McCarthy Equine Dentistry
McCarthy Equine Dentistry Services
At McCarthy Equine Dentistry, we pride ourselves on offering the highest quality services personalized to your horse's unique needs. Every horse is an individual and needs to be approached as such.
Sean McCarthy is certified as an EqDT and he has attended Equine Dental Conferences and Classes in Texas (three times), Oklahoma (twice), Pennsylvania, Florida, and Massachusetts, just to name a few. As with anything in the medical field, research is constantly being performed and technology is continuing to improve. McCarthy Equine Dentistry offers state of the art equipment and the knowledge to provide your horse top quality dental care at affordable rates.
Please note, every state Sean McCarthy practices in has different laws regarding what they will legally allow Equine Dental Technicians to perform. Sean follows these laws completely and WILL NOT jeopardize his ability to work in these states by performing illegal procedures. Depending on the state, this may include removal of wolf teeth, using motorized equipment, and removing dead or decaying teeth. This page lists prices Mr. McCarthy charges for these services. If your state requires a Veterinarian to be present for these services, you will be required to have a Veterinary present for the procedure.
Exam $20
January 1, 2016, there will now be a $20 fee for exams. This is a full exam that includes use of the speculum and review of each tooth in the horse's mouth. If the horse does not require a float, there are no other fees and Sean will advise if he would like to follow up with the horse in six months or 1 year depending on the horse's age, health, and findings. If the horse does require a float, then the exam fee is waived. Please see below for prices on floats.
Routine Float:
As of July 1, 2023, all horses will be $100/each for 1-3 or $90/each for 4 or more floated at the same time.
There is NO FARM CALL on top of these prices. What you see is what you pay!
A routine float is where the sharp points are removed and the mouth is completely balanced. It allows the horse to chew more effectively, reduces dropped and wasted feed, and helps increase weight on older horses and those that are "hard keepers". For riding horses, bit seats are offered at no additional charge. There are also no additional charges for reductions of waves, ramps, hooks, or other occlusion abnormalities. Even if the horse requires an extensive amount of work, you will not see it added to your bill. We believe this is part of balancing the mouth and should be performed during every float. We realize this goes against the business model of many EqDT's who charge additional fees for these reductions. That is not how we conduct our business and you can rest assured you know what your fee will be before Sean even starts his work.
Wolf Tooth Extraction $10 Per Tooth
Many horses are born with wolf teeth. Sometimes, but not always, these teeth can cause the horse pain when it has a bit in its mouth. These teeth are small and usually come out easily. On occasion, a horse may have blind wolf teeth which means the teeth do not erupt normally. They can not be seen, but can be felt under the gum. Depending on your horse's location, some states require a Veterinarian to be present for this procedure. We try to work with clients and arrange for Sean to be there while the Veterinarian is there for routine care such as shots and coggins tests.
Molar and Incisor Extraction $100 Per Tooth
Through age and injury, sometimes teeth begin to die and decay. This can lead to infections and abscesses. As a last resort, these teeth are pulled. Although rare, complications can arise from these extractions, so we only perform this service with the presence of a veterinarian.
Removal of Caps and Fragments $10 Each
Young horses shed their baby teeth to make way for permanent teeth. As the permanent teeth erupt and push through the gums, many times, the baby teeth do not fully come out and this can create caps. Although not painful, caps can prevent the permanent teeth from growing properly and can lead to complications down the road. Removing the caps is a quick and painless procedure and can greatly improve dental health in young horses.
We often get asked how Sean is able to perform a complete power float on an unsedated horse. Enclosed is a video of an off the track Thoroughbred receiving a power float with no sedation. Sean only uses Dearson motorized equipment (https://www.dearsonvet.com/), which we feel is one of the safest unit available on the market. The unit is designed with the horse's safety in mind. Gone are the days of worrying about removing too much tooth if the horse were to move or bite down on the equipment. With numerous safety features, you can turn this unit on high and lay the disk directly on your skin. Sean demonstrates this to all of his clients before ever using it on their horse. It is relatively quiet with very little vibration and most horses tolerate it well. Different states have different laws regarding the use of motorized equipment and you can rest assured Sean stays well within the laws of every state he performs work in. **Please note, this was not the entire float, but just a short video demonstrating the use of this unit on an unsedated horse. The entire float took longer than what is being shown.** Please contact us directly if you have any further questions.
Sean helping a student at the American School of Equine Dentistry where he serves as an instructor. The ASED is the oldest Equine Dentistry school in the United States and is attended by students from all over the world.
