Puffer Fish Gets A Brand New Smile

[Captain Canuck]

I found this article and thought everyone here would enjoy reading it.


Link to Article

Puffer Fish Gets A Brand New Smile
ARIZONA — A puffer fish has a brand-new smile, thanks to modern dentistry!

This poor puffer's teeth were so overgrown, it was an ordeal to get food in its mouth.

In the wild, puffers feast on coral to wear their teeth down…but aquarium food is just too soft.

An Arizona dentist saved the day for the puffer by filing his teeth down. And minutes later, the happy puffer is back in the swim of things with a brand new set of smaller choppers!

 

[TorPeteO]

Hahahaha, that's awesome.

 

[StarOrbs]

At least fish don't have to deal with HMO's Not that I would know lol

 

[SirMinion]

At least fish don't have to deal with HMO's

You'd rather have to pay for it?

I'd bet it cost a bloody fortune to have a dentist do that. I wonder what anesthetic they used.

 

[Dwarfs]

That's cool I hope they used an anesthetic

 

[mwm]

Cool

 

[fufanu360]

how do other people around here trim their puffers teeth?

 

[Paul_MTS]

i saw that on the TV , the guy was just holding the puffer in his lap with the dentist having a go at the teeth.

 

[jflowers]

One method, havn't seen any others.

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...&hl=teeth+trim#

Trimming Puffers Teeth

Sometimes it will be necessary to trim your puffers teeth, when the teeth are preventing your fish from eating or food is getting stuck in their teeth on a regular basis. South American puffers in general seem to require this procedure on a regular basis (sometimes every 6 months) but most other puffers, if fed shell food regularly, shouldn't need their teeth trimmed. The following excerpt was posted by a long time puffer owner and is the simplest and least stressful (for the puffer as well as the keeper) of any I have found:

" I filled 2 Coolwhip containers w/tank water. Put 3 drops of clove oil (next time I'll try 1 drop) in 1 container. Added the fish. Within 1 minute the fish was laying on it's back. It looked dead. I took the fish out with a net, (as to not harm it's skin with the oils of my hand) & held it through the net. I clipped it's teeth with cuticle nippers being careful not to cut it's mouth. I placed the puffer in the container of fresh tank water. I could see it breathing. After 1 minute it had righted itself, 2 minutes it was swimming around, 3 minutes it was back in the tank swimming like nothing had happened. Repeated with other puffer & all is fine with them today. This all needs to be done as quickly as possible, as clove oil can also be used for painless euthanasia. That's why I will try 1 drop next time

Jon

 

[Dwarfs]

i saw that on the TV , the guy was just holding the puffer in his lap with the dentist having a go at the teeth.

Ow Was he wearing gloves? Or drinking?