Equi-Dent Ltd

24/03/2025

Good visual as long as you don't mind disection.

21/03/2025

Yep see it all the time. Even when owners think they have had good dental care!

25/02/2025

Quality dentistry pays for itself self!

21/02/2025

Autumn dental road trip dates. Sorry if I have confused anybody with dates. These are the official dates and I'm taking bookings now. Please PM or txt details. NOT on these posts as they are hard to keep track of.
West Coast 31st March - 4th April
Blenheim/ Nelson/ Reefton 5th May - 9th May starting with Blenheim
Ph 021378436
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11/02/2025

Feeling lucky to be in a position to take this beautiful photo of my place of work today. I'm in Kaikoura after rounding a bend just north of Amberley to face an arctic truck heading straight at me, in my lane whilst over taking a tractor between two bends where there was definitely not enough room to do so!

08/02/2025

Good article. There are studies being done on this painful disease which is diagnosed through xrays but the only reliable cure presently is extraction and until that point occlusal adjustment is important.

EOTRH stands for Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis. 🦷

This is a painful and progressive condition that predominantly affects horses aged 15 years and older. It mainly affects the incisors and occasionally the canine teeth, but there has been some very rare cases of affected molar teeth.

The condition involves two primary processes:

Resorption: this is where the calcified dental tissue starts to break down by the horse’s own odontoclast cells reabsorbing the dental structures. This process is believed to be immune-mediated.

Hypercementosis: this is the development of excess cementum which occurs as the dental structures are reabsorbed. The body compensates by over producing cementum in an attempt to stabilise the tooth. This results in bulbous or club-like shapes forming at the apex of the tooth.

The presentation of EOTRH can vary greatly between horses. Some horses exhibit more dominant with hypercementosis, others are more dominant with resorption.
The disease may progress rapidly in some cases but slowly in others.

Due to its progressive nature, early clinical signs may be subtle or go unnoticed until the disease reaches an advanced stage.

Common symptoms include:
•Tartar buildup due to reluctance to use the incisors
•Bulbous dental structures beneath the gumline (caused by hypercementosis)
•Diastemata (gaps between teeth), leading to food entrapment, gingival recession, and periodontal disease
•Red, inflamed gums with draining tracts due to infection
•Loose, fractured, or missing teeth
•Halitosis

Affected horses often struggle to bite into carrots or pull hay from a haynet. Some may develop headshaking, and severe cases can lead to weight loss.

Diagnosis of EOTRH is confirmed through X-rays, which will reveal the extent of resorption and hypercementosis. Currently, the only effective treatment is the extraction of affected teeth by a vet. Each case requires an individualised approach depending on the severity of the disease. Horses adapt very well following extraction, and their improvement highlights the level of pain they were experiencing before treatment.

The cause of EOTRH remains unknown, current studies are exploring periodontal ligament strains, bacterial causes, occlusal pressures, and genetics, however it’s likely to be multi factorial. As our understanding of the disease grows with ongoing research we hope to develop more effective management strategies.

Regular incisor checks are super important to identify signs of EOTRH early. If you suspect EOTRH, consult your EDT or Vet, early intervention can help minimise discomfort for your horse!

03/02/2025

I am available for dentals in Kaikoura on Wed 14th Feb, working at the vet clinic. Please PM or txt 021378436 asap for appointments.

31/01/2025

I purchased this state of the art instrument whilst at the Academy Of Equine Dentistry in Novemeber. It is turning out to be a game changer in my dental instrument repertoire. I would suspect it is the only one currently in NZ.

25/01/2025

In November I returned to the Academy Of Equine Dentistry (AED) in Idaho, USA for continuing education making sure I am up to date with current technique and knowledge to provide the best for our horses here in NZ. This keeps me in good standing with the International Association of Equine Dentistry (IAED) which examines practitioners to a standard you know your horses are getting good dentistry.
Anybody can access the list of current practitioners on the IAED website 🙂

18/01/2025

Too true..I see many posts where people are asking for help for various problems, bahavioural and physical and believe it can't be dentally related as they have recently 'had their horses teeth done'.
There is also another group of horses that appear to show no outward problems, they just quietly grin and bear their unbalanced dentition and other dental issues until it becomes a major problem or may be their owner decides to use a practitoner who understands the biomechanics of the mouth, uses sedation and has the instrumentation and experience to set the dentition onto a better path of recovery. After which the owner usually sees positive changes in their horse. The changes could be physical, behavioural, or a combination of both.

ALL EQUINE DENTISTRY IS NOT EQUAL!!
Here is a fairly common case scenario. This horse "just had his teeth done", but was still spooky and refusing to go forward under saddle. I scanned his body, and he was reactive almost everywhere, but especially at the indicator points for TMJ-myofascial pain. A quick glance at his incisors showed a shift in the jaw to the right, so I discussed with his owner that better dentistry could help.
The hand floater had removed some sharp enamel points (not all), and basically done no other work, leaving giant hooks on the first upper cheek teeth. I also corrected excessive transverse ridging, reduced lower ramps, and worked on the table angles, ultimately restoring jaw motion forward-back and side-side (this was completely locked going the the L before work).

If you are using a hand floater because you think it saves you money, it is going to cost you more in the long run. More body issues/behavior problems/turnover of horses to compete in your chosen sport, more vet bills to treat compensatory lameness from TMJ pain, more feed to maintain your horse's condition, more senior feeding when your horse's teeth wear out prematurely!

Now to make it even more confusing, having your vet perform dentistry is also not a sure way of knowing that it was correct. However, there is an international equine dental group (International Association of Equine Dentistry) that holds practitioners to a higher standard. You can search for IAED members through their director

13/01/2025

So cute!

13/01/2025

Somebody from Kaikoura left me a ph message re a dental for their horse on Friday whilst I was out of cell service last week. I have listened to it but unfortunately cannot make out whose name it is and no number is available.
Please call or message again if you havent heard from me 🙂

28/12/2024

This is an old clip but what a marvelous thing to offer.

19/12/2024

So you think your horse's teeth are fine because he/she stands quietly for a dental without sedation and nothing was said about any problems by the practitoner. Or may be your horse is telling you that it has problems but you dismiss the source as being teeth because your horse has had a recent dental. May be you've even used a couple of practioners in close succession so you are sure it's not teeth. The fact is; unfortunately there is a high chance that the problem could still be a dental one.