TURTLE SAVED WITH ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT

According to The Palm Beach Post, an orthodontist from Jupiter, Florida fitted a set of braces for a sea turtle weighing over 12 stone.

Named after the wrestler André the Giant, Andre the turtle was found in June 2010 stranded on a sandbar about a mile and a half south of the Juno Beach Pier, Florida's 'Number 1 Fishing Pier'. Swimmers floated the endangered green sea turtle to shore on a boogie board and called a local marine life centre for help.

Boat propellers had gouged two holes in Andre's shell. The larger gash, about two inches deep and packed with sand, was the size of an adult forearm and the other was 'as big as a baseball' and contained a live crab.

The marine life centre staff discovered that Andre had a collapsed lung, pneumonia, an exposed spinal cord and severe infections.

Turtle experts at the centre cleaned the wound and covered it with a black foam and clear plastic to promote healing. Andre's shell was hooked up to a plastic tube that uses negative pressure to promote new skin growth and knock out infection.

Orthodontist Alberto Vargas then used orthodontic braces like bridges on either side of the wound and pushed and pulled the turtle's shell to promote growth. Each day, a key was twisted that clicked to adjust the braces. Dr Vargas coaxed the shell to expand about one inch.

'I'm not aware of this ever having been done on a turtle before,' said Dr Vargas. 'We changed the shape of [Andre's] shell, just like we change the shape of a patient's jaw.'

After 13 months of treatment, Andre is ready to be released. His skin underneath the foam, once fully exposing organs, is now hard enough to survive in the depths of the Atlantic. Green turtles grow up to about 28 stone and live 80 years.