14 DAY TRIAL // Now here's something many of us may be interested in soon! Experts in the Netherlands have just implanted the first 3D-printed, artificial lower jaw on an 83-year-old woman. The implant is absolutely remarkable, and was built entirely by a machine.
The woman was suffering from progressive osteomyelitis, a dangerous disease that affected her entire mandible. Researchers from the Netherlands and Belgium decided to replace it with a 3D printed prosthetic jaw created by metal additive manufacturer LayerWise.
Computer-aided design (CAD) software was key to the job. The layouts were transmitted to LayerWise, which then programmed one of its machines to use powdered titanium to set a basis for the new mandible. A bioceramic coating was then added on the surface, so the mandible was ready in just 2 hours, The Verge reports.
The woman was able to start speaking and swallowing the very next day, which is a remarkable feat.