The Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the Baruch Padeh Medical Center, Poriya, near Tiberias, has implanted for the first time a lower jaw and teeth that were printed using 3-D technology, the hospital announced Sunday.

The patient, Gad Pireni, 80, from Kibbutz Nir David, has suffered for years from ulcers and sores in his jaw, and developed a malignant cancer in his mouth. Dr. Imad Abu al-Naag, Director of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the Poriya-Padeh Medical Center, explained, “Gad suffered from a premalignant mouth ulcer, which is why he has been monitored by our department in recent years. About two years ago it turned out that an ulcer located on the right side of his lower jaw had turned malignant and Gad underwent a resection. At that time we carried out a conventional reconstruction of the jaw, without the teeth.”

Over time the reconstructed jaw developed infections, and Drs. Abu al-Naag and Avi Toeg decided to carry out another reconstruction of the jaw, and with the services of the AB-Dental company planned and carried out a 3-D printed reconstruction of the jaw and the teeth.

Dr. Toeg noted that this “is the best treatment available in the world today. The innovative technology allows us to reconstruct the jaw accurately and, just as important, after two years Gad has spent toothless, now he can go back to his normal routine.”

The surgical team of Drs. Abu al-Naag and Toeg performed the surgery on Pireni last Thursday, Sept. 8, and three days later the patient was able to carry a conversation and speak clearly.

“I feel good,” Pireni said. “I can speak almost normally, this is a big and significant change for me, I need to get used to my new mouth.”

Dr. Abu al-Naag added that “in the past such surgery would last about six hours, and now the time was cut in half. Obviously, recovery time is also shorter, with significant advantages in quality of life, improvement in patient’s functionality and the aesthetic improvement.”

Back in April 2016, the department of oral and maxillofacial surgery at Poriya-Padeh treated a patient suffering from a large tumor in the back of his jaw by replacing the damaged part with a replacement they created on a 3-D printer.