Equine Dental Clinic Ltd

28/11/2025

Rounds in the morning in the clinic! This week the sinus cases have been like buses - all come along at once! Lovely to see happy healthy in-patients first thing in the morning 🌅 🐴

28/11/2025

When is ‘EOTRH’ not actually EOTRH??

Images like this are sent to us very frequently (a few a week at the moment) they pop up on our EOTRH Facebook Group page frequently!

It’s often incorrectly assumed to be the nasty degenerative disease of the incisor teeth and gums known as EOTRH, but most cases are definitely not EOTRH. No, its most likely / almost certainly a contact type irritation of the gums, with usually nothing wrong with the teeth at all (there might be other things wrong with some of the teeth, but those conditions and the gum irritation are mostly not related).

The condition is a type of gingivitis, gingival hyperplasia or gingival enlargement, (sometimes it resembles or is a type of ulcerative stomatitis) most often caused by some kind of contact irritant either at pasture - or in the forage (hay, haylage). A common irritant is mature foxtail type grasses in the hay or haylage - these are the type that produce seeds that have little spines like hooks that embed themselves in the gum and cause nasty irritation. Fortunately the treatment is usually fairly straightforward - find the source and change the diet. Sometimes gentle lavage of the gums helps, NSAIDs, and very occasionally we have treated these with laser surgery but that’s very rare! If anyone has any experiences they would like to share feel free to comment 🙂

If you’d like to read more there’s an interesting article here:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1871141317300914

25/11/2025

One of our specialist vets, Nicole is involved with vet education again tonight, moderating on a panel with other world renowned veterinary dental specialists on geriatric dentistry. Such an important topic with horses living longer and horse owners wanting better veterinary care so that horses can live happy pain free lives even to a grand old age! 🐴🦷

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀?

Join VetPD’s expert panel on 𝟮𝟱 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 for an interactive deep dive into 𝗚𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗗𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆. From decision-making to tackling those complex, real-world cases we all encounter.

Learn practical approaches, sharpen your clinical judgement, and elevate the care you provide to your senior patients.

Secure your spot now!
https://bit.ly/3M1MSeo

25/11/2025

Throwback to 10 years ago! Setting up for a referral visit in Shropshire

24/11/2025

🦷 No Pain? Check Again Dental Webinar

Up to 70% of horses may be suffering in silence with undiagnosed dental issues and they may not be showing any signs of pain.

Join us for a live session with equine dental experts Dr Chris Pearce and Dr Nicole du Toit from the Equine Dental Clinic as we explore:
🔍 How to spot signs of dental discomfort
🔍 Common myths and facts around equine dentistry
🔍 Who can treat your horse and what a check-up should involve

Whether you're a horse owner or equestrian professional, this is a chance to get clued up on all things teeth.

📅 Book your free place now. If you think there’s no pain, it doesn’t always mean there’s no problem 👉 https://bit.ly/4ifEu79

📷 Equine Dental Clinic Ltd

14/11/2025

Q: What is ‘Quidding’?

A: A Clear Sign Your Horse Needs a Veterinary Examination

🍂 Quidding means a horse is dropping or expelling partially chewed forage. It is caused by ‘dysmasticaton’ — abnormal or painful chewing — and is one of the clearest signs of oral pain in the horse.

⚠️ But quidding is not always dental, and it must be distinguished from:

🧠 Neurological disease
🥤 Dysphagia (swallowing disorders)
🦴 TMJ disease
🩸 Soft-tissue injury or oral masses
🐴 Jaw pathology
🪾 Foreign body lodged - oral cavity, pharynx, sub-mucosal

All of these are clinical disorders requiring a veterinary diagnosis and treatment.

⸻

** Why quidding is nearly always serious **

🦷 By the time a horse is quidding, if it’s dental related, the underlying cause is often:

• Severe periodontal disease
• Fractured, mobile, or displaced cheek teeth
• Pulpal disease, abscess
• Bilateral dysfunction / disease
• Soft-tissue trauma
• Advanced occlusal disease
(and occasionally lack of dental structure in very old age - but always worth a thorough check - don’t assume!)

These conditions cannot be diagnosed or treated with a visual check alone.

🚨What your horse actually needs

🩺 A proper veterinary assessment includes:

💉 Sedation
👄 Clinical oral examination
🔦 Oroscopic examination
🖥️ Further diagnostic imaging (X-rays or CT)

These are vet-only procedures, both legally and clinically.
This is why quidding is always a veterinary case, not a routine dental visit.

