Equine Dental Clinic Ltd

07/01/2025

Shame someone chose to give us a negative review based on this. If anyone feels like giving us a Facebook review based on the service we have provided / provide then we would be super grateful 🙏 (we are not quite sure how to leave a review if you feel so inclined - there must be a button somewhere!)

07/01/2025

Some of you have messaged asking what happened to the case we posted for our New Year message - so here’s a quick summary:

The case was presented by referral for nasal discharge, with a suspected orosinus fistula of up to 3 yrs duration - the fistula was very narrow but had allowed food to enter the nasal passages right at the nasomaxillary aperture with some contamination of the rostral maxillary sinus - an unusual presentation - our treatment steps:

- CT scan to plan treatment
- Transnasal endoscopy to identify the food and fistula location
- Transendoscopic lavage / biopsy forceps removal of the food and inspissated solid pus
- Conchofrontal sinoscopy, maxillary septal bulla fenestration, lavage all sinus compartments
- Debridement orally of fistula using endodontic files and curettes
- Retention grooves applied to 108 and 110 (distal, medial), surfaces dried, bonded and prosthetic bridge applied across inderdental space
- Closed mouth endoscopy / reduction 408,9 to ensure reduced occlusion against bridge
- Sinus lavage 3 days, close surgical site.

Technically this is an oronasal fistula as the communication was slightly rostral to the nasomaxillary aperture (where the sinus drains into the nasal passages), although the sinus had become contaminated and drainage limited. Oronasal fistulae are always slower to close and more challenging to resolve long term so it may be that a fistula implant will be required for this case long term.

Thanks for asking, and thanks very much to the referring vets for sending this interesting case - hope that explains it and let’s hope no further treatment required (bridge prosthesis will be removed in 3 months).

06/01/2025

Well, having done around 4,500 cheek tooth extractions since starting EDC cases still come along that demonstrate how challenging extractions can be and how you can never say you’ve seen it all - this 20yo horse was referred for extraction of the 408 cheek tooth to our referral clinic in Duisburg, Germany (most of the crown was fractured and gone, and there were open pulp canals 2,4 so most of the tooth was dead) - and a complication occurred that was particularly unusual and frustrating - dental professionals out there may be able to work out what has happened…😳 (the tooth root fragment is not at all visible from the oral cavity with the oroscope - there is a bony bridge between the two tooth roots)

The next X-Ray shows the root fragment extracted, so we can happily report that we did successfully remove it - making the most of the range of equipment available in the clinic here in Germany - suction unit, patient side digital radiography, transbuccal surgical equipment, HD oroscope, endodontic equipment all being helpful in completing the procedure without having to resort to another treatment on another day or general anaesthesia - but it did make the last case of the day a bit of a challenge!

[Edit - as an update after some comments to me - this was not an ‘ordinary’ root fragment extraction - it’s common to have roots fracture during extraction the difference in this case was that after mobilising the root fragment it became displaced ventrally, into the mandibular body and moved backwards and became lodged under the furcation of the dental socket i.e. under the bony alveolus - making it hidden from the oral aspect as it was now stuck under the alveolar bone]

The important take home message is that you can never underestimate the potential for complication when performing cheek tooth extractions - you never know when complications will occur but when they do these are definitely cases for properly designed, well-equipped clinics - and of course, .

06/01/2025

EOTRH again (equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis) - this time the hypercementosis predominate type - there has been some suspicion and opinion that these are not so painful but you can see the red lesions on the gum that exude pus on pressure - certainly painful in this case so we progressed to extraction of all 12 teeth

02/01/2025

Happy 2025 to all our wonderful clients and followers!

Back to work today and straight back to referrals and routines - today we saw multiple cases in our purpose built clinic including two sinusitis cases, some deep diastemata, a long-standing oro-sinus fistula (hole from the mouth to the sinus, referred to us folllowing extraction elsewhere), an incisor referral for suspected EOTRH, a dental socket check post extraction before Christmas and multiple routine dentals performed by our amazing dental vets out on the road.

