Israeli Dentists Replace Syrian Man’s Jaw with 3-D Printed Titanium

Human dignity blooms, even amid the horrors of war. A recent report from the Middle East concerns a Syrian farmer innocently struck by a projectile from a military jet; the man was taken for medical care in the enemy territory of Israel, where he was given a new lease on life in part due to the same material that helps make dental implants the most durable option for replacing missing teeth. If you live in the Colorado Springs area, and you would like to learn more about dental implants, please call The Studio for Exceptional Dentistry at (719) 481-8250 to schedule your consultation with Dr Andrew Hall. Dr Hall has helped many patients restore functionality and beauty to their smiles with dental implants, and his experience is backed by extensive postgraduate training in implant placement, CEREC technology and cosmetic dentistry.

Maxillofacial Surgeons without Borders

According to a BBC News account, a Syrian farmer named Mohammed had the lower part of his face and jaw destroyed after being struck by metal debris from a fighter jet. Unconscious, Mohammed was taken across the border to a nearby hospital in Israel. As it happened, one of the hospital’s maxillofacial surgeons, the Israeli Dr Yoav Leiser, had recently returned from a fellowship in which he studied the emerging field of Patient-Specific Implants (PSIs). PSIs are intended to replace bones and leave the appropriate voids in the craniofacial region. Syria and Israel largely regard each other as enemies, and they have existed in a state of war for decades. But the surgeons, dentists and other doctors at the Israeli hospital did not give a second thought to saving Mohammed’s life or attempting to restore his jaw; the Hippocratic Oath carries great meaning, war or no.

PSI: Israel

After Mohammed’s condition stabilized, Dr Leiser and his team used state-of-the-art technology to replicate the sizes of bones missing from Mohammed’s mouth and lower jaw; the case was the first instance of PSI use in Israel. Some of this software is similar to the advanced dental technology used to design and craft custom dental implants and other dental work. Using the measurements provided by this software, a 3-D printer was then used to forge a titanium jaw. Titanium is the same material used for the replacement tooth roots in dental implants. Titanium is tolerated well by the human body, and human bone is able to grow and fuse around titanium to hold it in place for long-term durability. Mohammed, in fact, quickly regained the ability to speak. After returning home to Syria to greet his family—whom he had not seen in months—Mohammed planned to go back to Israel for dental implants, which will allow him to eat solid food and regain full bite function again. If you’re seeking a friendly, compassionate dentist in Colorado Springs area, contact The Studio for Exceptional Dentistry online or call us at (719) 481-8250 to schedule your consultation with Dr Andrew Hall.