Elephants, as herbivores, spend about 22 hours a day chewing vegetation, relying on their large, strong, ridged teeth for this task. Many people might think of elephant tusks when considering their teeth; however, in addition to tusks (if present), elephants have four molars located inside their mouths, each weighing up to five pounds. Unlike human teeth, which grow up or down from the jawbone, an elephant's molars grow in from the back of the jaw. Each quadrant of an elephant's mouth has one tooth that moves forward and is replaced as it wears down.
Throughout its life, an elephant typically goes through six sets of four molars. Tusks, the elephant's incisor teeth, serve multiple functions such as defense, digging for food and water, and carrying objects.
Dental health is important for elephants. To ensure dental health, elephants at The Sanctuary are trained to lift their trunks and open their mouths so that Care Staff can inspect their teeth. The Vet Team reviews routine photographs of each elephant’s mouth quarterly using an endoscope or plumber's camera.
Recently, the “tooth fairy” made a visit to African elephant Edie. Edie arrived at The Sanctuary with two older upper teeth that had not fallen out but instead shifted forward in the roof of her mouth, resulting in four top teeth. Her former caregivers at Zoo Knoxville had been working with Edie to help her shed these molars, increasing her browsing opportunities and offering harder foods like coconuts. Finally, after several years, one of these teeth came out, which is very exciting news for Caregivers, Vet Staff, and Edie! To celebrate, after collecting the tooth, the "tooth fairy" hid a cantaloupe "under Edie's pillow," which Edie quickly found and indulged in.