A speedy recovery for Rico after op's a success

RECENT health check has confirmed that pioneering surgery to cure a sloth’s toothache has been successful.

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Amazing images captured at Chester Zoo show the moment two-toed sloth Rico willingly clambered in front of an X-ray machine for a once-over.

Keepers at the zoo were the first to spot that 25-year-old sloth had swellings on the side of his face.

A series of health check-ups, including a CT scan, carried out by the zoo’s team of vets, revealed that Rico had two root abscesses.

Sloths can develop abscesses in the wild, but unlike his cousins in the rainforest, Rico was lucky to have help on hand and experts from Newcastle University were called in to perform an endodontic procedure.

The three-hour long surgery was conducted inside the zoo's on-site animal care centre where the specialist team removed infected tissue surrounding two of the sloth’s teeth - large triangular molars with crooked tips which are specially evolved for the sloth’s diet of tough leaves and vegetables.

They managed to save the tooth and stop any infection spreading. Dental issues have been known to recur, so Rico has been regularly monitored since the surgery.

Charlotte Bentley, veterinary resident at the zoo, said: "Sloths have very different teeth to humans, which makes dentistry challenging. The large sharp teeth that were affected in Rico were caniniform teeth, which are highly specialised molars. Like so many things with sloths, the exact purpose of these specialised sharp teeth is not fully understood. However, they are thought to serve an important role in biting and shearing their food, so we were eager to try to avoid any extractions during the initial operation.