2015 Pan Pacific Veterinary Conference

To master the art and science of being a successful equine veterinarian, many skills need to be learnt and practiced daily. On top of this comes attitude, with a special emphasis on bed side manner. If you are not knowledgeable, enthusiastic, equipped and confident in equine dentistry, then you will find it a painful chore! If this is you, then you need to decide to either get better at it, or refer your dental cases – in the name of welfare and consumer protection. Not to mention that dentistry will not be valued by your staff, your clients, or you, and you will be doing no favours to your patients. Should you wish to get more rewards and enjoyment from equine dentistry, you need to consider the client’s question, “what’s in it for me?” There is a lot more than filing sharp points that you can easily offer the client at “a dental”, with little time or expense needed. If you embrace these concepts, then your equine dental practice will grow and prosper.