.

All I can say is there are good and bad in both. Do your homework.



as far as the original poster and the partial tooth left in her horse,

That is common practice to leave the unaffected portion in the mouth if at all possible. This keeps the horse from having a gap in the dentition and keeps a tooth inside the archade to wear opposing teeth.

The problem comes with the way the tooth has broken and proper after care which is difficult.  In upper molars, it is common to be able to save a portion of the tooth due to the way the pulp chambers lay if it was broken down the middle of the tooth front to back, not side to side.

That being said, everyone has things that go south at times. I have and im sure every other CEDP has, it isnt that you dont try to do everything right, it is that every horse is different and react differently just like people.

 

tracies - 2015-03-18 11:56 AM Do those of you who use a non-vet dentist allow them to administer anesthesia?



My concern with using a non-vet dentist has always been concerning the administration of anesthesia. I have had a vet even have an emergency situation resulting from a bad reaction to (& probably too much) anesthesia. That horse would have died had not a vet been present. Therefore, I will continue to use a vet that has skills in dentistry.



 

Canchasr1 - 2015-03-18 1:08 PM


It is illegal in Texas for a non- vet to sedate.
By law, you as a horse owner or a horses care taker ( trainer, ect) can legally sedate a horse.
If you have questions or concerns about the legal rules, you can look them up in Chapter 801 of the Texas Occupations Code.  

DunIt - 2015-03-18 8:41 AM


 Explain please

livinonlove&horses - 2015-03-18 5:10 PM


Because the horse has to be sedated. Only a vet can legally sedate your horse. So a dentist that isn't a vet is suppose to have a vet do this part.

Whoop Z Day Z - 2015-03-17 9:56 PM

I won't use a dentist that is not a vet... I have noticed in TX they have lots of "fakes" that don't have proper training at all. I also prefer them not to be power floated- I like a good old hand float. I MAY consider a non-vet equine dentist for BASIC maintenance if they came highly recommended BUT if they need extractions or anything outside of a simple float a vet would be my only option. Not only that my vet charges $105 and at that cheap I will use him over anyone else... he has had the training if not more then most dentists from what he explains anyways- but hes an older vet.

casualdust07 - 2015-03-18 5:05 PM I didn't read all the posts because I am in a bit of a time crunch but here is my opinion. I do not agree with lay people practicing dentistry, unless they are AT the clinic in the PRESENCE of a vet who can inspect their work. And even then, I would rather the vet do it. I am in vet school and I most definitely have taken every opportunity presented to me so far to get some experience with dentistry. My reasons for not wanting a lay person to practice dentistry 1- recourse: what if he sedates your horse, and hits the carotid? what if he sedates your horse and the horse has a reaction? what if he sedates your horse and the horse ends up with an injury? What if he does a horrible float job and your horse cracks a tooth? What if he extracts a tooth and there's a problem? YOU as the owner have no recourse. He is not a vet, he does not have to answer to the state veterinary board…theres no one in your corner as the owner to protect you from any malpractice. 2- ability- I agree that there are many lay dentists that are BETTER than DVM dentists, but I think it is up to the individual person. I know the vet I worked for has done extensive CE in dentistry and does an extremely thorough job. We also have a very extensive background in anatomy of the equine head, and are trained and allowed to do nerve blocks when needed in order to extract teeth. There is no way a lay dentist should have access to controlled substances and that they should be doing blocks. 3- a trained eye for the whole horse- We as veterinarians are trained to look outside the box. the vet I worked for had a horse who he did a float on.. it was packing feed in one spot and the tissue looked a little funny. He had a hunch and had the capability of taking a tissue biopsy on the spot. He could have just let it go… Well, turns out it was squamous cell carcinoma in the oral cavity of the horse. He was able to treat that horse and save its life. I just highly doubt a lay dentist would have looked that far. I know it is a sore subject and a lot of people love their dentists that aren't vets. But I have to be loyal to my future profession. As always, it's consumer awareness- no one is created equal. a DVM doesn't make you a good dentist. But you can find a GOOD dentist who is also a DVM. that has a state board that can protect you as the horse owner if something goes wrong, who has a trained eye to see other problems a lay person may miss, who has the drugs- legally- to properly sedate and block, who has the skill, training, and technique to extract teeth correctly. We get a ton of disasters come in from tooth extractions that ended up with holes in their heads, sinus infections, and sequestrations..

casualdust07 - 2015-03-18 6:05 PM

I didn't read all the posts because I am in a bit of a time crunch but here is my opinion.

I do not agree with lay people practicing dentistry, unless they are AT the clinic in the PRESENCE of a vet who can inspect their work. And even then, I would rather the vet do it.

I am in vet school and I most definitely have taken every opportunity presented to me so far to get some experience with dentistry.

My reasons for not wanting a lay person to practice dentistry
1- recourse: what if he sedates your horse, and hits the carotid? what if he sedates your horse and the horse has a reaction? what if he sedates your horse and the horse ends up with an injury? What if he does a horrible float job and your horse cracks a tooth? What if he extracts a tooth and there's a problem? YOU as the owner have no recourse. He is not a vet, he does not have to answer to the state veterinary board…theres no one in your corner as the owner to protect you from any malpractice.
2- ability- I agree that there are many lay dentists that are BETTER than DVM dentists, but I think it is up to the individual person. I know the vet I worked for has done extensive CE in dentistry and does an extremely thorough job. We also have a very extensive background in anatomy of the equine head, and are trained and allowed to do nerve blocks when needed in order to extract teeth. There is no way a lay dentist should have access to controlled substances and that they should be doing blocks.
3- a trained eye for the whole horse- We as veterinarians are trained to look outside the box. the vet I worked for had a horse who he did a float on.. it was packing feed in one spot and the tissue looked a little funny. He had a hunch and had the capability of taking a tissue biopsy on the spot. He could have just let it go… Well, turns out it was squamous cell carcinoma in the oral cavity of the horse. He was able to treat that horse and save its life. I just highly doubt a lay dentist would have looked that far.

I know it is a sore subject and a lot of people love their dentists that aren't vets. But I have to be loyal to my future profession. As always, it's consumer awareness- no one is created equal. a DVM doesn't make you a good dentist. But you can find a GOOD dentist who is also a DVM. that has a state board that can protect you as the horse owner if something goes wrong, who has a trained eye to see other problems a lay person may miss, who has the drugs- legally- to properly sedate and block, who has the skill, training, and technique to extract teeth correctly. We get a ton of disasters come in from tooth extractions that ended up with holes in their heads, sinus infections, and sequestrations..