"The mouth is how we relate to our horses be it through feeding treats or riding on their backs."

Weatherford Veterinary Dental Services, PLLC provides state of the art dental care for routine and advanced veterinary dental cases.  The WVDS doctors recognize the improvements in Veterinary Dental Medicine that have occurred in equine dentistry in the past 10-15 years. Medical advancements have come in the form of medications used during dental procedures, as well as vast improvement in available veterinary dental equipment. Technological advancements such as digital radiology and computed tomography, allow better management of endodontic disease and traumatic injuries (oral-maxillofacial fractures).  The use of diagnostic dental instruments has made previously unrecognized periodontal disease identifiable and treatable.

Equine Dental Medicine is a critical part of a horse’s general health, as it is the entrance to the body both for nutrition and relating to the rider on their back. Equine Dentistry/Dental medicine is much more than just “floating” your horse’s teeth every year. The comprehensive oral health assessment and treatment (COHAT) starts with a full body examination. This answers the following questions: "is this patient able to be safely sedated" and "are the sedatives/tranquilizers the veterinarian is planning on using appropriate". Next, the head is examined for symmetry and any evidence of underlying disease/pathology. Finally, the mouth, or oral cavity, is examined; evaluating the hard and soft tissue of the oral cavity, the oral mucosa, the tongue, and periodontal and endodontic structures of the tooth. Our doctors use dental instruments that you would commonly see in your own dental visit.

WVDS provides a range of services from routine examination/equilibration; recognizing, grading, and treating periodontal disease (gum disease); to minor and major oral surgery

Equine Periodontal disease:

Periodontal disease or Gum disease is the progressive destruction of the tissues that hold the tooth in the boney tooth socket.  When left undiagnosed and untreated, this destruction results in the mobility of the tooth  and premature exfoliation.  Advanced stages of periodontal disease most commonly affects older patients.  In younger patients, the disease usually occurs with the eruption of a permanent tooth and the exfoliation of a deciduous tooth.  Pain is significant when one or several teeth are affected.  Mastication is inefficient in patients with loose and painful teeth due to both the instability of the affected tooth or teeth, and the pain caused by the destruction of attachment.  Many patients with periodontal disease can have biting or behavioral problems.  Periodontal disease has detrimental effects on the overall health, condition, and performance of the horse.

Periodontal Intruments:

These instruments, similar to the instruments your dentist uses, enable your Veterinarian to identify and grade previously unrecognized Periodontal and Endodontic disease.

Periodontal Disease: is the process consisting of stages of progressive attachment loss of the connective tissue between the tooth and the boney sockets

Endodontic Disease: is the effect of damage to the pulp (innermost portion of the tooth) and adjacent tissues.

Flexi-Float Ultra:

This dental unit provides lithium ion battery powered vacuum and continuous irrigation of the mouth during the dental equilibration procedure. The vacuum eliminates the enamel dust debris allowing improved visibility during the equilibration. The continuous irrigation allows disinfectants to flush the mouth aiding in the removal of debris and oral bacterial organisms