# Natural Equine Dentistry



## ca4ta (Sep 4, 2011)

Hi everyone, 

I have two horses whom I just had seen by a natural equine dentist. The interesting thing he did was to balance the bite alignment based off of their TMJ. Since then, my mare who was 'twisted' when standing and unable to turn her head/neck to the left very far is now standing straight as can be. She is no longer having lameness issues either. It was explained to me that her front shoulders are not equal in size/development and her hindquarters appeared to be uneven as well. After the adjustment, she is like a new mare, sweet and not so cranky. Does anyone else have experience with this? I see a huge difference in her already. 

Thanks, 

Cheryl


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## karalinacool (Jan 26, 2013)

i wish we had that type of quality equine dentistry in my area. There are no people trained in it here. Just vets who do the regular floating


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## PhoenixBlaise (Jan 16, 2014)

Wow, Cheryl, that sounds amazing! So happy to hear your horse responded so well. Sounds like a combination of dentistry and chiropractic? Where is this natural dentist located? 

I had a wonderful natural equine dentist when I lived in Lexington, KY. My horses were so relaxed and happy during, and after having their teeth done...no tranquilizers, no one holding them down or strapping their heads up. They stood loose in their stalls and let him do everything naturally. Even my old gelding, who normally took multiple shots of tranqilizer for the vet to do his teeth.

I'm back in my home state of Ca now and haven't found anyone in my area, who does this type of dentistry. I don't want to go back to tranquilizers and contraptions, after seeing how easy it can be.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

When a vet floated one horse's teeth he really sedated him so he could use power tools. Some vets are getting away from that as they've discovered the horses often wind up with cuts. I'm all for the old way, maybe a mild tranq. the speculum and the float. One vet didn't even tranq. but used a twitch. Fine by me.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

there are a few horse dentist in southern CA . they usually can be found at the jumper barns or you can get thier names at the jumper barns. They legally cannot tranq your horse in CA , that requires a Vet Lic.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

Sounds like your horse had more issues than a tooth float. 
I had a guy out here before, natural dentist.. on no he did not use drugs, well he got slapped upside the head by the TB gelding with his head and then a front hoof.. Told the guy , you better be able to dope them. He did dope the horse, and did a very poor job, screwed up the horses bite and front teeth, even cracked a tooth . had another one come out and ended with me being Not a happy camper. Interviewed another and I could not stop laughing at the costume he wore. 
In my experiences the Vets have done a far superior job. I will never let another so called horse dentist touch my horses.


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## ca4ta (Sep 4, 2011)

The natural equine dentist i used travels all over the country. He was trained under Spencer Laflure. You can google him to read more about this and what they do. I for one will never go back to traditional horse dentistry again. My horse did have (does have) other issues, and they all seem to stems from her teeth being power-drilled by a dentist. I've had her for 4 years now, and all of her feet problems, being crooked, lameness issues etc... all seem to stem from this. She is like a new horse now and the chiro will be coming to see her soon. If you have the time, check out this guy and see what other people say. They do travel all over - although the charge for the work is a bit high. I nearly fell over when I heard how much it would be per horse, but now that I see the results, it's totally worth it.


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

^How does teeth effect lameness? That's never something I've heard before!


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## ca4ta (Sep 4, 2011)

You have to do a little research on the subject. There are many testimonials about the natural dentistry helping horses with a myriad of issues. I'm not making a claim that this fixed my horses 'lameness'. I have read other peoples testimonials on this. I also saw my mare who had always walked with a limp, no longer limp within 2 weeks of the appointment.


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

^Interesting, I'll have to do that! I wasn't trying to be rude or combative, it was really just something I have never experienced, or heard someone talk about xD


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## rookie (May 14, 2012)

I am glad the OP found a individual that is able to do the work she needs and had positive results. I am personally not a huge fan of equine dentists because most of them require very little training. While the average vet, in order to graduate has to take a course on the equine mouth. Likewise, there are very specialized equine dental veterinary practitioners out there. They are able to legally sedate horses which allows them to fully access the back cheek teeth were many ramps and hooks are located. I have seen a lot of horses with ramps, waves and hooks that the equine dentist missed because he flat out could not get his hand back into the horses mouth to assess the teeth. Likewise, I figure I am going to pay for my vet to come out and treat my horse in a life or death situation but not with its routine dental care? 

