Zoo curator Chris Wilkinson, said “specialist equipment designed for big cats” was used to perform the “equivalent of a human root canal” and the tiger was now “back on his feet and his usual self again”.
To perform the operation, six members of staff had to lift the 22-stone (142kg) anaesthetised animal on to the operating table and ensure its jaw was kept open so the team could work safely on his teeth.
Kertesz, who has worked on about 300 cats, drilled 3in (7.6cm) into the teeth and removed any decayed pulp before filling the cavities.
“Of course, the size is enormous. While your tooth might have a 10mm root, in this case it’s about 80mm,” he said.