# Questions about floating teeth



## Oxer (Jul 9, 2010)

My gelding will be having his teeth floated next Saturday. I took hours to investigate the local "Equine Dentists" only to end up speaking with my vet about it, and deciding that choosing my vet to do the float would be the best choice for us. He will, of course, be sedated. 
So i have some questions:
The vet will be there around 10am. My horse normally gets free choice hay, as well as his bucket (supplements, timothy pellets, and his Smart Calm) by 7am. Should i withhold food until after his teeth are floated? 
How long does a normal procedure take? Should i expect him to be sore/uncomfortable? How do you folks feel about the difference between choosing a vet for a float, and choosing an equine dentist?


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## gothicangel69 (Aug 2, 2011)

I wouldn't withhold food beforehand. Horses cannot throw up, and therefore cannot aspirate on vomit (which is why you fast certain animals before sedation).I would keep him from eating for a few hours afterwards until he seems alert and active (otherwise he may choke on his food).
My vet has also studied equine dentistry, so I have no comment on that part (I'm getting the best of both worlds).
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

Oxer, just relax.  Feed him as always to keep him calm and happy. The whole procedure takes 20-30 mins, and is very smooth (in fact the dentist did one of my horses without any sedation this year (for the 1st time we decided to give it a try), and it worked just fine). I'd put him in stall AFTER that till he "wakes up". Just make sure to have NO water or hay in stall. 

They don't have any pain if the floating done correctly, so you can give treats or ride (unless you have to pull wolf tooth, but as far as I understand it's not a case here). 

As for vet vs eq dentist it depends on both. I used vet for several years, who specializes on floating as well. After I changed the vet I decided to give a try to eq dentist, who was recommended to me by my trainer (the guy does LOTS of horses every year for many years already). I was really impressed how gentle he is - I liked him more than vet to be honest. However, some horses need sedation, so you need a vet to administer that (as dentists can't give it, at least in my state). So I usually schedule shots/coggins together with the dentist to give a sedation if needed.


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## wyominggrandma (Nov 4, 2009)

Feed him as usual. When doing floating, we always wash/squirt the mouth out anyway, so any hay/grain will get washed away before floating.
Not a big deal, he might be a bit sore on first eating if any real "grinding" has to be done, like you might be sore after a dental visit. Especially if he has some points, they make sore spots in the mouth and those will have to heal, usually you see a major improvement in eating after floating.


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## Oxer (Jul 9, 2010)

thanks for all the really great info everyone! Indy came to me from a dirt lot and God only knows if they ever did his teeth. So now that i've had him about 8 months, i decided to get it done. 
I had heard that they use electrical tools now-a-days.... is this true?! I haven't seen a horse get it's teeth floated since i was a kid. And in those days, they literally just twitched them and used a big ol' file!


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## arrowsaway (Aug 31, 2011)

yes, power tools are actually better than the ol' rasp and elbow grease method. easier to use, quicker, and more precise. stinks a lil bit tho. :lol:
Hopefully your vet has these!


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

Oxer said:


> thanks for all the really great info everyone! Indy came to me from a dirt lot and God only knows if they ever did his teeth. So now that i've had him about 8 months, i decided to get it done.
> I had heard that they use electrical tools now-a-days.... is this true?! I haven't seen a horse get it's teeth floated since i was a kid. And in those days, they literally just twitched them and used a big ol' file!


Yes, there are power tools out there. Surprisingly enough neither vet nor eq dentist I use used any - they did all manually with those special rasps (all kinds and shapes).


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## HarleyWood (Oct 14, 2011)

i have an dentest that we call and he comes out if hes around, he travels the US doing race horses and other show horses. told us that vets only take 2 days of schooling to become an dentist where he took a few years of school and followed someone around for another 10 and took over his job. i will never have a vet do my horses teeth! we let mine back out after 20-30 minutes of the three of us (dentist, his helper and me) and then walked him back to the pasture where my other two geldings took care of him. 

i also helped him when he came out a year earlier on my 40+ TB gelding and we had to keep him in a little area will no food for an hour then little food and water. but he had about 5 shots of seditives in him because his kept wearing off and he would start moveing and dancing. and by the end of 4 hours he was back with the other horses.


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## Lakotababii (Nov 28, 2010)

I was in a situation similar to yours, had just bought a horse and he needed his teeth done. Turns out he REALLY needed his teeth done because he was cutting his cheeks and tongue they were so bad. Anyways, the vet came to do it, sedated him, squirted his mouth with this icky looking brown stuff to flush out the crud and disinfect, and then took a rasp and did it manually. Took him about 20 minutes. Then he squirted more icky brown stuff and wala! Clean happy teeth 

It made a huge difference for my gelding immediately. It helped with his attitude (obviously, poor little dude was in pain!) and it seemed to help him eat better. He no longer drops grain and can really chomp his grass and hay. I had that done last year in July, and my vet just checked him again, his teeth are still awesome.

