By Dr. Mohsin Ali Gazi
A few years ago, I stood inside a small enclosure at Dachigam National Park, staring into the half-open mouth of a Himalayan black bear. The bear was sedated, its breathing slow but steady. Its body was battered.
The bear was rescued from the edge of a village after days of roaming, injured and starving. But the real crisis was inside its mouth.
One of its molars was infected, a deep abscess pushing against the bone. It couldn’t eat. That’s what had brought it here. Not the limp in its leg or the wounds on its back, but a toothache.
I’m a wildlife veterinarian, and more specifically, a wildlife dentist. It’s a role few people in Kashmir know exists. But in recent years, as we’ve rescued more wild animals from shrinking forests and rising conflict zones, I’ve come to understand something simple and profound: teeth can tell stories. And sometimes, they can save lives.
Most people think of dentistry as a human or maybe a pet problem. But wild animals suffer from dental diseases too—often silently, invisibly.
A leopard with a broken canine can’t hunt. A deer with a misaligned jaw struggles to graze. Even bears, strong as they seem, go weak when infection sets into the gums.
Out in the wild, there are no warning signs. No limping. No howling. Just slow starvation. Or sudden aggression. Or retreat from the herd.
Many of the animals I treat are brought in too late. They’ve already lost weight. Their behavior is off. By the time they’re sedated and we take a look, we find advanced decay: fractures, gum disease, pulp infections.
Damage that started small, maybe with a crack or a thorn, but snowballed into something deadly.
And most of it, we can’t see with the naked eye. That’s why, before any treatment, I begin with dental radiographs. X-rays help us see beneath the gum line, where most disease hides.
Sometimes we find root infections. Other times, tumors. In rare cases, we even detect jaw fractures caused by human traps or territorial fights.
In the field, my dental kit looks a lot like a human dentist’s. There are tools for scaling, polishing, pulling, and drilling. We’ve fitted crowns on fractured teeth. Drained abscesses. Cleaned layers of plaque that had built up over years.
But wildlife dentistry isn’t just about tools. It’s about species. A porcupine’s teeth are nothing like a langur’s. A bear’s jaw alignment won’t match a leopard’s. Each case is a new anatomy lesson. A new puzzle.
In one case, we treated a young male leopard from Kupwara. It had been caught in a snare, and while the leg injuries were obvious, what we didn’t expect was the snapped upper canine.
The tooth had split all the way to the root. Without it, he couldn’t tear meat. We cleaned the pulp, capped the damage, and monitored his healing. He made it. Months later, we released him back into the wild.
These are delicate procedures. The animals are under anesthesia, and pain management is critical. Recovery takes days, sometimes weeks. But when they eat again, when they chew without wincing, I know we did the right thing.
Having said that, Kashmir’s wildlife faces immense pressure. Habitats are shrinking. Human settlements are growing. We’re seeing more injuries, more rescues. In that chaos, dentistry might seem like a side issue. But I’ve learned it’s central to survival.
Dental checks help us estimate age, which is vital for breeding programs. Certain dental patterns tell us if an animal is part of a different subspecies. Decay in a group of scavengers might point to chemical pollution. Tooth fractures in herbivores may suggest changes in diet due to climate shifts.
For critically endangered animals, like the hangul deer, even one healthy adult can tip the scale. If a dental infection takes it down, the loss is more than personal. It’s a population blow.
And here’s something else I’ve seen: animals with fixed teeth live longer. They eat better, stay stronger, and adapt more easily if they’re released back. For conservation, that’s gold.
But sadly, we don’t have a dedicated wildlife dental unit in Kashmir. Most of the work I do is with portable equipment, field sedation, and the support of a few trained colleagues. Forest guards and keepers usually aren’t trained to spot dental distress. By the time an animal reaches us, it’s often in bad shape.
There’s also limited awareness in the wider veterinary world. Wildlife dentistry isn’t taught in depth. It’s considered niche. Low priority. But that’s changing. Slowly.
At our department, we’re now planning to include oral exams in every routine rescue check-up. We’re collaborating with academic institutions to introduce wildlife dentistry modules. It’s a start.
What I hope, more than anything, is that people begin to understand the connection between an aching tooth and a dying animal. The way an infected gum can mean a missed hunt, and how that missed hunt can end a life.
So when I clean a bear’s molar or x-ray a leopard’s jaw, I’m not just treating pain. I’m learning. Every mouth tells a story, of age, diet, injury, behavior. It tells me what that animal eats, where it fights, what kind of environment it survives in.
