Surgery success for snappy crocodile after tooth breaks through jaw

A toothache is enough to make anyone snappy, but with Elvis the crocodile, fixing a sore jaw is a downright dangerous endeavour.

Dental technicians at the Australian Reptile Park were given the task of fixing the smile on their crocodile after he had a tooth break through his bottom jaw.

The issue had been going on a while for the crocodile, who had not been captured since he arrived at the reptile park in 2007.

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Operations manager Billy Collett said the situation was "really unusual".

"We have got the vets in and we have got the x-ray machines ready to go so basically we are just going to catch him and x-ray him and see what we can do," Collett said.

"Obviously Elvis is a pretty dangerous animal so we have had to do some pretty intense training with the staff."

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Much like the late rock singer, Elvis put on a strong performance for onlookers but after a few struggles, he was securely captured by staff.

"We have done the X-rays and they have revealed several problem teeth that needed to come out straight away," Collett said.

It took two hours for the dentist to remove the tooth from the 4.75-metre apex predator.

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"This is something we definitely don't do every day, catching Elvis, so while we have got him we are doing everything.

"The whole process was absolutely textbook, I am so proud of the team, it went so well for Elvis."

Meanwhile at Wildlife Sydney Zoo, three freshwater crocodiles are switching their tropical Cairns life for Darling Harbour views.

Zookeepers successfully completed the delicate mission to release the new residents into their enclosure.