⸻

What to do if your horse is quidding:

📞 Book a full veterinary oral and oroscopic examination under sedation.
🔍 Ensure the whole mouth is properly assessed.
⏱️ Early diagnosis = less pain, faster recovery, better long-term welfare.

Your horse’s comfort and oral health depend on it. Trust us, we are specialists and we have equine welfare at the core of what we do.

12/11/2025

Join us this autumn / winter for our series of educational events - for clients, owners, riders, coaches and anyone interested in welfare of the horse and how qualty dentistry can be transformatve!

Our next event is our in-person evening 'Beyond Routine - Raising the Bar in Eqine Dentistry' - an evening of talks, Q&As and light refreshments in Lyndhurst, Hampshire - we have opened the event to more tickets so if you're local to the New Forest area we'd love to see you there!

Then we have a full Seminar Day! A full day of lectures, live demonstrations, a dissection of the horse's head, and practical sessions exploring all aspects of equine dental health.

This educational seminar day is designed for horse owners, coaches, and veterinary paraprofessionals or anyone who wants to deepen their understanding of how dental health affects performance, welfare, and longevity in the horse.

Links for the above and all the events in our bio!

11/11/2025

So lovely to see this chap today - 2 supernumerary maxillary cheek teeth extractions, transnasal sinus lavage (to evacuate food from his sinus via 2 orosinus fistulae), fistula closure, and 1 infundibular restoration later - and he smells sweet, and is bright and happy - a most rewarding case!

05/11/2025

“Periodontal disease – the scourge of the horse.”
(Collier, 1903)

Periodontal (gum) disease occurs when food becomes trapped between the teeth — in what’s known as a diastema (an abnormal gap). It’s a painful and debilitating condition that often goes unrecognised until it’s very advanced, and is one of the most common reasons horses start “quidding” or dropping food.

By the time quidding is noticed, the disease is usually severe – and often affects both sides of the mouth.

At we see and treat many cases of diastema and periodontal disease, particularly through the winter months. Now is an excellent time to have your horse’s mouth thoroughly checked. An oroscopic examination under sedation is the ideal way to ensure problems like this aren’t developing.

How do we treat it?
Treatment always begins with good sedation and a detailed oroscopic camera examination. All food material and debris are carefully removed, followed by gentle remedial odontoplasty and, where appropriate, partial occlusal widening between the teeth - not full deep widening but smaller, precise adjustments which can make a dramatic difference – as shown here in our before-and-after images.

If your horse shows any signs of discomfort, or you’d simply like peace of mind before winter, book a thorough dental examination under sedation – your horse will thank you for it.

👉Want to learn more? Check out our owner Education Events by following the link in the comments below

03/11/2025

📰 New article from Horses Inside Out featuring EDC!
Our specialist Dr Chris Pearce has written the latest in a series of articles for Gillian Higgins’ Horses Inside Out, answering common questions from horse owners about equine dentistry.

In this piece, Chris explains the different categories of equine dental care providers and how owners can choose the right professional for their horse.

👉 Read the full article via the link in the comments below.

01/11/2025

🦷 EDC Client Education Series - Autumn / winter 2025-6

Join the Equine Dental Clinic team for our 2025–26 series of client evenings, practical demonstrations, and educational events — perfect for horse owners, riders, coaches and equine dental technicians to explore the science, skill, and innovation behind modern equine veterinary dentistry.

From evening educational talks, a full day Seminar, live demoinstrations to national events in partnership with the British Horse Society (BHS) and Horses Inside Out, our specialists share knowledge, the latest research, and hands-on techniques that go beyond the every day routine of dentistry.

Places are limited so registration is essential! (links below)

🦷 Sessions include:

📅 24th November 2025 - Client evening - 'Beyond Routine - Raising the Bar in Equine Dentistry'.
Lyndhurst Community Centre, Hampshire
👉Register here -> https://bit.ly/3JBoRdn

📅27th November 2025 - BHS 'No Pain Check Again' online webinar
👉Register here -> https://bit.ly/4371Nd3

📅29th November 2025 - EDC Client Seminar Day - A full day of talks, demonstrations, head dissection and discussions!
👉Register here -> https://bit.ly/EDCSeminarDay

More to follow!
🦷Equine Dentistry Talks and Live Demonstrations - Kingston Mauward College, Dorchester - Wilton RDA, Salisbury - Hicks Equestrian and others!

✨ Whether you’re a horse owner, vet, or EDT, our events offer a unique chance to learn directly from the world’s leading equine dental specialists.

👉 Follow us for event updates and to reserve your space when bookings open.

📸 See highlights and behind-the-scenes clips from our recent sessions in Stories.