Just like you, your horse needs regular dental checkups as part of their preventative health care program. Routine dental care extends the life and health of your horse and may improve their performance.
Our goal is to provide you with facts. By doing routine preventative dentistry the following problems can be avoided. Dr Winter uses a power float  and takes pride in doing a complete and detailed float on your horse’s teeth. The power float is an accurate, easy and somewhat gentle procedure on horses. This mechanized rotary tool, allows Dr. Winter to do a much more adequate job.

Recognizing Dental Problems
By observing your horse’s body language, you may observe the following problems:

►Passing whole grain, corn, or long pieces of hay in the manure
►Choosing to eat hay before grain
►Dribbling feed from mouth
► Eating slowly
►Excessive salivation while eating
►Loosing weight or body condition
►Swelling on the face, mouth or jaw
►A discharge from the nose, eyes or mouth
►A foul odor from the mouth or nose
►Resisting the bridle
►Tossing or tilting the head
►Chewing on or fighting the bit

The Dental Exam
While checking teeth Dr. Winter will be looking for:

►Sharp molar edges that cut or scrape the horse's tongue and inside cheek
►Tooth misalignments that cause difficulty grinding food
►Trapped slivers of hay or grain which create pockets of infection
►Cracked molars which allow decay to destroy roots
►Wolf teeth that interfere with the bit
►Baby teeth (caps) that have not been shed
►Gum inflammation from periodontal disease
►Lost or broken teeth
►An abnormal or uneven bite
►Long or uneven incisors (front teeth) that may need to be cut off or filed down


Corrective Procedures
The procedure Dr. Winter uses will vary according to the severity of the dental problem:

►Removal of caps
►Extraction of wolf teeth
►The hooks and sharp points are floated. A more even “bite plate” is developed
►The long canine teeth may require extensive floating or be cut off
►The loose or abscessed teeth may require surgical extraction and extensive antibiotics
►Performance horses that are ridden with a bit can be given a “bit seat”. The front check teeth are rounded off to give a nice smooth place for the bit to rest. Reducing discomfort results in better control.