Animals at the Dentist: Oral Health at the Zoo [SLIDESHOW]

Sometimes animals need a little tender love and care when it comes to their dental health.

Like humans, they also require regular visits to the dentist to prevent mouth disease and plaque build-up.

Our collection shows animals flashing their pearly whites as they get their teeth cleaned and checked.

Open wider: Keeper brushes a hippo's teeth at Shanghai Zoo. The hippo has its teeth cleaned three times a week to reduce the chance of mouth diseases.

Big smile: A dentist polishes the teeth of a horse in Bogota. Some dentists in Colombia offer dental services for horses used in equestrian competitions. Treatments include the creation of moulds and fixtures to help correct problems with tooth alignment and underbite.

Seal of approval: An Australian sea lion has its teeth cleaned and inspected at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo

Scrub-a-dub-dub: A Warsaw zookeeper gives Gucio, the zoo's male hippopotamus, a much-needed tooth scrub. Although the 40kg daily food intake of a hippo consists largely of apples, he needs regular teeth brushing to prevent plaque build-up.

No horsing around: Dentists Andres Franco and David Cordero prepare a horse for dental treatment in Bogota, Colombia

Getting snappy: Prem Sharma brushes the teeth of a narrow-snouted crocodile at the Chitwan National Park in Nepal

Check-up: Vets examine German shepherd Kaila at a routine check-up at the army's School of Canine in Bogota, Colombia