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Oral examinations are performed under sedation with a full mouth speculum in order to examine the entire oral cavity safely and thoroughly.  Not every horse needs to have his or her teeth floated every year; however, a yearly oral exam is recommended for early detection of common dental problems.

Dental prophylaxis (floating) is conducted with power tools under sedation.  Dr Tillotson has chosen this form over hand floating for the following reasons:

1. Efficiency-small guarded grinding wheel allows easy access to all parts of the mouth.
2. Effective-with minimal physical exertion, the dental arcades can be balanced with precision and the results of grinding can be evaluated during the procedure.
3. Gentle-the specialized drill grinds a specific area of the tooth thus avoiding soft tissue damage and bleeding from mouth than can often accompany hand floating.

Click here for a video demonstrating the power float method.