Equine Dental Services
Horses with dental problems may show obvious signs, such as pain or
irritation, or they may show no signs at all, which is why it is important to
have periodic dental examinations. Sometimes horses will have teeth so
sharp they stab themselves with every bite. You have to periodically
grind the points off of horse’s teeth because they continually grow
throughout their lives (like hooves) . If the sharp edges aren't removed
they have great difficulty eating. It is also important that your equine
dentist is THOROUGH and performs TOTAL MOUTH EQUILIBRATION. In
addition to taking off the sharp points and edges, the surfaces of the
teeth need to be corrected and often incisor work needs to be done, as
well as rounding off the K-9's, extracting wolf teeth and removing caps.
Always observe your equine dentist while he works. Stand there and
talk to him. Ask questions. Watch to see if he checks for occlusion
when he's finished. There should be a credit card size gap between the
molars that is perfectly even on both sides from the front all the way to
the back. If he doesn't check for this, you shouldn't use him.
It's important to catch dental problems early. Waiting too long may
increase the difficulty of remedying certain conditions, so start your
horse's dental care at age 2.
Proper dental care will allow your horse to maintain a more comfortable
mouth and to get the full nutritional benefit from everything they eat.
Look for the following indicators of dental problems to know
when to seek attention for your horse:
Knowledgeable equine dental practitioners specialize in solving
performance, eating and training issues by using the most innovative
tools and techniques available, utilizing both hand & power instruments
to ensure the cleanest, safest, most comfortable experience for your
horse. The best method should be chosen for each individual horse,
treating each with respect, and working with the utmost care and
consideration around his or her mouth. Providing the best possible
experience to the animal means better tolerance for dental work in the
future.
CAPPS hand and power instruments are the absolute best on the
market. (See photo at bottom.) They are designed by the very best
Equine Dentists in the world and are made of solid stainless steel. They
are not noisy, nor are they big and bulky like old fashioned power
instruments, pneumatic tools and household drills . They provide for a
much more professional finish and overall result. (Please see the
questions and answers section of our site for more information on this
subject - as it is a source of debate for many people.) Also see our
"videos" page for some short clips of these tools in use. We do not use
tools from the hardware store to work in your horses mouth!
Every dental exam provides the opportunity to perform routine
preventative maintenance. All horses should get a thorough dental
exam at least twice per year, especially horses 2-5 years. Older horses
should be seen at least once per year.
Horses with dental problems may show obvious signs, such as pain or
irritation, or they may show no signs at all, which is why it is important to
have periodic dental examinations. Sometimes horses will have teeth so
sharp they stab themselves with every bite. You have to periodically
grind the points off of horse’s teeth because they continually grow
throughout their lives (like hooves) . If the sharp edges aren't removed
they have great difficulty eating. It is also important that your equine
dentist is THOROUGH and performs TOTAL MOUTH EQUILIBRATION. In
addition to taking off the sharp points and edges, the surfaces of the
teeth need to be corrected and often incisor work needs to be done, as
well as rounding off the K-9's, extracting wolf teeth and removing caps.
Always observe your equine dentist while he works. Stand there and
talk to him. Ask questions. Watch to see if he checks for occlusion
when he's finished. There should be a credit card size gap between the
molars that is perfectly even on both sides from the front all the way to
the back. If he doesn't check for this, you shouldn't use him.
It's important to catch dental problems early. Waiting too long may
increase the difficulty of remedying certain conditions, so start your
horse's dental care at age 2.
Proper dental care will allow your horse to maintain a more comfortable
mouth and to get the full nutritional benefit from everything they eat.
Look for the following indicators of dental problems to know
when to seek attention for your horse:
Knowledgeable equine dental practitioners specialize in solving
performance, eating and training issues by using the most innovative
tools and techniques available, utilizing both hand & power instruments
to ensure the cleanest, safest, most comfortable experience for your
horse. The best method should be chosen for each individual horse,
treating each with respect, and working with the utmost care and
consideration around his or her mouth. Providing the best possible
experience to the animal means better tolerance for dental work in the
future.
