No grin and bear it here.

A veterinary dentist, Grace Brown, dug into the maw of Tundra, a 6-year-old Alaskan brown bear, on Monday at the Lake Superior Zoo in Duluth, Minn., breaking new ground.

Brown brightened the sedated bear’s future meals by repairing a damaged tooth — a procedure that involved installing the largest crown ever recorded in the annals of dentistry, human or animal.

Tundra is the first bear ever to receive a full-metal crown.

Brown was uniquely qualified as one of just 257 specialists in the world with the recognized skill set to do the job.

Brown’s relationship with the Lake Superior Zoo dates back to 2021 when former zoo veterinarian Louise M. Beyea sought her help treating Lily the lion with the performance of two root canals.

In 2023, Tundra also received a root canal after fracturing a major canine tooth at age 4. The tooth was restored using a layered composite technique.

But the repair did not hold, and two years later, Brown was called in to help again.

“When discussing options for Tundra’s treatment, it was in his best interest to have a full coverage crown to protect the tooth from reinjury, also reducing microleakage of bacteria which could lead to root canal failure,” Brown explained in a news release.

She noted that the latest repair builds on a sequence of previous steps.

“The recent visit just required application of composite and crown impressions due to the success of the previous intentional use of glass ionomer,” Brown said.

Brown used C&B Metabond, a self-cured adhesive resin known for ultra-high bond strength.

The procedure marked a veterinary first.

“There has never been a full-metal crown (or a crown) created for a bear for treatment of a non-intact restoration ever before,” Brown said, as scientific journals are likely to take note. “Tundra will be the only other paper describing the successful treatment for a fractured tooth using root canal therapy.”

Scott Alexander, the founder of Creature Crowns in Post Falls, Idaho, custom-formed the Talladium crown for Tundra using a wax cast of the animal’s damaged tooth. Creature Crowns specializes in custom crowns and restorations for animals, both domestic and wild.

Brown says she takes her responsibility as a veterinary dentist seriously.

“Dental issues in captive animals should be treated for medical reasons and with consideration of the ethical responsibility toward the animals under human care,” she said. “This was precisely why when the brown bear had a non-intact restoration, I wanted to assist by ensuring a more structurally sound restoration for the lifetime of Tundra.”

Tundra’s treatment was made possible through a partnership between Minnesota Veterinary Dental Specialists and Creature Crowns, a firm that provided its services at no cost to the zoo.

Collaboration was key to the procedure’s success.

“The zoo team ensures a safe anesthetic event so that my team can treat and take care of the mouth safely and in a timely manner for his overall safety,” Brown said. “It is imperative to have all members on the same page so that treatment is performed safely and effectively for all.”

Brown expects the procedure and results will soon be noted in the Journal of Veterinary Dentistry later this year.

Brown operates Minnesota Veterinary Dental Specialists out of Lake County Veterinary Clinics in Two Harbors and is actively working to open a permanent location in Duluth.