Equine Dentistry - Should I Use A Lay Floater?

Spring is a common time for equine owners to have their horse’s teeth floated. In recent years, lay dentists have become increasingly popular. These are people who may or may not have some education in equine dentistry, and will perform floats on horses, commonly without sedation. Many horse owners choose to use lay dentists because of lower costs and the fact that they don’t want their horses sedated, among other reasons. Although it may seem self-serving, we recommend all horses receive dental care from a veterinarian.

“With education in anatomy, anesthesia, pain management, and other medical disciplines, a veterinarian is the best-equipped person to provide medical care to your horse.”

Lay dentists have variable education in equine dentistry. They do not have to be licensed, and therefore are not held to any consistent standards. By contrast, all veterinarians must be licensed and are held to state and national standards. All veterinarians have at least basic training in dentistry, with some (Dr. Kolar included) pursuing additional education in it. Combine this with a veterinarian’s education in anatomy, anesthesia, pain management, and other medical disciplines, and you can understand why a veterinarian is the best-equipped person to provide medical care to your horse.

Some lay dentists will use sedation for their floats. We must remind everyone that it is illegal for a lay person to sedate any horse but their own, especially if they are receiving compensation for doing so. This also presents a huge risk. If a horse has a reaction to sedation, the lay dentist is unequipped to help. If any adverse effects occur during the procedure due to error on the part of the lay dentist, the owner cannot hold them accountable since they are not governed by any licensing body.

We know there are many additional misconceptions about having your horse’s teeth floated by a veterinarian vs lay dentist. We’d like to address the ones we see and hear most commonly:

“Using a powerfloat causes damage to the teeth”

Yes, we use a powerfloat instead of hand tools, and yes it can cause damage to the teeth if used inappropriately. It is possible to take too much tooth off at one time with a powerfloat, and it is possible to overheat the tooth and injure the pulp cavity. Both of these can cause long-term damage to a tooth. We use a lot of water while floating to cool the powerfloat and teeth. We also never remove more than 3mm off a tooth in a single float, and only keep the float on a tooth for a few seconds at a time. These methods are recommended by board certified equine dentists, and we use them with great results.

“Veterinarians are more expensive and you get the same result”

In short, you are not getting equal value in services between a veterinarian and lay dentist. You are paying for your veterinarian’s extensive education and knowledge, their legal ability to sedate and provide multiple methods of pain management, and a more thorough exam (due to sedation and better equipment). Once again, no one is better equipped to provide medical care to your horse than your veterinarian. You can also create better value for a float appointment with your veterinarian by having them perform other routine care: vaccines, deworming, sheath cleaning, coggins, health certificates, and more can all be performed in the same appointment and save you gas mileage or outcall fees later on.

“Veterinarians over-float teeth”

We won’t speak for all veterinarians, but any veterinarian that has graduated within the last decade (and likely longer ago than that) has been taught to only take as needed. There was a time when some horse owners and veterinarians thought that a tooth had to be ground completely smooth on all sides in order for it to be floated well. We know now that this isn’t true. As stated above, we take multiple precautions to only float what’s needed and minimize any potential damage to the teeth.

At South Peak Veterinary Services, we pride ourselves on thorough, high-quality equine dental care. We are always happy to answer any questions you might have about dental care for your horse!

The article “Equine Dental Care - Should I Use a Lay Dentist?” first appeared in our Spring 2023 Newsletter.