Diver got his teeth regularly cleaned by friendly cleaner shrimp [Video]

• Patrick Seligman spotted a cleaning shrimp while diving along a reef in Hawaii.
• When he removed his breathing apparatus, the shrimp swam toward him and gave his teeth a thorough cleaning!
• Patrick started visiting the shrimp regularly for a teeth cleaning session, and even brought his friends along.

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A diver had an unlikely friend — and dentist — while diving along a reef in Hawaii. It was a friendly cleaner shrimp, who helped give his teeth a thorough cleaning.

Patrick Seligman said that the Pacific cleaner shrimp “are pretty common on the reefs in Hawaii.” However, “not all of them are willing to interact with humans.”

But he managed to find a friendly one.

Cleaner shrimp got their name for their eagerness to clean up other undersea creatures, by nibbling parasites and dead skin.

When Patrick spotted the colorful shrimp, it had just finished up a cleaning session with an eel.

Patrick decided to try his luck to get a teeth cleaning session.

He removed his breathing apparatus and opened his mouth.

The shrimp swam right in and gave his teeth a thorough cleaning!

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It turns out that it wouldn’t be just a one-time thing.

Patrick was lucky to spot the same shrimp whenever he went diving near the same location. He ended up having an undersea dentist!

Patrick captured footage of his sessions. He captioned one video, “???? Self care- don’t forget regular teeth cleanings ????.”

He even brought his friends to be the shrimp’s clients, too! He shared, “We dove there about once or twice a week. It’s definitely fun to stop there for the teeth cleaning, especially with friends who had never seen it before.”

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Patrick and his friends managed to get regular teeth cleaning sessions for almost a year.

Thanks to the friendly shrimp, their teeth had never been healthier!

He jested, “I think frequent visits to your local cleaner shrimp are an excellent way to maintain your dental hygiene.”

Patrick was lucky to have met the friendly shrimp, but their free sessions couldn’t last forever.

When Patrick stopped by his friend’s cleaning station one day after a strong storm, she was nowhere to be found.

Perhaps she had moved her cleaning practice somewhere else.

The shrimp became not only Patrick’s dentist but also a friend. Still, it was fun to experience the “advantage of a naturally occurring symbiotic relationship,” he said.

Source: The Dodo