Fresh breath or fish breath? Seal gets a brushing

I would be interested in researching how seals (and other marine animals) keep themselves clean in the wild. Do they simply live with bad breath/gingivitis, or is there something in the wild - something you couldn't find in the aquarium - that allows them to maintain oral health? And if this is the case, how can we reconcile this gap and provide built environments that better suit their health?

What a great picture, it really anthropromorphizes the seal!

I'm so glad this story made it to the front page. I have been really concerned about Chuck's breath. Will you do a story on me trimming my oselot's toe nails?

Gotta love seals. They're like a combination of a fish... and a dog.

Those are some really smart seals. I am glad to see that these animals are so well taken care of. It is nice to hear some good news for a change.

wow... is this really front page news?

Amazing! It must be very risky for the trainers at the beginning, using their fingers! The seal could bite at any time ...

Who brushes their teeth in the wild?

This story has been on the front page all day! Seriously, does anybody care about this?

To James:

Your comment represents everything I wanted to ask about this article. Good to see someone posting a comment with relevant questions.

I would venture a guess that their dental health is worse in the wild. But I'm not a marine biologist. Hopefully one reads this article and can all enlighten us on the general dental habits of the common seal. That wasn't condescending, just a ligitimate hope someone can answer this. Seals have always reminded me of aquatic dogs anyway. They must be related to dogs somehow.

Yes, in the middle of the winter when the temperature is 5 degrees and it's hard to get out of bed I think it's very appropriate to have a nice story on the front page of the Globe. Does it always have to be doom and gloom? You don't have to look far to find that! Enjoy the story on the seal. It won't take long before something awful replaces it.

I noticed that they are using a Sonicare toothbrush which is actually pretty expensive.

To the people who complained about the story. The picture pretty much sums up the content so with one quick glance, you could have saved those precious minutes of your life reading the details.

For those of you wondering why zoos and aquariums actually take good care of their animals, here's the answer. In captivity animals can live up to twice as long and eventually develop geriatric needs. So if their teeth aren't properly cared for, when they become old they will lose them and have trouble eating, which is costly and unpleasant for the animal. They may even die sooner, so the aquarium would lose their seals sooner than they would have if they simply brushed their teeth. This isn't an issue In the wild because animals never have a chance to grow old because as soon as they do, they're preyed upon.