When H. Peter Ku, D.D.S. PA comes to the office, the last thing he expects to see is a 400 pound gorilla sitting in his chair waiting for a root canal.
This was not your typical root canal for the medical staff and zoo dentist Dr. Peter Jertesz of the Paignton zoo in Devon, England. The gorilla that weighed almost 400 pounds was put to sleep for 2 hours during the procedure.
It took ten people to help during the 45 minute procedure, the 38 year old gorilla is expected to make a full recovery.
Volume XIX, number III of the ADA New Dentist News, states that usually the purchase of dental products by a dentist is a straight forward process since most purchases are made directly from the manufacturer or an authorized dealer. Sometimes when dentists opt for less expensive products they are inadvertently purchasing products that are approved for foreign markets, but not approved for use in the U.S.
For example many dentists such as Josey Lane Dentistry take extra care to make sure that all of their dental products that they purchase for use are approved by U.S. regulations. The mistakes happen when some dentists are less careful when looking for the most economical place to purchase products.
