L7 Equine Dentistry LLC

04/02/2025

The IAED conference 2025 was held in Orlando, FL. Many might be surprised to know that roughly 10% of the attendees were DVMs who are either experts in equine dentistry, are involved in research involving the equine mouth, or they wish to learn more about dentistry to improve their own practices! Several of those DVMs are certified with multiple dental associations between the USA and Europe.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CzZPzNryD/?mibextid=wwXIfr

03/02/2025

Here’s an interesting article that discusses issues the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) is concerned about in 2025. These are our horse vets.

Notable points are:
1-Their acknowledgement of the “challenges posed by lay practitioners” (this is what I am). —third paragraph.

2-Their acknowledgement of Colorado’s creation of a mid-level practitioner and how, soon, there may be more veterinarians “than client demand can absorb” —4th paragraph.

Here are my thoughts on this and some, even in my industry, don’t want to hear my version of the truth. First, lay-practitioners have been created due to both the lack of education within veterinary medicine AND a resulting rise in consumer demand. If veterinarians could perform dentistry, corrective shoeing, body work, alternative therapies, and non traditional modalities, THE PUBLIC WOULD USE THEM if they provided those services at a value price. The veterinary lobby refuses to accept that lay-practice and mid level licensing are here to stay. Instead of wasting resources to oppose it, wouldn’t it make more sense to embrace it? The AAEP is wearing thin on the patience of the American horse industry. A recent poll among lay-dental practitioners showed that our industry works on roughly 30% of the domestic horse population in the USA. That is NOT an insignificant statistic. This is by decision and the request of horse owners, and our group is growing rapidly. It’s not that vet school isn’t thoroughly educational to its students, but that it cannot teach everything required to be an expert for the whole animal. Why does human medicine have such a diverse list of medical licenses?

Second, the AAEP, as far as I can tell, does not support independent mid-level medical practitioners. If those licenses start to exist, wouldn’t it make sense that those educated professionals not be subject to direct supervision of a DVM, exactly like a veterinary technician? If you believe mid-level licensing needs direct supervision from someone who is more “educated”, do you live in a state where Nurse Practitioners and Physicians Assistants have full diagnostic and prescriptive authority? Because I do! Legislators nationwide are growing tired of veterinary associations whining about how they need to maintain their medical monopoly. I’ve seen this with my own eyes in Utah where we succeeded in the state recognition of non-vet equine dentistry. The AVMA and the AAEP view our victory as a loss to them because they fiercely opposed our legislation.

Nobody asked me, but if they did, my argument would be that the AAEP is wasting valuable resources nationwide with their rhetoric and their full opposition to all-things non-vet. Beginning to accept these concepts would not hinder veterinary medicine but rather, it would move it forward with the rest of the world. Their fantasy of there soon being more horse vets “than what client demand can absorb” seems far fetched. The rising cost of vet school and the relatively low pay offered to fresh grads is not conducive to a thriving work environment. When a new plumber or electrician can make upwards of $100k why would anyone go to vet school (8 years total), just to graduate with over $300-$400k in student loans? Their annual salary is fully consumed by student loans and they lose their fresh-grad excitement within a few months.

Next, working with horses is rewarding, but unless you have somehow been gifted with “horse sense” it can be dreadful. Horsemanship can’t be taught in vet school. Many grads soon realize that dealing with a 1000 lb prey animal is too hard and they drift to castrating dogs and cats where a kick to the head won’t end a career. Once again, why doesn’t the vet lobby follow their human medicine counterparts in allowing and creating strict educational standards for mid-level and lay practitioners? If we all went to vet school, we’d all be taught the same exact things that are leaving gaping holes in the services the public requires.

In this episode, 2025 AAEP President Dr. Tracy Turner talked about what he hopes to achieve during his term.

02/02/2025

Another great IAED dental convention is in the books! This year roughly 10% of the attendees were VETERINARIANS who have a determination to learn new information and share their experiences with the dental family.



https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AAQATLR9e/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Did you know….

You don’t have to be an IAED member to attend our workshops or conference! Anyone with an interest in Equine Dentistry is welcome. We welcome students, veterinarians, dental providers and anyone who wants to be involved in any way. Don’t “do teeth”? No problem, our workshops have an auditor option

26/01/2025

More about wolf teeth! This is the time of year when young horses are getting their first dentals.

By now you all know about normal wolf teeth that exist on the upper bars. This little filly was lucky enough to have two normal, upper wolf teeth PLUS, a very close inspection of the lower bars showed two rice-grain-sized lower wolf teeth.

The lower right tooth could be seen easily. The lower left merely presented as a dimple in the gum tissue. I had to really look close to make sure there was a tooth there!

25/01/2025

I spy with my little eye….TWO very problematic wolf teeth. Do you see them both?

On the horse’s left side is a wolf tooth that has a normal presentation. You’ll notice how far forward it sits in the bars of the mouth. This tooth shares the space with the bit. Every time the bit receives contact from the rider, the bit touches that tooth. Notice how sharp that tooth looks. The cheek can also be pinched between the bit and that tooth, causing more discomfort.

