Under the supervision of a veterinarian, dentists can treat and help animals. I've known a few dentists with big hearts that have worked with their local zoo to help provide needed care to the animals.
Today's post is about a situation that developed with Beauregard, a green aracari bird at the Birmingham Zoo. It seems the poor little guy fractured about 1/2 the length of his upper beak and needed to have it replaced. He was only 3 months old at the time and being so badly injured, it looked like he might not survive.
To try to help him, the Birmingham Zoo called their local dental school The University of Alabama-Birmingham School of Dentistry and asked if they might be able to do something. What those doctors managed to do is pretty amazing. Not only did they figure out a way to save Beauregard, but he's now thriving.
The specialists included an oral & maxillofacial surgeon, a prosthetist, and a maxillofacial prosthodontist. That team created a permanent repair for Beauregard's beak. The amazing part is that, not only did they restore his function, but they managed to fabricate the prosthesis to the same weight as the original so that he can still fly normally. If the prosthesis had been lighter or heavier than the original, it would have affected the bird's stability in flight.
This is a heart warming story and the video of what they did is pretty incredible. I love outside the box thinking and this story is definitely an example of that. How they figured out how to accomplish all of this is beyond me, but I thought everyone would get a kick out of learning about it.
The story and accompanying video can be found here. I highly recommend you check it out. It's one of those things that will bring a smile to your face and give you that warm fuzzy feeling.
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