CAPPS hand and power instruments are the absolute best on the
market. (See photo at bottom.) They are designed by the very best
Equine Dentists in the world and are made of solid stainless steel. They
are not noisy, nor are they big and bulky like old fashioned power
instruments, pneumatic tools and household drills . They provide for a
much more professional finish and overall result. (Please see the
questions and answers section of our site for more information on this
subject - as it is a source of debate for many people.) Also see our
"videos" page for some short clips of these tools in use. We do not use
tools from the hardware store to work in your horses mouth!
Every dental exam provides the opportunity to perform routine
preventative maintenance. All horses should get a thorough dental
exam at least twice per year, especially horses 2-5 years. Older horses
should be seen at least once per year.
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L
ucas Equine Dentistry
| Depending on the severity of the mouth, our fee ranges from $85.00 to $150.00 Most horses will need more than just a "float", so we try to keep our fees affordable to everyone. Our $150 price includes all of the services we offer, however, not all horses will need that much work. The average fee for most is $95. |
| We want horse owners to see and feel the difference. It is important to us that horse owners get to see and feel inside their horse's mouth (optional of course!). Most owners are shocked at how razor sharp the edges of the teeth can be are and are saddened to see the injuries and gouges inside their animal's mouth after having gone without proper dental care. It takes 25-45 minutes to properly balance a horse's mouth (using modern techniques and equipment) and the results are amazing. If you've recently had your horse's teeth "floated" and are unsure if it was done properly, we will be happy to check it out at no charge and will show you what we find. Eight out of ten times the work is incomplete and inexcusable. If your equine dentist or vet used only hand floats it is highly doubtful that the entire mouth was properly balanced. It is nearly impossible to do so using only hand tools, and furthermore, it would take all day. You'd be surprised how often the teeth in the back of the mouth are neglected simply because they can't be reached or it's just too much work. If a full mouth speculum isn't used, you can count on the work being insufficient. There is no way to reach the teeth in the back without a speculum because the horse will bite down on the instruments. In our opinion, mouth gags are also insufficient. They are dangerous and have been known to break teeth. We realize that there are many equine dentists and vets who are capable of doing a good job, and if you've found one that's terrific! But the fact of the matter is that many of them are too busy or too old-fashioned to get the job done right. It's only natural for us to trust our vet or equine dentist, so when they tell us "it's fine" we believe them. The more horses we see, the more we realize just how neglectful dentists can be. We are never surprised to discover incomplete dental work, especially when people tell us they "just had their horse's teeth done 6 months ago." Horse's teeth continue to grow throughout their entire life, but it's impossible to grow a one-inch hook in six months! We have been taken aback more than once by the sheer carelessness of others, and some of the things we have seen are appalling. That's why it's important to us that you see and feel the difference. There is a HUGE difference in "floating" and performing "total mouth equilibration". Unfortunately, one of the worst equine dentists we've gone behind is a local vet in our area. It's tragic to think so many owners are paying such high prices to have insufficient and botched dental work performed on their horses. However, had we not attended equine dentistry school, we wouldn't know any better either. Education is KEY.....if you're not sure your guy did it right, then we'll show you what he did. If he did a good job, we will tell you. If he didn't, we will tell you. We are happy to SHOW YOU what your horses mouth looks like and feels like .... and then we'll show you what it's SUPPOSED to look like and feel like....and we will explain it ALL to you. Most owners are appalled and shocked at what we find after they've just had their horse's teeth done. We've heard people say "my dentist showed me inside my horse's mouth with a flashlight". That's good, but If you don't actually KNOW what he's showing you, then you have NO IDEA what's been done or NOT BEING DONE to your horse's teeth. At Lucas Equine Dentistry, we really care about horses and want to educate ALL horse owners on the vital importance of dental equilibration. If the whole mouth isn't balanced, it's an extreme injustice to the animal and a waste of time and money for the owner. A responsible horse owner will never let his horse's mouth go unattended! We provide 100% customer satisfaction! Call 405-488-4008 to make an appointment or if you have any questions....we are happy to help! |
| Ph. 405-488-4008 E-mail: horseteeth@windstream.net |
