Dentistry: Routine and Advanced

Dentistry: Routine and Advanced

     Dr. Robert Baratt is a founding diplomate of the American Veterinary Dental College, equine specialty. As an equine dentistry specialist, he is fully equipped to provide all routine and advanced dentistry and maxillofacial procedures to the clients of the Salem Valley Veterinary Clinic, and to those horse owners from around New England that are referred by other equine practitioners.

Why use a veterinary dentist? The veterinarian, unlike non-professional tooth floaters, is trained, licensed and insured to diagnose and treat diseases affecting the oral cavity and the head. This requires the knowledge of all aspects of veterinary medicine, as symptoms related to the mouth can be seen in diseases as varied as rabies, cancer, traumatic injury and botulism.  A comprehensive oral health assessment can only be performed in the sedated patient, with a full mouth speculum and equipment that allows visual inspection of all aspects of every tooth. An oral endoscope has largely replaced the dental mirror. This instrument provides real-time video display of the exam, which can be recorded as video or in still image captures. This, in combination with exquisite digital radiography, provides the best diagnosis of dental and maxillofacial disease possible short of a computed tomography (CT) scan.

     The annual oral examination for most horses will be “normal,” with the only treatment recommended being the reduction of sharp enamel points (floating) on the cheek teeth. However, this exam may also detect dental pathology in its early stages where it can be managed without requiring cheek tooth extraction.

     The incidence of dental problems in the horse is highest between the ages of 3 and 8, and in geriatric horses (over 20). In the younger horses, abnormal eruption of permanent teeth and tooth root abscess are the more significant problems. In geriatric horses, periodontal disease is the most common pathology.


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