04/09/2024
Today we had a very special visitor all the way from Whangarei. "Boss" is an 8 week old blue and gold macaw who had developed a crooked scissor bite. Dr Martin elected to perform a special orthodontic procedure today which will help to pull the upper beak into a more normal alignment over the next 2 weeks or so. A pin was placed through the sinuses in front of the eyes and bent over to sit near the upper beak. A loop of orthopaedic wire was attached to the tip of the upper beak. Orthodontic bands (similar to those used for human braces) were then attached to the pin and the wire. This will produce a gradual force that pulls the upper beak back towards the left side of the skull to where it should normally sit.
We will see Boss back in 2 weeks and hopefully we will be able to remove the hardware then! Because Boss is young and has relatively soft bones, the process is much faster than that used for humans with braces.