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Walker in 2010 before his tooth agony Danny Lawson/PA Wire
bear dentist

Operation helps polar bear with sore tooth

Walker the polar bear had been suffering with a swollen jaw before the operation.

IT WAS JUST LIKE a normal trip to the dentist except the patient weighed over 500 pounds and was in fact a polar bear.

Walker, a 38-stone bear who lives at Highland Wildlife Park in Scotland, needed surgery after antibiotics failed to cure an infection that had swollen his jaw, according to the Scottish Daily Record.

After he had been anaesthetised ten people were needed to hoist Walker on to the operating table which was built of hay bales inside the park’s polar bear enclosure.

A team of vets then removed the offending tooth during a four-hour operation made more unusual by the size of the bear.

A park spokesperson told the newspaper:

Because he weighs 38 stone, we needed four vets for the operation, including a dental specialist.

His teeth were X-rayed. At first they thought they could do a root canal operation, but when they took a good look they realised they would have to do a removal.

Vets believe the infection may have been caused by the bear breaking a tip off a tooth but it is not known how and when this happened.

The Daily Telegraph reports that Walker has now been returned to his enclosure which he shares with 28-year-old female polar bear, Mercedes.

Their relationship got off to a tense start but Walker now appears to have been accepted by his female companion.