Open wide!The average toothbrush won't do when the teeth that need brushing belong to a hippopotamus hippopotamus, herbivorous, river-living mammal of tropical Africa. The large hippopotamus, Hippopotamus amphibius, has a short-legged, broad body with a tough gray or brown hide. . So zookeepers at the London Zoo ZSL London Zoo is the world's oldest scientific zoo. built giant brushes for their two pygmy hippopotamuses, a species of small hippos. Zookeepers previously used ordinary brooms to brush the hippos' teeth. But last summer, they updated the tools with 1.5 meter (5 foot)-long toothbrushes. Like all animals, hippos can get cavities and gum disease gum disease Dentistry Gingival disease, often in the form of gingivitis and bone loss 2º to toxins produced by bacteria in plaque accumulating along the gum line Clinical Early–painless bleeding; pain appears with advanced GD as bone loss around the when food sticks to their teeth. That's why even wild hippos by to keep their teeth and gums clean and healthy. They use their tusklike canine teeth to strip bark from trees, which acts as "hippo dental floss dental floss n. A waxed or unwaxed thread used to remove food particles and plaque from the teeth. ." The zoo's hippos seem to enjoy the new brushing routine, says Tracey Lee, one of the zookeepers: "They really chill out when they're having it done." |
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