Abstract: A dental appliance or apparatus for grinding the teeth of equine patients includes a variable speed motor and an elongated tube leading from the motor to a head member that mounts an annular disk-shaped grinding wheel that has a planar grinding surface thereon. The head member also mounts a cup-shaped guard member that has a skirt portion extending beyond the grinding surface of the grinding wheel so as to protect the tongue and mucosa of the patient during the grinding operation. The elongated tube permits the grinding wheel to be inserted into the horse's mouth to bring it into close proximity to teeth needing to be ground and the grinding wheel can be easily oriented relative to the teeth to be ground since it can be rotated through several angles relative to the motor to reach both upper and lower sets of teeth. A drive shaft couples the grinding wheel to the motor, is contained within the elongated tube, and is connected to the motor through a clutch assembly.