A bird at the Birmingham Zoo got some special help from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Dentistry.
) - A bird at the Birmingham Zoo got some special help from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry. Beauregard is a green aracari bird at the Birmingham Zoo.
Though his kind is much smaller, aracaris are part of the same bird family as the iconic toucan. According to UAB, Beauregard damaged his rhinotheca, which is his upper beak. He was about 3 months old and the trauma resulted in him losing a part of his upper mandible. Animal health specialists explored multiple options to help his injury and adjusted his way of life.
Then, they reached out to the maxillofacial prosthetic experts at the UAB School of Dentistry. Maxillofacial prosthetics is a subspecialty of prosthodontics which involves rehabilitation of patients with defects or disabilities that were present when they were born or developed due to disease or trauma, according to UAB. UAB School of Dentistry say prostheses are often needed to replace missing areas or bone or tissue and restore oral functions such as swallowing, speech and chewing.
While Beauregard may be a bit more feathered than their usual patients, his injury lines up directly with the work done in this subspecialty. The UAB team consisted of dental prosthetist, Chris Seidenfaden; maxillofacial Prosthodontist, Michael Kase, DMD; and oral surgeon, Jay Ponto, M.D., D.D. S. According to UAB, using the same material commonly used for dental impressions, the UAB team took an impression of the bird’s beak and created a mold.
They then used the mold to create a model and articulated it using a dental articulator, a tool used traditionally for crafting dental prosthetics such as dentures and crowns. UAB says the beak was crafted to minimize interruption to Beauregard’s flight mechanics and mobility by making sure it weighed in at just the right size.
In addition to the size and weight, the prosthetic was cast to mirror his specific beak pattern and color, according to UAB. This is because birds see in full color and even into the UV spectrum. The prosthetic was color-matched as much as possible to minimize any social adjustments and adverse reactions among Beauregard’s feathered peers.
Now at roughly 11 months old, Beauregard has adjusted to his new prosthetic and is eating, interacting, socializing and flying like a normal bird of his kind. Ivey awards $400K grant for industrial development expected to create 187 jobs in TuskegeeFederal court blocks Alabama plan for new congressional districts that could help Republicans
WBRC 6 Fox 6 Myfoxal News Birmingham Birmingham Zoo University Of Alabama At Birmingham UAB UAB School Of Dentistry Beauregard Aracari Toucan Rhinotheca Mandible Maxillofacial Prosthetics Prosthodontics Chris Seidenfaden Michael Kase Jay Ponto Prosthetic Beak WSFA WALA WAFF WTVY
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