Inside a diagnostics imaging room, half a dozen staff surrounded a metre-high table on which the young patient was unconscious, awaiting his rendezvous with the dentist.

In this case, the patient was 9-year-old Echo, one of four hyenas at the Toronto Zoo.

On Friday morning at the newly completed, state-of-the-art Wildlife Health Centre at the zoo, staff were busy conducting a general checkup of his 56-kilogram body from head to toe. But the main reason Echo was sedated and brought down was because he needed a dental procedure — which turned out to be a root extraction.

“The hyenas have very strong teeth but they do like to chew on the bones and occasionally they damage their teeth,” said Dr. Christopher Dutton, the zoo’s head of veterinary services.

“Interestingly, they don’t really like to show any signs of pain and will just keep on chewing bones. If it were you or me with a damaged tooth we would be crying.”

Dutton explained that occasionally the zoo conducts routine examinations for its animal population to see if any are in need of dental work. Sometimes also the zoo staff observe an animal chewing on one side only and realize something is wrong, he said.

The new spacious facility makes it easier for the zoo officials to bring in surgeons and dentists to conduct CT scans and operate on various animals, he said.

For Echo, that has meant a visit from Dr. Sharon French, who runs the dentistry services at the Veterinary Emergency Clinic in Toronto.

French, who has been doing this job for 27 years, entered the room pulling a heavy bag full of special equipment for the job. She quickly put on gloves, a mouth-cover and special eyeglasses and started examining Echo’s mouth. After an X-ray was taken, she found out the animal needed a root extraction.

Sharp tools were brought out, mouthwash fluids made available, as were boxes of tissues to clean up blood. Just like the usual trip to the dentist — except Echo was unaware of any of this process.

French had brought her own iM3 Vet-tome, a modern automatic extraction system that makes it easier to remove teeth. The zoo has just finished fundraising and will soon have its own, according to Dutton.

With the assistance of the zoo staff, French dug around the damaged root, trying to carefully weaken its attachment into the jaw before removing it.

French said carnivores have their teeth buried deep into their jaws, and their ligaments tend to be very bony which makes the extraction difficult. Her many years of experience have taught her it’s not something that can be rushed.

“I was once forced to take out a lion’s tooth and I think it took me hours and hours,” she said.

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“This is also why Dr. French has a massage before coming in, because she knows it’s going to be a long procedure,” joked Dutton.

Ninety minutes later, she was still digging and washing.

“Almost done. I will win,” French said.

A few minutes later, she raised her fists in celebration and held out the tiny root. Success.

More X-rays were needed, and Echo was flipped on the other side so French and staff could continue the examination work and ensure his mouth is healthy and clean. There would be no replacement for the extracted root, instead they would do fillings to bring the gum back into its place.

Once the procedure was complete, Echo would head back into his holding area where they would reverse the anesthesia and he’d wake up right away, Dutton said.

“Basically by end of today he’ll be back to his normal self,” he said.

During the recovery period, Echo will be on antibiotics and painkillers for a few weeks as they wait for his gum to heal. And staff have to make sure he’s not fed on bones for a while, Dutton said.

“It’s meat only for him now,” he said.

Correction — December 18, 2018: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said Echo, the hyena had a root canal. In fact,he underwent a root extraction.

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