Jacksonville Equine is your source for equine dental care in Jacksonville, FL. An equine veterinarian in Jacksonville can provide comprehensive equine dental exams and can help you identify and treat any health conditions that may be affecting your horse's teeth.

Routine dental care is an important part of keeping your horse healthy, comfortable, and performing at their best. Because horses' teeth continually erupt throughout much of their lives, normal chewing and wear can create sharp points and other abnormalities that require veterinary attention.

Jacksonville Equine Associates provides comprehensive equine dental examinations, power floating, dental radiographs, and treatment of dental disease both in the field and at our Green Cove Springs clinic.

Why Do Horses Need Routine Dental Care?

A horse's teeth are designed to grind forage for many hours each day. Over time, uneven wear can create sharp enamel points, hooks, excessive ridges, and other abnormalities that may interfere with comfortable chewing. Dental problems can also develop below the gumline where they aren't immediately visible. Routine veterinary dental examinations allow us to identify problems early and address them before they begin affecting your horse's comfort, weight, or performance.

Signs Your Horse May Have a Dental Problem

Some horses show obvious signs of dental discomfort, while others continue eating despite significant dental disease.

Contact your veterinarian if you notice:

Dropping feed or partially chewed hay while eating
Difficulty chewing
Eating more slowly than usual
Weight loss or difficulty maintaining weight
Excessive salivation
Bad breath
Swelling of the face or jaw
Nasal discharge, particularly from one nostril
Undigested or unusually long pieces of forage in manure
Resistance to the bit, head tossing, or other changes while riding

However, the absence of symptoms does not necessarily mean your horse's mouth is healthy, which is why routine dental examinations are important.

How Often Should My Horse Have a Dental Exam?

Most adult horses should have a complete dental examination at least once a year. Some horses benefit from more frequent examinations, particularly young horses whose mouths are changing rapidly, senior horses, horses with previously diagnosed dental abnormalities, and horses experiencing difficulty eating or maintaining weight. Your veterinarian can recommend an examination schedule based on your horse's age, dental history, diet, and individual needs.

What Do We Look for During a Dental Exam?

A thorough dental examination allows our veterinarian to evaluate the teeth, gums, and other structures within your horse's mouth.

We may identify conditions including:

Sharp enamel points
Hooks, ramps, or abnormal tooth wear
Periodontal disease
Feed packing between teeth
Oral ulcers or soft-tissue injuries
Loose or fractured teeth
Diseased or infected teeth
Missing teeth
Abnormal tooth alignment
Problems associated with aging teeth
Wolf teeth or retained deciduous teeth in younger horses

When abnormalities are identified, our veterinarians can discuss appropriate treatment and follow-up care.

Equine Teeth Floating.

Floating is the process of reducing sharp or excessive areas of a horse's teeth to create a more comfortable and functional chewing surface. Jacksonville Equine Associates utilizes power dental equipment when appropriate, allowing our veterinarians to precisely address dental abnormalities while preserving healthy tooth structure.

A complete oral examination is an important part of the procedure so that problems beyond sharp enamel points are not overlooked.

Dental Radiographs & Advanced Evaluation

Not every dental problem can be diagnosed by looking inside the mouth. When necessary, digital radiographs (X-rays) can help our veterinarians evaluate the tooth roots, surrounding bone, sinuses, and other structures that cannot be fully assessed during a visual examination. Radiographs can be particularly useful when investigating fractured or diseased teeth, facial swelling, draining tracts, suspected tooth-root infections, or certain cases of nasal discharge.

Equine Tooth Extractions

When a tooth is severely diseased, fractured, infected, loose, or causing significant discomfort, extraction may be recommended. Our veterinarians can evaluate the affected tooth and determine the appropriate treatment plan. Depending on the location and complexity of the tooth, some cases may require additional imaging or referral for more advanced treatment.

Dental Care for Donkeys & Other Patients

Donkeys and mules require routine dental care just as horses do, and their dental needs can sometimes go unnoticed until disease has become advanced. Jacksonville Equine Associates also evaluates dental concerns in the other large-animal and small-ruminant species we treat when appropriate. Because dental anatomy and common dental conditions vary significantly between species, recommendations are made based on the individual animal.

Equine Dental Care in Northeast Florida & Southeast Georgia

Jacksonville Equine Associates provides equine dental services throughout our ambulatory service area in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia, as well as at our Green Cove Springs haul-in clinic.

Routine dental appointments can include a comprehensive oral examination and teeth floating when indicated. Additional diagnostics and treatment can be performed when dental disease is identified.

To schedule a dental examination or teeth floating appointment, contact Jacksonville Equine Associates at (904) 387-3330.