Vets vs dentists

[Trevor Jones <t.o.jones@sympatico.ca>]

Hi all,
    Well it's way too cold to ride -30C, it has been for the last 2
weeks. So I decided its time to see what else I can do to get ready for
the nicer weather. I was hanging over the stall door watching D'Argo eat
and realized all was not as it should be. She wasn't dropping her mash
but sounded like a garberator that was working intermittently. After she
had finished I stuck my fingers in her mouth to feel for points, nothing
sharp or unusual, I then checked her bite from the front. So I realized
there was a problem her front teeth didn't meet as they should have her
lower teeth have quite a large cresent shape worn across the 2 central
teeth. She had an allergic reaction to the grass or something on the
grass last year and could not be kept on pasture ( she bloated as tight
as a drum and her respiration was at 60/min, after each exposure it
would take two weeks to return to normal)
     Anyway, I realized it was time to get teeth floated, I checked
around the barn to see else would like their horses done, also to get
recommendations on who to get. I had seen the local vet in action, with
the mini side grinder, I had some doubt as to the efficacy of the
grinder to produce a level plane, I think it would be great for knocking
off points but since the working surface of the disc looks to be smaller
or the same as the width of the teeth how consistent are the results?
     In the area where I live we have several equine dentists, I have
heard nothing but good things about their level of training, horse
handling abilities and skill. They have taken their training courses in
The States, as opposed to the average graduating vet, who gets about 3
hours of dental training in a 4 year course. I worked at a Vet clinic in
Sask. both the vets there took a week long upgrade course on dentistry.
I would have no qualms about either of them floating my horses teeth.
However, where I am now, in Alberta what I have seen does not build
confidence.
     The major problem arises in the fact that the dentists cannot
sedate horses to do the work and the vets refuse to sedate a horse and
then stand back and watch a dentist do the work. They must have better
things to do with their time. As one vet said " If I have to come there
to sedate the horse and stay 'til it's recovered I might as well do the
work". He missed the point entirely.
     I may be able to get some Ace or Atravet, Ihave heard that they may
not do much depending on the horse
     Any insights or experiences would be helpful! D'Argo has always
been sedated for floating as a matter of course.

Nancy