Dentist performs roots canal procedure on tiger in UK zoo

London, Jan 9: Performing root canal procedure on his patients is nothing new for a dentist but here is a dentist who did the same on a tiger while an armed keeper guarded him with a shotgun. A bravery award for this doctor please!

According to a report in Mirror, UK, the veterinary dentist named Matthew Oxford treated Fabi, a Sumatran tiger at Paignton Zoo, Devon, UK, for a root canal. The animal, who is over two metres long and weighs more than 100 kilograms, was put under anaesthetic for the surgery which was carried out on its eight-centimetre teeth. The Sumatran tiger has 30 teeth that include four very long canines that are used for biting and eating, the Mirror report added.

Fabi is Paignton Zoo's adult male tiger used for breeding and hence his good health is key.

Matthew is one of the few veterinary dentists in the UK and treats animals at various clinics in London. The root canal of a big tiger, however, will remain one of the dentist's high cases in his career. The tiger though was calm before the operation and went to sleep after being injected.

Tigers' teeth are vulnerable since they chew on hard objects.