I also find the term "natural equine dentistry" to be a bit of a misnomer as there is nothing "natural" about dentistry. Natural equine dentistry is called they get bad teeth and starve. As I say, I am glad the OP found a situation that works; however, I am a bit speculative about the lameness issues being tied to dental health. I am not saying they are not I just would need something a little more substantial like a study as opposed to some people who deeply believe in and have paid for a service saying it did amazing things. It seems like its a somewhat bias group saying that the procedure was a fantastic success. That does not mean the results are not real, it just means that I treat it with a little more speculation.


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

What the heck is a "Natural equine dentist?" 

There is nothing natural about having a horse's teeth floated. It is not natural to shove a gag on a horse to hold its mouth open and proceed to shove a variety of metal files in is mouth and rasp away. Yet another way for many people to fall for 'natural' is best.

The fact that a horse with sharp teeth can not only play up when ridden but it can also cause it to misalign from trying to evade the pressure of the sharp teeth. This misalignment can sometimes cause a lameness problem especially if it compensates by misaligning elsewhere in its body. 
However, just having the teeth sorted does not realign the horse, that needs a chiropractor.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I'm confused with the term 'natural dentistry' as well
My vet does a good job of my horses teeth and only uses sedation on one of them that is a real PITA without it so safer for her, the vet & the handler if she's done that way
I have had horse with sore mouths from teeth issues and it has made them move awkwardly - though I wouldn't have described it as lameness - but in every case a vet was able to see the problem and treat as needed
It is illegal here in CT for unauthorized people to use sedation when doing a horses teeth so unless the Equine Dentist has the correct qualification to do that if needed you have to have a vet present as well


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

I only skimmed a few of the comments, but it always makes me roll my eyes when the term "natural" is applied to things that are in no way natural.

It sounds like you got a good dentist- that is, one who looks at the horse as a whole (maybe the term 'holistic' could be used here instead of natural) instead of focusing on just one area- and who is good at balancing the teeth to begin with. However, it also sounds like the horse was probably much overdue for a floating if it was causing that much misalignment.

I won't use an equine dentist who isn't also a vet. You might luck out with someone who knows what they're doing, but you might end up with some hack who has very little idea of what he's doing. Both my regular vet and my equine dentist vet have said they don't believe the back teeth can be done properly with manual floats. Having observed both manual and power floats being done, I don't think it's generally possible to do a thorough dental job on a horse without sedation. (Not saying its impossible, just not likely in your average situation...)


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

I don't know about "natural", but I liked the guy who did our horses a few years back. The vet used power tools and screwed a couple of horses up. This guy used hand tools, no sedation, and the horses stood there loose with a lead rope hanging. Lilly (the mare we sold a couple of years ago) was having her teeth done while Mia looked on:





































That was a few years ago. He was hard to schedule, but we hired a lady a couple years ago who did essentially the same thing...maybe with a bit less finesse.


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## TessaMay (Jul 26, 2013)

Natural dentistry = no dentistry, so I'm a bit confused. I'm glad you found something that helped your horse, but if it was me, I would be wanting to know exactly how a teeth float (or whatever he did) changed the horse's movement. It sort of like my friend who was just "cured" of some food allergies by a chiropractor. I'm happy she feels better, but would like to know how it worked and am suspicious that it is more of a placebo effect than anything else. 

In my state, it is illegal for anyone other than a vet to float a horses teeth. My vet has taken extra dental training along with what she learned in vet school. She uses power tools and sedates, but uses the smallest dose possible to keep the horse calm and happy throughout. Personally, if I could not trust my vet to do a dental float, then I wouldn't trust her to do anything else with me horse either and would be finding a new vet.