In that way, the mouth becomes a window to the forest itself. It shows us what’s working. And what’s not.
One day, I hope we’ll have a full wildlife dental care center here in Kashmir, with trained staff and high-tech imaging. Until then, I’ll keep carrying my portable kit, and walking into cages where predators lie still, waiting to be helped.
- Dr. Mohsin Ali Gazi is a veterinary officer with the Department of Wildlife Protection, Kashmir. He treats rescued wild animals and is one of the region’s few practicing wildlife dentists. Reach him at [email protected]
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What specific funding mechanisms could be established to support the progress and deployment of mobile wildlife dental clinics in remote and underserved regions?
archyde Exclusive: A Conversation with Dr. Anya Sharma,Pioneer in wildlife Dentistry
By Archyde News Editor
Dr. Anya Sharma is a leading wildlife veterinarian,specializing in the often-overlooked field of wildlife dentistry. Her work in the remote regions of the Himalayas has brought critical care to animals facing dental issues, saving lives and contributing substantially to conservation efforts. Archyde News was privileged to speak with Dr. Sharma about her unique profession and the challenges and triumphs that come with it.
The Dentist of the Wild: An Introduction
Archyde News Editor: Dr. Sharma, thank you for joining us. Your work is truly interesting. Can you start by explaining what inspired you to specialize in wildlife dentistry?
Dr. Anya Sharma: Thank you for having me. Its a pleasure. My journey began during my veterinary studies, where I realized that dental health is just as crucial for wild animals as it is for humans or pets.Seeing the suffering caused by dental issues in rescued animals, from simple toothaches to severe infections, ignited a passion in me. I knew this niche was worth pursuing.
Unseen Suffering: Dental Issues in Wildlife
Archyde news Editor: Many people might not realize that wild animals face dental problems. What are some common issues you encounter?
Dr. anya Sharma: It’s true; they are often overlooked. We see everything from broken canines in predators like snow leopards preventing them from hunting, to misaligned jaws in herbivores hindering their ability to graze. Infections are rampant, often leading to starvation or altered behaviour. These issues can mean the difference between life and death in the wild.
Tools of the Trade: Dentistry in the Field
Archyde News Editor: Your work frequently enough takes you into challenging environments. What does a typical dental procedure look like in the field?
Dr. Anya Sharma: It’s a bit like setting up a very mobile dental clinic. We start with thorough examinations and dental radiographs using portable X-ray machines, which reveals hidden issues. Then, depending on the case, we use tools similar to a human dentist’s: scaling, polishing, extractions, filling cavities or even some crowns on fractured teeth. Anesthesia and pain management are crucial, also the animal’s species always changes the treatment.
Beyond Treatment: The Wider Impact of Wildlife Dentistry
Archyde News Editor: How does wildlife dentistry contribute to broader conservation efforts?
Dr. Anya Sharma: It’s a vital piece of the conservation puzzle. By examining teeth, we can assess animals’ ages, which helps with breeding programs. Dental patterns can help identify subspecies. Moreover, understanding tooth decay can highlight potential pollution problems or changes in a population’s diet which may be related to climate trends. Healthy teeth mean better health and a greater chance of survival, particularly for endangered species.
Challenges and Future Visions
Archyde News Editor: What are the biggest challenges you face in your field, and what are your hopes for the future?
Dr. Anya Sharma: The biggest challenges are limited resources, especially in remote areas that are arduous to access. Also, awareness is critical. I frequently enough work alone or with a small field team. I’d love to see more dedicated wildlife dentistry centers worldwide, with trained professionals and advanced equipment. Eventually, I’d love to see dental exams become standard in all rescue check-ups to catch and treat issues earlier.
A Crucial Role: Dentistry for Conservation
Archyde News Editor: what message would you like to share with our readers about the importance of wildlife dentistry?
Dr. Anya Sharma: I want people to recognize the crucial link between seemingly small issues,like a toothache,and the overall health of an ecosystem. Healthy animals contribute to thriving ecosystems which brings better conservation results. Every injured tooth tells a story of adaptation, diet, and survival in a changing world. By addressing dental issues, we’re not just helping individual animals; we’re helping the entire ecosystem.
Archyde News Editor: Dr. Sharma,thank you immensely for your insights.It’s been a truly enlightening conversation.
Discussion: What actions should be taken to improve animal dental health?
We invite our readers to participate. What actions could governments, conservation organizations, or individuals implement to improve animal dental health and ensure the longevity of rare species in challenging ecosystems? Share your thoughts in the comments.
