Journey’s visit with the dentist

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On the recommendation of the chiropractor, Journey saw the equine dentist last week.  Ron Johnson, CEqD, spent two hours working on her teeth and jaw, and explaining how a horse’s mouth works.  Journey had TMJ and ATR, which were affecting her eating, reining, and balance.  He told me that the nerves in a horse’s teeth run to the part of their brain that controls balance, and showed me a mock-up of the way it works. 

Journey’s plates got leveled, her bit seat got smoothed, her teeth got floated, her jaw got balanced, and it turns out she’s five years old instead of four. :)  Ron told me the order and age(s) in which a horse’s teeth appear, and said that at five years old, Journey’s head and teeth are set for adulthood.  She should be “good to go” until next year, when she gets her teeth floated.

All in all, it was a fascinating experience for both of us.  Ron was super-careful with Journey — he went slowly, waited until she was calm before moving to the next thing, and was sure to loosen the speculum to let her jaw rest every few minutes.  He gave her plenty of time to get used to the contraption in which she had to stand, was gentle with the injection of “happy drugs”, and was soothing in his manner.  I’d recommend him to other horse owners any day.

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