February 6, 2012 10:34 am EDT

83-year old woman gets replacement 3D printed titanium jaw, makes her the coolest member of the bridge club

3D printers are continuing to force their way into medical applications and the latest beneficiary is an 83-year old woman. She's the first patient to receive a titanium jaw crafted by those not-so dimensionally-challenged printers. The method was developed by the BIOMED Research Institute at Hasselt University in Belgium and creates the replacement from layer-upon-layer of titanium dust. A computer-controlled laser ensures that the correct molecules are fused together. The technique, the first to replace the entire jaw, takes mere hours to make the substitute choppers, with other options taking several days. While the final product weighs a bit more than its natural predecessor, but that didn't stop the patient returning close to "normal speaking and swallowing" the day after the operation.

83-year old woman gets replacement 3D printed titanium jaw, makes her the coolest member of the bridge club originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original Link: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/06/83-year-old-woman-gets-replacement-3d-printed-titanium-jaw-make/

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