Amur tiger at UK zoo undergoes root canal

A four-year-old male Amur tiger at Scotland's Highland Wildlife Park has successfully undergone a root canal treatment to fix a damaged tooth.
The dental procedure on the 187 kg tiger, called Marty, took more than two hours to complete.
It involved three veterinary staff, two animal dentists and a dental x-ray technician.
During daily health checks, the Park's keepers had noticed a small chip at the top of Marty's lower right canine and he had recently started to favour the left side when eating.
As dental issues can lead to serious health complications, the decision was made to anaesthetise the tiger in order for the tooth to be inspected and treated if necessary.

After he had been successfully anaesthetised, Marty's tooth was examined by veterinary dental surgeon Norman Johnston, who then flushed out the decayed pulp and filled the cavity with a cement-like substance, which will reinforce the now hollow tooth.

Similar to human dental fillings, it is hoped the procedure will mean that the tooth will not need to be extracted in the future.
"A problem for big carnivores like tigers and polar bears, the pulp layer of the tooth is only a couple of millimetres below the tip of the tooth, so even chipping a tiny bit of tooth off can cause problems as the pulp underneath is exposed and infection can set in," said Douglas Richardson, Head of Living Collections for the Highland Wildlife Park near Kingussie.

"Although normally a straightforward operation, performing any sort of medical procedure on an animal the size of Marty is a complex affair, requiring a lot of planning and coordination.
"The team were exceptional, working together to ensure the procedure went as smoothly as possible and I am very happy with the outcome," he said.
After the procedure was completed last week, six keepers carried the tiger on a stretcher through to his bedding area, where they could closely monitor him as he came round.
Apart from some initial unsteadiness, the tiger was back up on his feet shortly afterwards.