Alaska Brown Bear Shows Off New Metallic Crown on Canine Tooth, Now Sporting a Shiny Smile!

DULUTH, Minn. — An Alaska brown bear at the Lake Superior Zoo has recently undergone a groundbreaking dental procedure, receiving a shiny new canine crown, marking the first of its kind for a bear. The 800-pound bear named Tundra was sedated on Monday to have a titanium alloy crown fitted, which the zoo claims is the largest dental crown ever created. “He’s got a little glint in his smile now,” said Caroline Routley, the zoo’s marketing manager. The hour-long procedure was performed by Dr. Grace Brown, a board-certified veterinary dentist who had previously treated Tundra’s tooth with a root canal two years prior.

After Tundra reinjured the tooth, it was decided that he needed a stronger crown. The custom crown was crafted by Creature Crowns of Post Falls, Idaho, using a wax cast of Tundra’s original tooth. Dr. Brown plans to share her findings in a paper to be published in the Journal of Veterinary Dentistry later this year, emphasizing the significance of this unprecedented procedure. Tundra and his brother, Banks, arrived at the Duluth zoo when they were just three months old, following the unfortunate loss of their mother.

Now six years old, Tundra stands approximately eight feet tall on his hind legs. Given his size, a member of the zoo’s trained armed response team was present during the procedure, ready to act in case Tundra awoke unexpectedly. Fortunately, the operation proceeded smoothly, and Tundra is now back in his habitat, reportedly behaving and eating normally. In contrast, other veterinary interventions have not always gone as well.

In 2009, a veterinarian at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha sustained serious injuries during a routine examination of a 200-pound Malaysian tiger when the tiger reflexively bit him as it was waking from sedation.