We are looking forward to another year of treating and helping your horses, helping and educating other vets, dental technicians and owners and continuing our drive to advance the science and standard of care for clinical equine dentistry worldwide.

What do we have planned for 2025? We are really excited - if everything works to plan we should have a new dental vet (more details to follow), a new website, an EDC equine dentistry app (making it easier to contact us, receive help and advice, refer cases more easily and learn about equine dentistry), more educational courses for vets, EDTs and owners, including client evenings and seminar days and an expansion of our routine services.

Also and very importantly we will be remaining an independent veterinary practice - one of the few left where we are able to manage our own business, operate it to our own high standards and beliefs and not those prescribed to us by corporate mega-practices owned by finance directors and not vets!

We genuinely wish you all a very Happy New Year!!

(Image is of the referral today for an oro-sinus fistula - food is tracking up a hole in a dental socket and into the sinus compartments)

23/12/2024

Why do we prefer to see referral cases in a clinic and ? We are quite capable of performing advanced referral cases in a stable but there are many reasons why it’s not the best idea - and why we invested heavily in designing and building our specialist dental referral clinic - it’s about aiming to provide the highest standards of clinical care

As specialists in equine dentistry we can work anywhere, our equipment is almost all battery powered, and smaller and more portable than ever - and we have o...

07/12/2024

This is not specifically a dental post but an amazing achievement by those involved at Edinburgh University - could potentially save so many horses from this devastating disease - well done to the research team at Edinburgh!

“After years of feeling deflated by the lack of progress, it's wonderful to see this significant breakthrough."

Researchers have identified the probable cause of equine grass sickness as a neurotoxin. The breakthrough has the potential to lead to novel treatments and improved diagnostics for this devastating disease.

Read on - https://bit.ly/4f5McNQ

16/11/2024

Today is our clinic Open Day 😄🏥🐎🏇🐴🦷

Come and take a look around, watch an oral camera and corrective dental treatment demonstration, take the quiz to win a lovely EDC drinks bottle or mug, get a 10% routine dental discount voucher (conditions apply), meet Russell 🐶, see the CT scanner in action (demonstration) and find out why we’re the world’s leading equine dentistry practice 🙏

If you’d like to come along, we’d love to see you and will be open to all TODAY from 10am to 3pm 🐴🦷

13/11/2024

Do you rasp teeth and reduce overgrowths of cheek teeth for a living? Reduce incisors? Have you ever watched when someone is blindly reducing an overgrown tooth without worrying about the possible effects?

Are you one of those who think the ‘pulp exposure’
risk is a myth? Perhaps something ‘invented’ by vets? The majority of trained dental professionals understand the pulp exposure risk from crown reduction but unfortunately there are still those at large who refuse to understand or believe it - and at EDC we’ve heard it all.

In fact we’ve often been called the ‘pulp police’👮 on social media groups and posts for our stance on the risks of ‘pulp exposure’. Pulp exposure can happen when rasping the teeth especially when reducing an overgrown tooth to the extent that the sensitive blood and nerve supply becomes exposed, possibly resulting in the tooth bleeding. We have often referred to clinical research on this subject which tells us that although the vital pulp of the tooth is on average around 10-12mm away from the occlusal surface, it can be as close as 2mm (1mm for incisors), and it makes no difference how old the horse or tooth is, and also makes no difference how overgrown the tooth is – in fact in overgrown / overlong teeth the pulp can be even closer to the surface than in normally worn teeth.

This case shows the exact risk that we are referring to – this tooth was being carefully reduced by around 3mm by a very well trained and careful operator, when she noted a pulp canal of the very back cheek tooth (111) was exposed and bleeding – the dental professional performing the procedure behaved incredibly responsibly - called us immediately, and the pony was promptly referred for vital pulp therapy to give the best chance of saving the tooth. When the pony arrived the pulp was not actively bleeding but you can see clearly a small touch with a dental bur initiated the bleeding again – the procedure we performed is called a partial pulpotomy and this gives the best chance of preventing deeper pulp disease and infection that may cause a root abscess.

