Chewing bamboo for 12 hours a day requires sound teeth. So when 23-year-old giant panda Bai Yun chipped her tooth, officials at the San Diego zoo sprang into action. The bear’s broken lower canine was x-rayed so veterinarians could assess the extent of the damage. Fortunately, the tooth’s nerve tissue was intact; a root canal procedure would not be needed. The next step was to repair the chip with a tooth-colored filling. Bai Yun also received a thorough teeth cleaning. While all of these dental procedures are routine and don’t normally require heavy sedation when done on humans, Bai Yun was given general anesthesia; probably a good idea when the patient is a 200-pound bear with dental problems!