Dolphins aren't afraid

An eight-year old female bottlenose dolphin called Dumisa, which had been suffering from general dental abrasion has undergone hours of root canal treatment. The unusual and complex procedure was carried out by a South African veterinary dentist in Hong Kong and with the free will of the dolphin, following months of preparation using props to acclimatise Dumisa to the procedure.  State-of-the art endodontic therapeutics were used to treat one damaged tooth while up to 18 others are in different stages of treatment, by recreating the bone and facilitating root canal treatment. And all without anaesthesia nor restraint of any sort.

Cedric Tutt, the only European veterinary specialist in dentistry in South Africa, has been journeying the globe to prevent and treat dental diseases of wildlife animals from pandas to sea lions over a decade. He explained: “Dumisa was suffering from general dental abrasion. While in the past we would have had no other choice than to extract them all, we can now maintain Dumisa’s teeth by performing root canal treatment using a specialised endodontic cement that helps recreate the bone surrounding the root.”