(The following is an excerpt from an Australian Equine Veterinary Association publication:)

Your Horse Needs its Teeth!
Routine dentistry is something which is required by all horses, without exception. Performance, comfort and well-being are all dependent upon a properly functioning and comfortable set of teeth. Remember that a major ageing factor in all grass-eating animals is dental deterioration. We complicate matters further by feeding diets that nature has not designed the horse to eat.

Signs of Dental Pain
Signs that your horse may have a problem include slow eating, dropping food (“quidding”), impaction of food in the cheeks, weight loss, fighting the bit and headshaking. On occasion, your horse may not show any outward signs of discomfort.
These symptoms will affect your horse’s performance, health and longevity.

What Needs to be Done?
Regular dental maintenance involves performing examination and checking for abnormalities such as sharp enamel points on the cheek teeth, removing retained caps and extracting wolf teeth. Treatment of hooks, waves, ramps, tall teeth and any other severe abnormalities must be attended to.
Assessment and appropriate treatment of the incisors (front teeth) is also important.

What about Bit Seats?
Bit seating is the term used to describe a procedure where the sharp front edges of the first cheek teeth are rounded off. The reason for doing this is to ensure use of the bit doesn’t cause pain to the horse.

How Often Should You Have Your Horse’s Teeth Examined?
There is no simple answer to this question. Dental examinations are recommended as often as is needed depending on the age of the horse, feed type and work performed.
This should begin as part of a general health check in the 1st few months of life as the foal often has conditions that require addressing.
Older horses should be examined every 6 to 12 months or less depending on the above factors.

What about Sedation for Dental Work?
Sedatives can only be legally prescribed and dispensed by a veterinarian.
Sedation is a useful tool, when used correctly, to allow detailed oral examination and treatment of your horse with minimal stress and discomfort to the horse.)

Using the Powerfloat	Floating sharp enamel points

At Port Macquarie Veterinary Hospital, following a thorough oral examination, your horse’s teeth will be floated using the revolutionary new Powerfloat. The small size of the abrasive surface and stationary guard permit easy access to all areas of the mouth on all breeds of horses. We also use a high-intensity halogen light, magnetically attached to the mouth gag to provide light to the entire mouth, allowing us to perform visual dentistry with increased precision.

Is the use of power tools dangerous?
Please click on http://www.pro-equinedentistry.com/powertools.htm to find out more.