Now for the second tooth. Do you see it yet? Anyone following this page for long enough will have seen previous discussions of blind wolf teeth. This is a tooth that never protrudes through the skin. They typically will lay horizontally on the bone instead of being in a socket like the tooth on the other side. In the horse’s right side you’ll see a bump right next to my finger. That bump is a blind wolf tooth.

Both teeth are problematic when a bit is introduced. Wolf tooth removal and usually very simple and is a normal part of proper dentistry.

07/01/2025

Before and after of a significant reduction of overgrown teeth.

Whether your horse is a high-level competitor or the pony your grandkids spoil, dental work is essential to horse health. Overgrown teeth like these affect how your horse chews and how he moves his head. Whether he’s worth $100,000 or $150, he deserves a healthy mouth with a regular dental checkup at least once per year.

30/12/2024

Ear infections, nurse practitioners, and equine dentistry.

About a week ago I started to feel a slight twinge of pain in my right ear canal. This developed into pus drainage, jaw stiffness, ear canal swelling, and more pain. I figured it would go away on its own, so I waited as many days as I could tolerate before making an appointment with a local insta-care. I met with a nurse practitioner who looked at my ears, asked me a few questions, and then sent me to the pharmacy to fill a prescription that he ordered.

Not too many years ago I would have had to see an MD in order to have the proper medication for my ear infection. Human medicine has changed so much that the American Medical Association has been forced to allow other licenses to have prescription authority.

The field of equine dentistry has advanced incredibly over the last 2 decades. The level of precision that many practitioners practice now requires good sedation. With a declining population of veterinarians nationwide, some might argue that animal medicine will soon be following its human counterpart. A limited prescription authority is needed by certified dental practitioners because there are more horses than there are vets who can care for them.

Nationwide the domestic equine population is estimated to be between 5 million and 9 million horses, donkeys, and mules. Industry data from the non-vet dental profession shows that we work on 20% to 40% of the total equine population. This is not an insignificant number.

This photo is my cat tossing dirt out of my flower pot. Enjoy!

25/12/2024

These lesions (shown by red arrows) are common in the Fall in the Rocky Mountain Region.

This is a common location where bot larva will be found before they are large enough to be swallowed into the stomach. When this location is active with larvae it may bleed slightly when the teeth are being floated.

In this mouth these lesions are healing which means there are no longer active bot larva found here. They have moved to the stomach. After a hard freeze in the Fall, the bot flies and eggs will die off. If you deworm your horse when the adult flies are still active or there are still eggs on your horse’s hair, his mouth will still be active with these larvae. In this case, now is the time to deworm this horse. If you dewormed before this point in the Fall you’ll need to do it again!

Bot larvae in the mouth does not indicate a lack of care. Horses housed indoors will not be exposed to bot flies. In my area, nearly all horses kept outdoors will see bot flies.

To learn more about bots and other internal parasites here’s a great link

https://animalrangeextension.montana.edu/equine/internal_parasites.html

22/12/2024

This horse went in to have a bony lump looked at on the side of his nasal bone. The radiography doesn’t show any diagnostic details of the lump but the vet couldn’t help but comment how impressive the chewing surfaces look.

Vet: your vet does amazing dental work. Look at how straight those chewing surfaces are!

Horse owner: (smiling) my “dentist” does great work. That’s why I travel an hour to his place every year for our dentals!

The only difference between good dental work and bad is….education!

12/12/2024

More dental practitioners are coming to my work area. Am I worried about competition reducing my business?

The simple answer is NO, and here is why. First, I was the first certified practitioner resident of Utah to legally work under the legislative change in 2019. I now am pushing towards 21 years in this field and my method of work provides the highest level of safety to myself, the horse, and the horse owner. Currently there are no other practitioners who work the way I do. With over 20 years improving and perfecting my craft, my customers come to me for my experience and education.

Second, I don’t discourage my customers from trying other practitioners. I have seen veterinarians and other dental professionals publish resentful comments or hateful posts when their customers use someone else. I view those actions as extremely unprofessional. We all enjoy a capitalistic market. Those who offer a superior service and who can add value to the transaction will succeed. Nearly every time one of my customers tries someone else for their dental work, they will come back to me and admit they feel much better about the work I provide, even though I’m not the least expensive. Additionally, there are so many horses in Utah that we can sustain many more high quality practitioners without stepping on each other’s toes.

I welcome competition in my profession. It makes us all better, it educates customers, and it elevates the entire horse world.

03/11/2024

Two things horse people despise: winter and mud.

Here’s a suggestion for your large dry lot pens. Instead of removing the manure, pile it up in the middle of the pen. Water runs off it so horses can have a high spot to get out of standing water and mud. It provides a soft bed for them to lay on that produces its own heat because composting material creates heat. On cold mornings you’ll see steam rising from these piles and my horses love them when it’s cold and wet!

15/10/2024

HORSE TRAINERS

Dentistry provided by someone who is actually educated in dentistry, not just in medicine, is a vital part of EVERY discipline. Let me explain.

Some dental problems cause chronic pain and discomfort. The act of living is painful in these cases. When you add eating and jaw movement from riding, the added pain would be unbearable to a human. Yet horses survive.

