TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

In addition to the proposed changes made by "Equine Dental Technicians"- that I signed and support. I would like to add a few that we left out in that comment.

 Wolf Teeth Removal

The current law states that a veterinarian must be present when caps (deciduous teeth) and wolf teeth are removed. The routine extraction of wolf teeth is a very simple procedure that often times takes less than 5 minutes. In rare instances the palatine artery can be struck, even by properly trained professional, causing profuse bleeding. Due to the location of these teeth, the bleeding can easily be stopped by simply applying pressure. Trained professionals know this, and are capable of doing so. If veterinary assistance were needed, then the owner's veterinarian could be called out. Arizona state law simply requires indirect supervision for all dental procedures meaning that a veterinarian needs to be available by phone when dentistry is to be performed.

Cheek Teeth Removal

Many veterinarians employ dental technicians to do the "more difficult extractions" that would previously have been sent to a referal clinic  to be removed under general anesthesia. Young horses with diseased cheek teeth have historically had to undergo serious surgeries with months of recovery. With proper education and training dental technicians can now remove many of these teeth using standing sedation (*administered or prescribed by a veterinarian). This allows the horse for a quicker recovery with out the dangerous complications associated with general anesthesia.

It is logical to require that a veterinarian be present for these more difficult extractions as they often involve nerve blocks, and after care such as antibiotics that the veterinarian would need to prescribe. However, since many veterinarians do not even offer such services or even own the equipment it is unreasonable to take this out of our scope of practice.

I beleive that horse owners should have the right to employ dental technicians to practice equine dentistry in its full scope, just as they are able to employ farriers.

Thank you,

Meredith Barlow, EqDT