600 kilo polar bear goes to the dentist

It is normally the patient, who is scared of going to the dentist. But when it is literally a bear with a sore head suffering tooth ache the tables can be turned.  

Luckily dentist Dr Peter Kertesz is one of the country’s leading animal dentists and 600 kilo Sisu didn’t daunt him at all.  

The 3 year-old polar bear lives in award-winning Yorkshire Wildlife Park, and underwent an hour long tooth root filling last Friday afternoon.  

Sisu was suffering with a broken tooth which can lead to severe infection and in some cases develop into an abscess. Luckily, the rangers were keeping a watchful eye on the bear and noticed the broken tooth.  

Dr. Peter was accompanied by dental nurse Monika Mazurkiewicz, and a vet specialised in the use of anaesthetics.  

Dr. Peter said: “It was wonderful that the keepers have been so observant and attentive to the animals and noticed this. I was glad we operated swiftly because a broken tooth can lead to severe infection and be very painful.  

“It was a standard procedure, where we cleaned out the infected root canal of the canine tooth, which was over 3inches long, and filled it. We kept it an appropriate length. Sisu will now have a pain and infection free tooth for the rest of his life.”  

He added: ”After the operation Sisu was standing very quickly, but he was kept in his den to recover fully.”.  

YWP’s Director of Animals Charlotte McDonald said:” Sisu is now fully recovered and enjoying entertaining Half Term visitors with his antics.”  

Sisu lives in the original 10 acre Project Polar reserve with Luca, Nobby and Hamish next door in the 4 acre project Polar 2 reserve are Flocke and her three cubs. Yorkshire Wildlife Park is now the second largest polar bear facility in the world and the largest outside Canada.  

Polar bears are the largest land carnivore and are listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species, due to climate change that is causing loss of sea ice which restricts their ability to find food.