Health Update: Paul’s tooth

By Gregory Rodriguez

We recently helped Paul with an infected tooth that required specific dental tools. Paul is the smallest of his group and is among the lowest ranking. We know that sometimes low-ranking means being overlooked, but not at Project Chimps.

Earlier in October our caregivers noticed that Paul wasn’t eating, he’s a chimp that loves to set out his food and eat it individually, so the caregivers noticed this slight change immediately. The caregivers also noticed that he was exhibiting pain around his mouth.

Paul was later seen by volunteer Dr. Joe Dufresne, the chimp’s dentist. Dr. Joe was able to determine that Paul had a cavity that became infected and the entire tooth needed to be removed.

What happens when chimps get cavities?

Well, human health and animal health can be similar. Considering how chimps are our close relatives, the treatment was more or less the same. Cavities occur when chips in the tooth become worn down by normal use, this newly created “cavity” becomes hard to properly clean which is what leads to a dental infection.

The tooth that was infected was particularly long which made the procedure for Paul a little more complicated. “It was a canine, which is really a long tooth, it’s around three inches in length. From the tip of the cusp to the root.” explained Dr. Joe.

The Procedure

Paul’s anesthesia was overseen by our staff veterinarian, Dr. Lauri, and the medical team. A full physical exam took place while the dentist focused on the issue at hand.

The length of the tooth presented a challenge for Dr. Joe. As it required some minor surgery and the removal of the bone surrounding the tooth to extract it. The whole process was time-consuming, taking Dr. Joe about an hour to finish.

Chimp Dental Tools?

As one might imagine, you can’t purchase chimpanzee specific dental tools. We use donated human dental equipment that allows Dr. Joe to perform certain procedures. However the tools that he had available were a little too short for the full length of the tooth in trouble. The procedure was able to go ahead because of human ingenuity and Dr. Joe is now on a hunt for a longer dental bur in case he needs to repeat this procedure on another chimp in the future.

Paul has already recovered and adapted to having one less tooth. Though his grin will be forever changed.

If you’d like to help provide medical supplies, visit our Wishlist or email our vet for specific needs.