A zoo has branched out into cosmetic dentistry, it has been revealed.
However, the slight difference is that it is for hippos rather than people, Shanghai Daily reports.
Keepers at Shanghai Zoo noticed that the teeth of their hippopotamuses were getting dirty because they are fed fruit rather than the long grasses they would eat in the wild.
So, to replace the brooms they had been using as tooth whitening devices, they designed and built a special four foot-long toothbrush to get into all the crevices.
Zoo official Pan Xiuwen said the hippos have much better oral hygiene, plus visitors can now watch them having their teeth cleaned three times a week.
In August, dentist Richard Salander told the Fremantle News Messenger he has seen some vast improvements on cosmetic dentistry for people since he started practising in 1968.
The expert said patients can now benefit from better materials, technology and techniques than was the case 40 years ago.
