{"id":309484,"date":"2026-03-02T14:17:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T14:17:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/309484\/"},"modified":"2026-03-02T14:17:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T14:17:20","slug":"panel-beater-for-turtles-saving-lives-with-3d-printer-and-dental-glue-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/309484\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Panel beater’ for turtles saving lives with 3D printer and dental glue"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Jack Colantuono, ABC<\/p>\n

\"Josh<\/p>\n

\nJosh Neille uses dental resin to heal his turtle patients.
\nPhoto: Supplied\/ ABC News – Danielle Pope\n<\/p>\n

Turtles aren’t just crossing roads In the east of the Australian state of Victoria, they’re crossing the operating table on a farm for a high-tech shell makeover.<\/p>\n

Josh Neille has been caring for wildlife in Gippsland for more than a decade.<\/p>\n

An electrician by trade, Neille now spends much of his time rescuing animals injured on local roads.<\/p>\n

For turtles with cracked shells, he uses dental resin – the same material used in tooth fillings, to restore their protective armour.<\/p>\n

“I’m just a panel beater for turtles at the moment,” Neille said.<\/p>\n

“The turtle comes in like your car does when you have an accident and gets a big dint in it, and then I’m the bloke that’s doing that sort of stuff.<\/p>\n

“So, you have to sand it all back and prime it up, get rid of all the contaminants and then you’re pretty much patching it up with bog.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

\nA turtle’s shell must be thoroughly cleaned and prepared.
\nPhoto: Supplied\/ ABC News – Jack Colantuono\n<\/p>\n

The procedure and recovery<\/p>\n

Each turtle undergoes a lengthy process, including triage, infection control, taking antibiotics and shell cleaning before repairs begin.<\/p>\n

Layers of primer, resin and glue are carefully applied to seal the cracks, then cured with a UV light.<\/p>\n

“Depending on the severity of the shell damage is how long we keep it [the turtle] in for,” Neille said.<\/p>\n

“If it’s only got a minor crack, we might only have it in for three or four days.”<\/p>\n

\"Josh<\/p>\n

\nJosh Neille says turtles can be difficult to see when driving.
\nPhoto: Supplied\/ ABC News – Jack Colantuono\n<\/p>\n

Neille’s latest patient, an eastern long-necked turtle, was in his care for about three months, recovering from severe fractures that exposed tissue and threatened the animal’s vital organs.<\/p>\n

Without antibiotics, careful monitoring and the resin repairs, Neille feared the turtle might not have survived.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

\nA few days after the procedure, the turtle was released back into the wild.
\nPhoto: Supplied\/ Josh Neille\n<\/p>\n

Neille has treated nearly 15 turtles in the past year.<\/p>\n

He also uses 3D scanning and printing to create perfectly-fitted replacements for missing or damaged sections of shells.<\/p>\n

“I can modify that shell and fill in holes,” Neille said.<\/p>\n

“And then in combination with the dental resins and the glues, we’re using all these different methods and combining them to get the best outcome for that patient.”<\/p>\n

\"Josh<\/p>\n

\nJosh Neille describes the healing procedure as being a “panel beater” for turtles.
\nPhoto: Supplied\/ ABC News – Danielle Pope\n<\/p>\n

Dentist’s support<\/p>\n

The work was also made possible by Heyfield Family Dental Care’s Yana Stevens, who donated spare dental supplies.<\/p>\n

\"Yana<\/p>\n

\nYana Stevens says she donated spare dental supplies to avoid them going to waste.
\nPhoto: Supplied\/ ABC News – Danielle Pope\n<\/p>\n

Dr Stevens said that if dental supplies were safe for humans, they would be safe for turtles.<\/p>\n

“It felt good to help the animals, otherwise they would die from infection because [their] nerve endings are exposed and all the blood vessels in the shells,” Dr Stevens said.<\/p>\n

“So, we had to write down step-by-step how to use the materials. I knew he [Neille] needed a UV light in order to set the material hard so it actually bonds to the structure.<\/p>\n

“These filling materials stay in people’s mouths for a good five years plus, so I’m really hoping it will last a long time for turtles too.”<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

\nThe dental supplies Josh Neille uses to seal the turtles’ shells back together.
\nPhoto: Supplied\/ ABC News – Jack Colantuono\n<\/p>\n

Dr Stevens believed dental supplies also had the potential to assist other injured wildlife.<\/p>\n

“[Neille] knows my passion for the animals, and he has helped me to rescue some other animals before,” she said.<\/p>\n

“I already mentioned to him; just let me know if one of the animals needs dentures or something.”<\/p>\n

\"Josh<\/p>\n

\nJosh Neille uses a dental UV light to harden resin on a turtle’s shell.
\nPhoto: Supplied\/ ABC News – Danielle Pope\n<\/p>\n

Farm full of friends<\/p>\n

Beyond turtles, Neille’s Tinamba farm is home to about 200 native animals, most notably wombats, possums, emus and birds.<\/p>\n

Many animals require specialised care, and he coordinates with a network of carers on social media to ensure each receives appropriate treatment.<\/p>\n

\"Josh<\/p>\n

\nJosh Neille also cares for many other animals, including wombats.
\nPhoto: Supplied\/ ABC News – Danielle Pope\n<\/p>\n

Neille’s social media presence, with almost 2 million Instagram followers, has helped road users identify injured wildlife, and they can contact him for advice.<\/p>\n

And for these turtles, their healing journeys represent lives that might have otherwise been lost on Gippsland’s busy country roads.<\/p>\n

As one turtle returns to its habitat, another rolls in with a cracked shell at Neille’s animal hospital, queuing for its repair job.<\/p>\n

With innovation and care, dental resin is giving these turtles something to smile about.<\/p>\n

– ABC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Jack Colantuono, ABC Josh Neille uses dental resin to heal his turtle patients. Photo: Supplied\/ ABC News…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":308008,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[48,47,111,43,139,69,49,46,44,45,147,406],"class_list":{"0":"post-309484","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-audio","9":"tag-current-affairs","10":"tag-new-zealand","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-newzealand","13":"tag-nz","14":"tag-podcasts","15":"tag-public-radio","16":"tag-radio-new-zealand","17":"tag-rnz","18":"tag-science","19":"tag-wildlife"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=309484"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309484\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/308008"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=309484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=309484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=309484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}