No need to fret. The vet will make sure to clean out his mouth if there is any "leftovers" from breakfast. You will probably think it no big deal at all after it is all over with. Just keep an eye on the horse til he wakes up, or put him in a stall with no food or water til he is bright and alert again.


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## cebee (Apr 4, 2010)

I have had both a vet and an eq dentist do my boys teeth and I preferred the vet. Of course it all depends on the quality of each one! The vet did sedate him, and said he did not think he had EVER had the back teeth done.. the whole back of his mouth was chewed up and scarred! So clearly the Eq Dentist never got to the back ( she did not sedate, and no way she was getting to the backs without it! ) So I guess there are folks who cut corners in every profession. I have my boys teeth floated now when we have the vet clean sheaths so they sedate and do both ( ok.. im just gonna let the vet do the sheath.. lol... that is a whole nother topic!)


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

^^^ Although there are some equine dentists around, it is illegal in NC. It's considered part of veterinary medicine and only vets are allowed to do dental work (unless you want to do it yourself to your own horse).
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Oxer (Jul 9, 2010)

Cebee, i was actually thinking i might just spring for the vet to do his sheath too. I'm a little nervous that Indy may try to kick me, although he's not one to kick, i'd just rather be safe than sorry. hahaha! 

So how about pulling teeth?? Do horses ever need to have teeth pulled? And if so, how do they go about doing that? Would the horse need to be completely anesthetized for it?


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## chandra1313 (Jul 12, 2011)

I had my vet do them, it took maybe 20mins, he also did them manually which I liked. He repeatedly reached into the horses mouth feeling for, I think they call them burrs. I look at it this way, when I use a power sander and take off more then I should there is no going back ;-) whereas if I do it manually there is less chance of that. I have two vets actually one in town who does a lot of horse stuff but not teeth and one vet that is about a hour away who does all horse stuff.


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

Oxer said:


> So how about pulling teeth?? Do horses ever need to have teeth pulled? And if so, how do they go about doing that? Would the horse need to be completely anesthetized for it?


Yes, some horses have wolf teeth (my paint had 2, my qh had one), and you want to pull them. And yes, you absolutely want to sedate them to pull the teeth.


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## Critter sitter (Jun 2, 2012)

my mare was Floated yesterday and did Great she had one Wolf tooth pulled she is now back to eatting anf acting normal. I am just wondering how long should I wait to use a bit with her?


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

Oxer said:


> Cebee, i was actually thinking i might just spring for the vet to do his sheath too. I'm a little nervous that Indy may try to kick me, although he's not one to kick, i'd just rather be safe than sorry. hahaha!
> 
> So how about pulling teeth?? Do horses ever need to have teeth pulled? And if so, how do they go about doing that? Would the horse need to be completely anesthetized for it?


Wolf teeth are easily removed because they are not deeply embedded. 
Sometimes other teeth need removal due to injury or disease but it is an extensive process because the teeth are very deep into the bones. Removing a molar will also require frequent maintenance as there is no opposing tooth to keep the remaining tooth worn even.







The tiny tooth in front of the molars is a wolf tooth.


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## tealamutt (Aug 21, 2009)

Feed him as usual yes. As far as the equine dentist goes, I am strongly opposed to someone who is not licensed (and there for ILLEGALLY) obtaining and administering anything to my horse. If your dentist is reputable, they will have a vet there for the administration of the drugs and to make sure nothing goes wrong. They can also act quickly if there is a crisis. As a vet, I love the training and knowledge equine dentists have and use one myself. But I am on hand for the medical aspect of it, since that is *my* area of expertise. If we work as a team, everyone is happy!!


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## Oxer (Jul 9, 2010)

He will be getting his teeth done today at 10am. 
I chose the vet to do the job. Here in California, an equine dentist that is not also a DVM, has to have a DVM on hand to do the dental work. Otherwise, it is illegal. With that being said, i would have to pay the little over $200 for the equine dentist, the $97 farm call for my vet, and then whatever my vet would charge me to basically just give my horse Ace and stand around. 
So instead i chose to go with my vet this time and only pay the $97 farm call and the $175 for the float (drugs, sedation, and all). 
We will see how it goes today. Vet has been in practice for a little over 20 years. He knows my horse from his PPE and then when he wrecked his leg a few months back.
Hey by the way, i thought i would let everyone know, i cleaned my horses sheath ALL BY MYSELF! hahaha! no one else seems to be very excited about this, my friends and family included, so i knew my horse forum mates would understand what an undertaking it is (and even dangerous, if you're not careful!).


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## Oxer (Jul 9, 2010)

post script: i really appreciate everyone's informative advice, and opinions on this!

Thank you all.


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## tealamutt (Aug 21, 2009)

Way to go Oxer!! Sheath cleaning is terrifying the first time or two and some horses never get over it. I for one am quite proud of you for tackling the job yourself! Well done you!


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