| Bitseats - Floating - Cap Removal - Wolf Tooth Extraction - Buffing Burring - Aging - Check-Ups - Routine Maintenance Total Mouth Equilibration - Performance Dentistry |
| TRAVEL U.S. & ABROAD. Our fee for traveling out of state starts at $105 per horse for states bordering Oklahoma and $125 for non-bordering states, and, depending on travel distance, there will be a minimum horse requirement. If you don't have enough horses, call your friends! We are happy to make several stops along the way. Also, for groups of horses which exceed our minimum travel requirement, there will be a discount off the initial fee. Please contact your veterinarian prior to your dental appt., as his/her presence and/or approval may be required. Feel free to have your vet contact us with any questions. (Our fee only goes up a few dollars when more extensive work is needed, such as incisor work, large hooks, extraction, wolf tooth removal, etc....otherwise it stays the same.) CALL TODAY! |
CAPPS Equine Dental Equipment
| WE DON'T USE PNEUMATIC TOOLS The Texas Institute of Equine Dentistry teaches their students NOT to use pneumatic tools because they do little more than rattle and vibrate.... and they can shake your horse's teeth loose. We share this OPINION and believe it to be true. We've gone behind some equine dentists who use this method and most of the time it's not good. Some will argue about the use of pneumatic tools and that's fine, but we've seen what can happen and DO NOT recommend this method. We also do NOT recommend the use of power drills and other tools from the hardware store. These tools are BIG and bulky and often require two hands just to hold it to do the job. Ideally, you should have one hand free to guide and place your instrument and to feel what your doing while you work.....the other to hold the instrument. After having tried pneumatic tools, the most highly skilled Equine Dentists in the world decided to design something better and they came up with power Instruments. We use CAPPS brand power instruments, and, when used by a trained professional, the results are unsurpassed. Pneumatic tools don't come close to the precision and accuracy of power instruments. Using this type of equipment enables your equine dentist to be more efficient and to focus on certain problem areas. Using pneumatic tools would be like using a floor sander in your horses mouth. We believe the lightweight, slimline design of CAPPS instruments are the best because they allow one-handed operation, so the other hand can be used to guide the instrument and to feel inside the horses mouth while working. WE DON'T USE STOCKS We DO NOT use stocks and we DO NOT blindfold your horse and tie his head up from every angle. We want your horse's dental experience to be pleasant. A horses mouth should only remain forced open for a certain period of time. He needs a chance to rest in between equipment changes or rinsing. We use a crutch to rest his head on and we remove it often giving him a quick break. We constantly close the speculum and give his mouth and jaw a break as well. Although a full round of equine dentistry shouldn't take longer than 20-45 mins, we still believe your horse should be allowed to rest at certain intervals. Imagine if your dentist kept your mouth open for a long period of time without a break or without rinsing....your horse feels the same way. We want every horse and his owner to have the BEST possible experience. This is one reason our clients keep coming back and telling their friends! |
| FYI: There is much more to EQUINE DENTISTRY than just "floating" teeth. Beware of old-fashioned equine dental practices. If your equine dentist doesn't have updated specialized equipment and formal training then he's most likely doing it wrong. Just because he's been doing it for a hundred years doesn't mean he knows what he's doing, so don't be fooled. There are so many modern advances in this field that if he's using ONLY hand tools you should be concerned. If he's not causing more problems for your horse, then he's probably not doing much of anything and you're just wasting your money. A 30-yr veteran in the business told us that you should NEVER remove the sharp points because horses use those to cut their food! Last time we checked, horses "GRIND" their food and the only thing being cut by the sharp points is the insides of their cheeks! We aren't saying they're ALL wrong, but if they haven't attended an Equine Dentistry School, then they ARE NOT fully educated on equine dentistry.......no matter how long they've been doing it. Attending a seminar or a conference here-and-there just won't cut it. Most old timers don't like the idea of using power instruments so they immediately turn up their nose at the thought of it. They don't like the equine dentistry schools because they are teaching EQUINE DENTISTRY, not just "how to float teeth". It's fair to say they feel threatened by the modernization of equine dentistry and so they will never conform....even if it means making their job much easier and the horses mouth much better. It's similar to how some of our parents and grandparents feel about the internet and cell phones.....it's just not happening. So be careful who you choose and what method they use. We clean up after A LOT of equine dentists. |