I recently worked on a horse who had just finished his time with a trainer who does not find value in good dentistry. I have spoken with this trainer before about incorporating dentistry in his program. He just can’t see the benefit. This particular horse had a dental problem that was constantly lacerating his tongue and upper palate. While the owners reported that the trainer did have success with the horse during training, imagine what that horse could have accomplished WITHOUT this persistent pain in his mouth!

Good dentistry provides optimal conditions for both rider safety and horse training. While most horses will not have severe dental problems, many of the “problem horses” that end up with a trainer will have dental issues.

By incorporating dentistry into your training program, you will advance your training possibilities. If you can intelligently articulate the long term benefit of dentistry to your customers, they will be happy to pay the additional money, up front, for their horse.

**Photo credit: my beautiful partner in life; my inspiration; my one-and-only; my love….and her mysterious horse!

21/09/2024

When a 34” mini walks in with problems eating…

This little horse had been with a vet 3 times over the last 6 months from problems with chewing feed. This vet often refers cases to me and this case was a bit of a mystery for him.

After rinsing the mouth we found the rear,bottom molars in both sides were split and packed with feed. Now, unless you’ve seen the inside of these small mouths, it’s hard to imagine the very limited space there is to work.

My equipment is built for a larger mouth. After a trip to the auto parts store and $25 worth of new tools, the teeth lifted out almost like that was the plan!

17/09/2024

Dental practitioners. If you are not making space in your equipment for intra-oral imaging, you need to consider it.

https://www.facebook.com/100054312319609/posts/1044237697396631/?

24/08/2024

Parking arrangements in my driveway for my haul-in customers.

It is a constant struggle with parking in my driveway. Most days in the week there are multiple rigs parked here. On a full day, there will always be somebody who parks on the edge of the road to unload horses, even when the entire driveway is empty. DRIVERS ON THIS HIGHWAY ARE THE WORST DRIVERS IN UTAH!!!! Parking and unloading on the edge of the road is very dangerous and absolutely unnecessary. With the speed limit is 55 mph many drivers view this as a mere suggestion.

The red line is the southern approach. The blue line is the northern approach. The green lines demonstrate the correct way to park in this massive driveway. There will rarely be more than two vehicles at one time but you can see how many rigs can actually fit.

DO park in a way that allows you to pull forward to leave the property.
DO wait your turn before unloading your horses.
DO pull completely off the road.

DO NOT try to pull around the north side of the house.
DO NOT back anywhere to park, this is absolutely unnecessary.
DO NOT hit my privacy fence. There is now a large boulder there and you will damage your trailer fender!! (I can’t believe I have to say this)
DO NOT back your horse trailer onto my concrete pad in front of my garage. It is a large area free of vehicles for a reason.

I understand that everyone comes with differing trailer towing skills. I have made this process as easy as possible and a tiny bit of trailer etiquette is necessary. Thank you, and I will be seeing many of you soon!

07/06/2024

The horse owner stated that her horse had something strange going on with her 5-year old gelding’s teeth. He is ridden in dressage and his upper canines were positioned very close to his cheek teeth and these canines interfered with the bit. Her veterinarian had noticed this issue a year ago (horse age 4) and had flattened the teeth down so they weren’t sharp.

Before I looked at this mouth I suspected the vet was incorrect. First, it is very rare that mature canine teeth will exist in a 4-year old horse. Second, we are in Utah and there are only a couple veterinarians who know anything about equine dentistry and neither of them are practicing much these days. Once I felt inside this mouth, I immediately knew we were dealing with large and forward-placed wolf teeth.

The horse owner was in disbelief until I showed her the un-erupted upper canine teeth that were located in the proper position. She had been using a rubber bit to ride this horse because a metal bit caused too many problems with those teeth. This problem was easily solved and this little horse will begin carrying a normal bit soon!

Proper dentistry involves a specific education. If you follow my page you’ll know my opinion on this. Even the most talented equine veterinarian may actually have zero education in dentistry because they don’t teach that in vet school. A vet school graduate will have to attend additional schooling to be educated in dentistry and most vets are not interested in that. Your best bet is to make sure that your dental practitioner is certified through the IAED, which requires an actual dental education before one can take the exam to become certified. Veterinarians and non-vets are welcome to attempt certification.

15/05/2024

Bilateral sheer mouth.

Typically, when a horse has a “sheer mouth”, or an excessively steep molar table angle, it will be on one side and not both. This lucky horse has it on both sides!

The cause of steep table surfaces like these is an improper chewing/grinding pattern. There is more up/down motion of the jaw than there is lateral motion. This could be due to injury or sickness that initially impact the ability to chew correctly and then the teeth will wear improperly. This horse is also prone to choking on his feed. Maybe he has a tough time swallowing improperly chewed feed?

The way to remedy a sheer angle is to be fairly aggressive on the long side of the teeth. Notice there is still textured surface near the roof of the mouth but the outer (lateral) half of the tooth surface has been reduced substantially. This allows a renewed freedom of movement side-to-side. I will see these horses every 6 months for 2 or 3 visits and these mouths generally clean up very well!