Equine dental extractions form a large proportion of Equine Dental Work and are routinely undertaken by us. There are a multitude of different conditions which can lead to dental extractions being necessary:
- Fractured teeth
- Periapical tooth root infections
- Deepening non-responsive diastemata
- Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis (EORTH)
- Dead devitalised teeth
- Malformed / Maligned teeth
The majority of Equine Dental extractions are performed under standing sedation with local anaesthesia (similar to the injection you receive at the human dentist to numb the area). Oral extraction is the most common extraction technique and suitable for the majority of teeth the procedure is preferred for having fewer complications than surgical repulsion. However, completing equine tooth extraction orally is not always possible for horses with decayed or fractured teeth.
Once the tooth has been identified, a vet will separate the gum margin from the tooth edge using dental elevators and forceps are applied to either side of the tooth to get a good grip. The vet will then gently rock the tooth over a long period to detach the tooth, then elevating the tooth from the horse’s mouth.
We also have the ability to perform Minimally Invasive Trans Buccal Cheek Tooth Extraction and Mandibular Pin Retropulsion for certain types of teeth or tooth fragments where oral extraction is not feasible. Again, this is performed under standing sedation and local anaesthesia.