Laura gets teeth into life as a horse dentist

At the age of 25 she went back to school, spent thousands of pounds and travelled to the other side of the world just so she could study her unusual chosen profession - horse dentistry.

Now she is a fully fledged equine dental technician and has just started her own business, based in West Lothian. With only a handful of horse dentists in Scotland, Laura is prepared to travel the country to rid the horse world of sore teeth and ulcers.

In just a short space of time, she has saved a suffering Shetland pony from persistent toothache and witnessed the heartache of seeing horses being put down due to the state of their teeth.

Laura is determined to stop any other animal meeting the same fate, and now regularly travels around stables on the look-out for potential patients.

Laura, 26, from Kirknewton, said that more horse owners are becoming aware of their animals' dental hygiene. "It's becoming a bit more common knowledge, although a lot of people don't realise and put the problems down to temperament," she said. "They should be examined every six to 12 months because their teeth get sharp edges which can cause ulcers and stop them eating.

"I went to a Shetland pony in Longniddry who had stopped eating but as soon as I filed her teeth she immediately started again and the owners said the difference was amazing."

Laura fell in love with horses when she was a toddler, adding that her mum "put me on a horse when I was two and she couldn't get me back off again".

She struggled to see how she could combine her love for horses with earning a living - until she got a visit from a dentist.

Laura said: "It took a while testing out what I could do, but then I spoke to the horse dentist who came round to do my horse's teeth. I went out with him to see if I would enjoy it and realised it was something I wanted to do."

Laura investigated the options for studying equine dentistry and found a degree course in Gloucester, but there was only one problem - she didn't have Higher biology. Undeterred, she bit the bullet and went back to school in Livingston to get the crucial qualification.

"It was a bit daunting the first day because I joined the sixth year class and had to follow their timetable," she said. "But they were really nice to me and made me feel welcome - even if I did feel a bit old!"

Boosted by the positive experience, Laura ditched the idea of studying in Gloucester and opted for a course slightly further afield - in Australia. This was largely practical-based, and meant she could qualify within a matter of months, instead of years.

The course leader was impressed by the huge commitment she had shown by going back to school and selected her as one of his four students.

The course, which cost her more than 7000 in total, was based in Melbourne and lasted 11 weeks.

"Australia was an experience," said Laura. "We had to go to a knacker's yard and work on live horses which were to be slaughtered.

Seeing how bad some horse's teeth were was awful.

It was quite an eye-opener."

Laura is now setting her sights on getting her next qualification, with the British Equine Veterinary Association, next year.

The facts

A normal adult horse has a minimum of 36 teeth.

It may also have up to four wolf teeth, or canines. Of these, there are six upper and six lower incisors, which are used for tearing grass and other forage.

On each side of both jaws, it has three pre-molars and three permanent molars (cheek teeth), which it uses for grinding food. The grinding surfaces of these cheek teeth are called tables.

The upper jaw is about 25 per cent wider than the lower jaw, which moves in a circular motion, bringing the cheek teeth tables into contact.

By the time a horse is five years old, all its teeth are usually through.