Johnny Uday writes:
A pet named Angelito in Costa Rica was about to be euthanized because of the damage caused to his jaw after being hit by a car.
The Veterinarian in charge Miguel Araya decided to contact Johnny Uday in Ecuador who is conducting research with 3D bio-modeling and bio-compatible materials.
A new jaw was designed and to replace the missing bone making Angelito the first dog in the world receiving a functional jaw implant made out of a 3D printed bio-compatible plastic.
This research aims to help also humans in some cases, reducing immensely costs by using 3D affordable printers to fabricate implants at a fraction of the cost of the expensive Titanium, which is a magnificent advantage for populations of developing countries.
11 Comments
this is excellent news!!
thanks for sharing!
9yrs back I had to put my pet to sleep because of cancer in his jaw.. this could have given me another option!
What is the Medical Bill for this Treatment.
I'm guessing it's $0 for the dog owner and this all counts as scientific research. These pets are pioneers for similar human therapy.
I just got enrolled in college for Vet Technician class and this is excellent news. Thanks for the video.
I am wondering what plastic they have used ? and if the machine was clean to avoid other previous materials !
Hi there, the materials we use in our printer are always biodegradable and biocompatible, so no problems there. However, when printing this jaw prothesis we used an special kind of material that needs different settings so we had to make sure no other material residue is in the nozzle other wise it does not print properly.
My 6 yr old Lab just had the majority of his bottom jaw removed due to cancer. Is he a candidate for 3D implants?
Hi, sorry for the late reply, I had problems logging in this site that was the reason I could not reply earlier. However replying to your question, yes, we had worked with animals with jaw removed due to cancer. Every case is unique, but usually is a good option.
Are they doing this type of mandible surgery in the US? My Chiwawa is in desperate need. After a failed mandible repair
Hi there, we had some people from the US coming here to have this surgery done on their pet. Apparently they couldn't find a veterinarian willing to perform the surgery over there. They came here for a week, and now they are back home with their pet doing great.
Can I volunteer my dachshund for this procedure? He had most of his lower jaw removed from an aggressive cancer. He had it removed almost 2 years ago. Would LOVE him to have it back