Dental Checkup for a Bengal Tiger
By Dr. Linda Niessen -- Baylor College of Dentistry
Monday, May 12, 2003
Geeta's owners run a non-profit group a non-profit group that promotes called Zoocats, which promotes the protection and preservation of the endangered white Bengal tiger. You can learn more about Geeta on the web at www.zoocats.org.
A Plano dentist uses the latest technology to treat a white Bengal tiger. Dr. Linda Niessen has details in today's Dental Health Check.
A white Bengal tiger, named Gita has an appointment: a routine dental check-up. To make the visit pleasant at Willow Bend Dental in Plano, Dr. Ritchie Beougher and staff first put Gita to sleep.
"She has the same number of teeth as a human. It's a very large mouth. The canine teeth which are our eye teeth are about a quarter of an inch long in humans. In the mouth (tiger's), she's only half grown at four years old and her eye teeth are about 2 and a half inches long."
Gita was diagnosed with the same problems many humans have: cavities, gum disease, and yellow teeth.
Cavities are detected using a new laser system called Diagnodent. The laser uses a fluorescent light to evaluate the thickness of tooth enamel. A number above 15 indicates a cavity.
"Her gums are red because of calculus and gingivitis. So what we'll do is use the water laser," said Dr. Beougher. To fill the cavities, a new water laser cleans out the decay. It replaces the traditional high speed drill. "You can do small cavities without even numbing the patient. There's no whining noise. It doesn't sound like a drill and so it's a very neat advancement."
Gita's teeth had yellowed. So her final procedure was to bleach her long canine teeth. All the new technology used for the very valuable tiger was designed for the benefit of human dental patients.
Ignoring dental disease only makes the situation worse. So instead of growling about pain, make an appointment with a dentist sooner instead of later. For Baylor College of Dentistry, Texas A & M SYSTEM, I'm Dr. Linda Niessen.
Dr. Linda Niessen, clinical professor in the Department of Restorative Sciences and the Office of Communications and Development at Baylor College of Dentistry, hosts Dental Health Check, the only weekly dental feature shot on location in the nation.
