A Florida orthodontist used her skills to help an unusual patient: a gopher tortoise that had been hit by a car.
Veterinarian Robin Jenkins contacted her daughter's orthodontist, Kay O'Leary, D.D.S., to help set the tortoise's partially crushed shell with acrylic and orthodontic wire, according to a report by WINK News.
Four individuals carefully held four pieces of shell in place while Dr. O'Leary, who practices in Punta Gorda, applied acrylic and brackets to hold them together.
Orthodontics are effective in such cases because it will keep the shell pieces in place, allowing them to fuse together more quickly while allowing the injury beneath to breath and affording the veterinarian the ability to wash bacteria out from it, according to the report. Eventually, the acrylic will give way and the wires will fall off.
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