Post by Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe TACOMA, Wash., Feb. 11 (UPI) -- A Washington state zoo announced its 29-year-old polar bear underwent a three-hour procedure to extract an abscessed tooth. The Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma announced Boris, a 29-year-old polar bear, underwent surgery Friday and the veterinarians determined the achy tooth was abscessed and fractured. Advertisement The tooth was determined to be too damaged to repair and it was removed in the three-hour procedure. Officials said Boris, one of the oldest polar bears in North America, has previously undergone multiple root canals to fix decayed teeth. They said tooth problems are common in elderly polar bears. The zoo said the 880-pound patient was "resting comfortably in his den" after the procedure. Post by Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium.
