Equine Dentistry for Horse Owners

In many states it is against the law for anyone without a veterinary medical degree to treat your horse, even for routine tooth floating:

Caveat: Beware of lay dentists who work on horses' teeth, but aren't vets themselves. In many states it's illegal for non-veterinarians to perform equine dental procedures. In states that do permit trained dental technicians to work on horses, such individuals must work alongside a licensed vet. Check your state's regulations before choosing an equine dentist.

According to equine dentist Tom Allen, D.V.M, poor-quality horse dental care may result when using an illegal or "layman" who had not been to vet school:

Unfortunately many current veterinary practitioners were taught this less-detailed version of floating and are lagging behind many non-veterinary equine dental practitioners. In this situation, horse owners are too-often faced with attempting to acquire services from a non-veterinary practitioner and meet with some very unyielding obstacles.

For example, most states require a non-veterinary “lay dentist” to be under the direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian, but many veterinarians refuse to be present during the dental exam due to liability issues. Also, horse owners may have chosen an incompetent non-veterinary lay dentist.

Unfortunately, there is no certification program for equine dentistry available through professional veterinary organizations.

USA Miniature Horse is a non-profit web site dedicated to collecting useful information about miniature horses in the United States.