Take-away message: Pulp exposure can happen to anyone when reducing even small overgrowths and even in older horses or ponies – just because it is rare does not mean it won’t happen to you. Vigilance and care when performing any dental procedure are essential, and the prompt action taken in this case is absolutely to be applauded – well done!

[NB I have not mentioned if the operator was a vet or qualified EDT etc (they were properly qualified) as I don’t want this to be about vets versus non-vets – that’s not what the post is about and any comments straying into this area will be deleted!]

Link to research paper on this: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=pulp+equine+secondary+dentine&btnG= =gs_qabs&t=1731508411133&u=%23p%3D5D76NbJAEdUJ

12/11/2024

Interesting read - a topic that we find really interesting and have lectured about before - but seems like there is more work to do but well done to the team involved for starting this important research, and it's certainly one of a number of tools we can use to assess dental health in horses

10/11/2024

Although we remember all the fallen from all the conflicts and wars around the globe today, and of course the human suffering is highest in our thoughts, but this poem I Spoke to You in Whispers by Neil Andrew, also remembers the horses who served and died, and the great sacrifice they also gave..

I spoke to you in whispers
As shells made the ground beneath us quake
We both trembled in that crater
A toxic muddy bloody lake
I spoke to you and pulled your ears
To try and quell your fearful eye
As bullets whizzed through the raindrops
And we watched the men around us die
I spoke to you in stable tones
a quiet tranquil voice
At least I volunteered to fight
You didn’t get to make the choice
I spoke to you of old times
Perhaps you went before the plough
And pulled the haycart from the meadow
Far from where we’re dying now
I spoke to you of grooming
Of when the ploughman made you shine
Not the shrapnel wounds and bleeding flanks
Mane filled with mud and wire and grime
I spoke to you of courage
As gas filled the Flanders air
Watched you struggle in the mud
Harness acting like a snare
I spoke to you of peaceful fields
Grazing beneath a setting sun
Time to rest your torn and tired body
Your working day is done
I spoke to you of promises
If from this maelstrom I survive
By pen and prose and poetry
I’ll keep your sacrifice alive
I spoke to you of legacy

01/11/2024

Sometimes despite your best efforts, when things are badly infected, you can’t avoid some of the problems no-one likes to have to manage.

In this case, a severe right sided sinus infection, caused by a fractured cheek tooth (110). On extraction of the tooth (standing oral extraction) a river of stinking pus started running down the side of the tooth (top image) and after careful forceps extraction of the tooth (bottom left), the rotten, necrotic wall and roof of the alveolar socket came out attached to the tooth leaving a large oro-sinus fistula (oroscope image bottom right).

Although these can be challenging to manage, we have some great techniques and actually most will heal within 6 weeks as the rapid granulation / healing of the dental socket occurs. Very important that the occlusal plug stays in place during that time! We will keep you updated of his progress!

[greyscale to avoid FB banning our post] edit - added a colour one too so you can view if you want to

01/11/2024

Lovely review from Equine Veterinarians Australia for our specialists Chris and Nicole and their online taster webinars from Tuesday this week ahead of the main event next year in 2025 - any equine vets who fancy a trip to Australia this is an excellent CPD event with a wide range of topics from the equine veterinary world and of course this time round a focus on dentistry - thanks EVA and of course to Australia’s own tour de force in equine dentistry Mr Oliver Liyou 🙏🐎 🦷 🇦🇺

Did you miss the webinar from 2025 Bain Fallon keynote speakers Dr Chris Pearce and Dr Nicole Du Tois ? It is now available on demand via your AVA website account.

A not to be missed webinar - here is a review from long term EVA member and one of our leaders in equine veterinary practice - Dr Oliver Liyou. From the horses mouth -

“Whether you’re curious, intrigued, getting started, or passionately in love with the rapidly growing field of equine veterinary dentistry, this EVA webinar by Drs DuToit & Pearce is a must!

Between them they gave a great overview of how far and important equine dentistry has become over the past 2 decades - not only to the horse but to the owners and the veterinary clinics who embrace it.

