Oral Surgery

Diseased teeth can cause pain, swelling, periodontal infections, serious sinus infections, and draining tracts. From simple wolf tooth extractions to advanced, minimally invasive techniques, we offer the latest procedures with the wisdom of experience. In addition to routine oral extractions, Garden State Equine Veterinary Dentistry is excited to offer the following advanced extraction techniques. These procedures reduce the need for more invasive surgical techniques. If your horse is referred for oral surgery, see our surgery scheduling information. 

Routine Oral Extractions

Routine oral extractions are performed in our clinic with the horse standing in a set of stocks, sedated, and with regional and local anesthesia. We have a wide array of instruments and techniques to facilitate the removal of teeth while keeping your horse as pain-free and stress-free as possible. Click on the buttons below to review case studies from a routine maxillary cheek tooth extraction and a routine mandibular cheek tooth extraction.

Temporary Restorations

This technique is used in cheek teeth with certain types of fractures and advanced infundibular caries (cavities). A restoration material is placed in the defect preventing the tooth from fracturing further during extraction.

Minimally Invasive Transbuccal Extraction

This technique is used for cheek teeth where the clinical crown is fractured and there is no longer sufficient clinical crown to grab onto. This procedure involves making a small incision in the cheek as a portal. Through this portal, we drill, tap, and thread a pin in the affected tooth. A percussive device is used to extract the tooth. The tooth is removed from the pin in the oral cavity, tooth extracted from the oral cavity, and the instrument portal closed. 

Partial Coronectomy

Especially in large, young horse cheek teeth, it can be difficult to extract due to the interlock of the cheek teeth in the tight spaces between teeth. With partial coronectomy, a sliver of tooth is removed on the distal or mesial (front or back) side of the tooth being extracted. Once this sliver of tooth is removed, it there is more room to move the tooth in the socket, facilitating extraction. Click on the button below to review a case study for a 209 that was extracted via partial coronectomy. 

Cheek Tooth Sectioning

This is used for teeth with dilacerated (curved) roots or cementomas. A long burr on a water cooled device is used to cut a two or three rooted tooth into sections that can be removed. Click on the button below to review a case study for a 209 that was extracted via cheek tooth sectioning.​

Surgical Cheek Tooth Extractions

Rarely, we are unable to extract a tooth using the above described techniques and an open (surgical) approach to the tooth is needed. The approach and technique needed to extract the tooth will be discussed with the owner or trainer.