Article
RON MAGILL/ZOO MIAMI
Life Science, Cool STEM Jobs,

Animal Dentist

Jamie Berning keeps animals’ teeth healthy and strong

By Hailee Romain
From the December 2022/January 2023 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will use evidence from a text to make inferences about the skills and knowledge needed for a career in animal dentistry. 

Focus Area: Structure & Function,
Standards
  • NGSS: Core Idea: LS1.A CCSS: Reading Informational Text: 1. TEKS: Science: 3.13A, 4.4B, 5.13A, 6.4C; ELA: 3.6F, 4.6F, 5.6F, 6.5F

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As you read, think about what challenges animal dentists might encounter in their jobs.

COURTESY OF DR JAMIE BERNING

People aren’t the only ones who see the dentist for a checkup or a sore tooth. Pets and zoo animals also need to get their teeth cleaned and repaired. Veterinarians perform regular exams on animals to make sure their mouths are healthy. But for serious tooth or gum problems, they call a dental expert like Jamie Berning.

Berning is a veterinary dentist. There are only about 200 of these specialists in the world. Zoos rely on Berning to perform surgeries on animals’ teeth and mouths.

When she’s not pulling a tooth from the mouth of a lion or a gorilla, she treats pets at her veterinary clinic in Columbus, Ohio. Berning spoke with SuperScience about her work keeping animals’ mouths in good shape so they can chomp, chew, growl, and roar!

What does a veterinary dentist do?

RON MAGILL/ZOO MIAMI

Berning checks the sharp teeth of an otter.

A veterinary dentist is a veterinarian who specializes in animals’ oral health, or the health of the mouth. After graduating from veterinary school, you need additional training in dentistry.

Because I work at my clinic and in zoos, my work varies. One week, I might be cleaning the teeth of pet dogs. The next, I might examine a red panda for gum disease. I also do surgeries to remove or repair damaged teeth.

I’ve cared for more than 50 animal species, including porcupines, polar bears, and sea lions!

How did you get into this field?

I’ve wanted to be a vet since I was 5 years old. My dad and brother are both dentists who treat people. So I knew a lot about human dentistry. I realized that veterinary dentistry would let me help animals in a different way than being a typical veterinarian.

How is veterinary dentistry different from human dentistry?

Animals often won’t sit still like people do at the dentist. For most treatments, they are put under anesthesia. That means they’re given medicine that makes them fall asleep and keeps them from feeling pain. That way, the animals won’t move as I’m working, and everyone remains safe.

Also, human teeth don’t vary much between people. But other animals’ teeth can be very different from species to species. Some bats have teeth so tiny you can barely see them. Bears have enormous teeth. I use really small tools and tools five times as long as what you would use for a person.

RON MAGILL/ZOO MIAMI

Berning cleans a jaguar’s teeth at the Miami Zoo.

What advice would you give kids interested in this career?

You have to be willing to study hard because you need good grades to get into veterinary school. Once you start working, you have to be creative. Every mouth is different, so you’ll need to be able to think of new treatments for all kinds of cases.

Of course, loving animals is an important trait for any veterinarian. But remember, most animals come with human companions. So you can’t love only animals—you have to love people too.

video (1)
Activities (3)
Skills Activities
Quizzes (1)
Answer Key (1)
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
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1. ENGAGE: Activate students’ prior knowledge about dentistry. 

  • Ask students: What happens at a visit to the dentist’s office? What feelings or emotions do you have when you go? Discuss what it’s like to visit the dentist, sharing your own experiences as needed.
  • Ask: Why is it important to go to the dentist? (e.g., to have teeth cleaned, to get cavities filled, to keep your mouth healthy)

2. EXPLORE: Make predictions about an animal’s perspective on dental care.

  • Ask questions like: What do you think it would be like to visit the dentist if you were another animal, like a dog or cat? What would be the same? What would be different? What special preparations might a dentist make before working on an animal’s teeth? Let students discuss.
  • Encourage students to share specific details to back up their ideas, like observations about the behavior of a pet at the veterinarian’s office. Tell them that they’re going to read an interview with a veterinary dentist, or an animal dentist. After reading, they will compare her experiences with their ideas.

3. EXPLAIN: Read an interview with a veterinary dentist.

  • Read the article aloud. After the introductory paragraphs, you may have students read the questions while you respond from the perspective of the veterinary dentist. Afterward, ask students what they found most interesting or surprising about the article. Have them draw comparisons between what they learned and what they thought during the discussion in step 2.
  • Cement students’ understanding of key points with the article’s Quick Quiz. Allow students to work in pairs. Reconvene and review their answers as a class.

4. EXTEND: Use visual clues and text evidence to match animal teeth to different species.

  • Play the video “Amazing Animal Teeth.” Discuss what new information students learned about animal teeth, including how and why animal teeth vary.
  • Preview the Beastly Bites skills sheet. You may want to read the animal descriptions on page 1 as a class and then invite students to share observations on and comparisons between the skulls on page 2, with a reminder to hold back their guesses about the identity of each skull. Let students complete the activity independently or in pairs. Spend time discussing the reasoning for their choices once they have finished.

5. EVALUATE: Write about the knowledge and skills needed to become an animal dentist.

  • Have students complete the Cool STEAM Jobs Spotlight in small groups. Discuss their questions about this job and how they could obtain information to answer those questions.
  • Ask students to think about what they discussed, what they read, and the activities they completed before answering this question: “Would you like to be an animal dentist? Why or why not?” Discuss their opinions.

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