Both being specialists in equine dentistry, who have done decades of hard work “in the trenches” in their field , they are able to calmly articulate the many complexities of equine dentistry down into simple and understandable dialogue.

Being from the biggest solely equine Dental veterinary practice in the world , where they perform first accession cases right through to the most challenging of referrals, these two are undoubtedly in the top five most experienced & qualified speakers in the world.

I would beg any veterinary practice who publicly advertises equine dentistry as a service they offer , to commit to viewing this webinar as part of a practice meeting or a team night get together - as it will open everyone’s eyes as to why equine dentistry can easily become 20 to 30% of an equine practice as it is in small animal practice.

There’s been no better time to get serious about equine dentistry, so watch this webinar and book in to see more at Bain Fallon 2025”



Thank you Randlab for your ongoing and generous sponsorship.
And how many sleeps until the Bain Fallon? 🤣

29/10/2024

We were presented with a lovely American miniature horse yesterday. He's only 2.5 years old but had developed right facial swelling and smelly nasal discharge caused by infection of his first upper right adult cheek tooth that had only just erupted.
Fortunately our specialist based in Edinburgh, Richard had his small head stand and knee pads with him and was able to extract the tooth with the help of the great staff at Thompson House Equine Vets in Wigan and this lovely little mini is expected to go on and make a full recovery 😊

28/10/2024

Now available! The Equestrian documentary “Horses & the Science of Harmony” examines the nature of harmony between horse and rider through the eyes of Bubby Upton and through the lens of cutting-edge science.

“Horses and the Science of Harmony” is produced by UK equine performance specialist Dr. Sue Dyson and US-based Kathryn Lauritzen of Padma Video and is available free to watch online via YouTube: https://youtu.be/3ulkLHqHZ3g as well as on Smart TV platforms Apple TV, Amazon Fire, ROKU, LG, Samsung, and on-line via Equus Television Network www.equustelevision.net

Horses and the Science of Harmony is a full-length feature film telling the story of Bubby Upton, a rising star in the world of 3-day eventing, who suffered a catastrophic spinal injury yet bravely fought to get back to doing what she loves…ride. Bubby’s emotional story is woven alongside cutting-edge science to educate viewers about equine behavior and optimal well-being, while simultaneously asking the question "what is it about horses that speaks so strongly to our hearts?'

Horses & the Science of Harmony features some of the “who’s who” of British eventing, including Mary King, Lucinda Green and Piggy March, as well as some of the top equine veterinarians and researchers in the world - all weighing in on the concept of harmony between humans and horses.

Look out for the cameo appearance from our specialist Chris Pearce discussing bit assessment.

“We really worked hard to find ‘lightbulb moments’ in the science segments” says director Kathryn Lauritzen. “We wanted everyone, from the pony clubber to the Olympic athlete to learn new information. For instance, many people don’t realize that smell is probably the horse’s strongest sense or that horses routinely hear sound frequencies that we cannot hear.”

Some of the many interviews include: cognitive brain scientist, Janet Jones, on how horses and humans influence each other’s neurochemistry; veterinary behaviorist Gemma Pearson delves into how stable design influences relaxation; and veterinary researcher Rachel Murray describes how bridle pressure points can influence the way a horse moves its limbs.

Executive producer, Sue Dyson, discusses how behaviour reflecting pain in horses is common and often ignored, so that people have lost sight of what “normal” looks like. She provides evidence-based information to describe what a comfortable horse should look like under saddle, which is demonstrated by international dressage rider and trainer Gareth Hughes.

Bubby Upton’s emotional story epitomizes the quest for harmony between horse and rider while battling her own physical limitations.

Horses and the Science of Harmony is available now, free to view, on YouTube (https://youtu.be/3ulkLHqHZ3g) and on the Equus Television Network www.equustelevision.net

EQUUS TV is your location for the Equestrian Lifestyle Around the World on your favorite SmartTV Platforms like Amazon Fire, ROKU, LG, Samsung, Apple TV