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## Rideabighorse (Jan 12, 2014)

I have used Spencer LaFleur a few times. He is great. Lately I have used the guy in the pictures above from bsms. On my horses he doesn't use sedation or a speculum. Equine dentists actually get a lot more training on teeth than vets do. As mentioned before vets get one course. Real equine dentists get a lot of courses. The guy in the pictures is Phil Ratliff. He lives in Arizona but travels a lot. I live in Denver and he does my horses.


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## DuffyDuck (Sep 27, 2011)

Rookie, I am not sure where your info has come from, or where you live. An old army bud of mine travelled to the states to become an equine dentist. He has invested a lot of time and money. He is also joined by many vets from across the globe....because they spend very little time on the equine mouth in their years of learning.

You have to check people's credentials, and I would think most people would do that anyway? So you can see how long they have spent. The courses I am aware of are months long, and over several periods. 

I personally would never have a vet touch my horses mouth unless they have done extra courses. All of my vets have done their few days, but have their 'pet dentists' who they recommend to do the job.


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## Sheepdog (Sep 25, 2011)

My vet says the dentist has power tools, he doesn't and at least one of my mares need to be done with power tools. Called him a year or so ago about this mare, she was literally starving to death because of her teeth, he took one look told me "here's the no of an equine dentist, she's in town for another day or two, call her. This is waaaay out of my league. " haven't looked back since.


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## Rideabighorse (Jan 12, 2014)

Someone asked how a dentist. Someone else kind of hinted at. It is all about the TMJ. This is where balance comes from in both humans and horses. It is right next to your semicircular canals in the inner ear. If that joint is messed up it can throw a horse off balance causing him to use muscles, tendons etc unnaturally. This can cause lameness by causing part of his body to work much harder than others. A good equine dentist can fix the teeth to help with TMJ problems.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Rideabighorse said:


> Someone asked how a dentist. Someone else kind of hinted at. It is all about the TMJ. This is where balance comes from in both humans and horses. It is right next to your semicircular canals in the inner ear. If that joint is messed up it can throw a horse off balance causing him to use muscles, tendons etc unnaturally. This can cause lameness by causing part of his body to work much harder than others. A good equine dentist can fix the teeth to help with TMJ problems.


I'm afraid I'm struggling to 'buy' that one. TMJ is also seen in humans but 'throwing you off balance' is not one of the symptoms of it - they are all related to the area around the jaw and face ranging from pain to difficulty opening the mouth
I've suffered with it since I was kicked on the side of the head by a horse and its not something that can be 'fixed' by simple manipulation in humans.
Its caused by one of several things
The disk that separates the bones in the joint becomes worn or moves out of place
Arthritis damage
Damage caused by impact


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## Shoebox (Apr 18, 2012)

I'm not going to comment on the whole dentist/vet/TMJ deal. At least, not yet. Just wanted to say don't fall for things just because it throws around the word natural. Do some good research on it. "Natural" identity would be no dentistry, because it's not natural to float teeth! (Actually, that's what I thought this thread might be about- not floating your horses).

After all, know what else is natural? Arsenic. Gonorrhea. Cyanide. AIDS. Natural isn't a synonym to mean better  I'm glad OP found a dentist that works, but look into it before jumping on the bandwagon yourself.


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## ca4ta (Sep 4, 2011)

Wow, lots of responses on this. I am the original poster (OP) and I did my own research prior to shelling out the money for the visit. I would certainly suggest anyone to do research on any type of service provider you can prior to hiring them on for any of your animals. I would never go to an orthopedic surgeon without checking his/her credentials first. That said, my horse is in much better shape now than she was prior. I also hired a chiropractor to adjust her a few times as well, and the horse is no longer lame. In my horses' situation it's not just one thing to fix her problems. She now has a good diet, good barn manager(management), good farrier, good dentist and chiro. All these things combined have helped my mare to no longer be lame. 

Thanks


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