WPBF (West Palm Beach, Florida) 18 March 11 Sea Turtle Gets Orthodontics To Mend Wounded Shell - Turtle Orthodontics Procedure First Of Its Kind

Juno Beach, Fla.: A sea turtle that was injured by a boat propeller last year is getting orthodontics to help repair its shell.

Andre the sea turtle was brought to the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in June after being injured by a boat propeller.

The wounds to Andre's shell were so bad that doctors extracted three pounds of sand that seeped into his body through the deep gashes.

"All of the soft tissue problems that he had associated with the boat hit have been solved," Dr. Nancy Mette said.

Now the focus is on closing the gaps on Andre's shell using a process called turtle orthodontics. Andre is the first of his kind to have the procedure done.

"So by pulling across the defect and pushing away from it in other locations, we're hoping that that combined effect is going to create a really rapid bone growth," Mette said.

The mechanics are the same as those used to straighten human teeth.

Dr. Alberto Vargas, a Jupiter orthodontist, took molds of Andre's shell and created pallet expanders that were placed over Andre's wound and also on unaffected areas of his shell.

The plates of bone are shifted around by turning a key and expanding the bone or by tightening the brace and pulling the two ends together. So far, the results -- a growth of one millimeter per day -- have impressed Mette.

"A millimeter a day is extraordinary," she said.

Mette said Andre's rehabilitation is going well and hopes he'll be able to be released by May.
Sea Turtle Gets Orthodontics To Mend Wounded Shell

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