WSU grizzly goes to the dentist

After radiographing the tooth’s root, the vet med team numbed it and drilled a hole to access and clean out the live part containing the tooth’s nerves and blood supply.

It turns out even bears need their teeth worked on from time to time.

When Adak, a resident of Washington State University’s Bear Research, Education, and Conservation Center, recently damaged his canine tooth, the university’s vets stepped in to help the 11-year-old grizzly.

“We suspect Adak broke off the tip of his tooth while wrestling with his sister,” said Chelsea Davis, the Bear Center’s animal care facilities manager.

“We recognized that this was a serious issue and immediately contacted the campus veterinarian.” Fortunately, Adak was already scheduled for an anesthetic procedure the following day, allowing Davis to coordinate with Gay Lynn Clyde of Campus Veterinary Services to perform a more detailed examination of his tooth while he was under anesthesia.

After seeing that the chipped tooth’s pulp was exposed, they quickly coordinated with the Veterinary Teaching Hospital and College of Veterinary Medicine Associate Dean and Professor Raelynn Farnsworth to schedule the grizzly for a root canal.

“A root canal is not something we can do at the Bear Center, so partnering with the vet hospital allows for better success of dentistry procedures,” Davis said.

“Tooth issues are the number one health problem for bears.

Behaviors such as sparring or chewing on enrichment items like bones and logs can cause wear and tear on our bears’ teeth.

If we catch problems early, however, there’s a good chance of preserving the rest of the tooth and promoting better future health.” Prior to the procedure, Davis and her colleagues prepped Adak by administering a pre-treatment medication and ensuring he was fasting.

Then, the 500-pound animal was anesthetized and moved across campus to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital via an animal transport van.

The report adds to ongoing university-led research relevant to veterinary medicine, animal health, and clinical decision-making.

university website: Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine