Wichita eagle., 1888-03-09
EQUINE DENTISTRY
GETTING TO BE A PART or THE
VETERINARIANS BUSINESS.
New Case of Instruments-Curing Dis
agreeable Habits of Horses by Attend
ing to Their Teeth-Eemsrds of Inter-
est to Horse Owners.

"What is IT." was the question put to Dr.
T. L. Armstrong, the veterinary surgeon, as
he opened up large leathern case of formid-
able appearance, exhibiting a number Of
mammoth surgical forceps and other instru-
ments suggestive OF dental surgery on a
grandly expanded scale.
There were excising forceps Of several
forms, extracting forceps, artery and bone
forceps, saws, reamers, spoons and other par
epkernalia that quite set the teeth Of the
spectators on edge.
''Its new case of dental Instruments I
have just received, !" said the doctor, 'for use
on horses. Veterinary dentistry is getting
to be q part Of the business of the educated
veterinarian, and very important one, too.
Veterinary dentistry is IN act Of humanity.
1t not only relieves suffering, but produces a
fine driving animal and healthy horse, fire.
quently prolcnging life and usefulness five
years or more.
There are very few horses, young or old,
but have more or less sharp edges or projec-
tions upon their molars. These sharp points
facerate the mouth, and the horse tries in
one way or another 70 relieve himself Some
jerk and toss the head, drool or sIobber;
others start suddenly, drive sideways, shy,
A defective mouth is often the cause OF seri-
Gus trouble, rendering a horse intractable
and vicious that otherwise would be pleas
ant driver.
EXPERIENCE AS EORSE DENTIST.
81 practiced dentistry on human subjects
for several years. and for that reason the
field Of horse dentistry was one thet l en-
tered easily and naturally. Here" con-
tinued D.. Armstrong, showing Tearners and
q trephine, ''are some beautiful instruments.
l used both Of these yesterday CT q horse that
had broken skull, removing one piece of
bone an inch wide and IN inch and half
long, besides several smaller pieces. The
horse VIII get well ana be q good animal
There are no instruments for filing, but l
have filed teeth for race horse"
Gold filling" inquired q listener. "Oh,
no." said the doctor; ''gutta percha stopping.
It made him good horse, and he was worth
less with bad teeth. Horses stand all these
dental operations nicely. 1t is no trouble for
an operator who understands his business TO
keep their mouths open"
Can you tell without examination whether
horse has b1d teeth or notE'
Certainly. The moment see horse go
by can tell whether his teeth hurt him |
see hundreds Of horses on the street here that
are suffering with laceraoed jaws and cut
tongues. Every turn on the bit gives such
an animal pain. went 10 Putnam county
a short time ago and found n valuable horse
starving to death. The animal, upon exam
inatiou, proved to have e tooth that was de-
c2yed and had split. One half buried itself
in the tongue and the other half forced its
way through the jaw. / extracted it and the
horse is now sound and fat. There are many
similar cases. People, IS rule, are ready to
call q veterinary surgeon for sick horse but
they seldom think of the horses teeth, which
are in many cases the sole trouble Of their
being thin and unthrifty.
Horses having diseased teeth are hard TO
keep in condition, and if poor it is impossible
TO fatten them. Moro horses are blind from
irregular. diseased and sharp edged molars
than from any and all other causes. Opera
tons made in time will save sucn animals.
The removal Of rough edges from the teeth
levels the mouth ard enables the horse to
maSticate his food properly. Many diseases
can be cured and disal;reeable habits over
come by horse dentistry - Indianapolis
Journal