Electrician Saves 15 Turtles With Dental Resin and 3D Printer

When turtles arrive at Josh Neille's farm in Gippsland, Victoria, they're often in rough shape after encounters with cars. But this electrician turned wildlife carer has figured out how to give them a second chance using an unlikely tool: dental resin.

Neille calls himself a "panel beater for turtles." He treats each cracked shell like a damaged car, carefully sanding, cleaning, and patching the injuries with the same material dentists use for tooth fillings.

The process isn't quick. Each turtle undergoes triage, infection control, and antibiotics before repairs begin. Neille then applies layers of primer, resin, and glue to seal the cracks, hardening everything with a UV light.

Minor cracks need only three or four days of care. But Neille's latest patient, an eastern long-necked turtle with severe fractures exposing tissue and vital organs, required three months of recovery. Without the resin repairs and careful monitoring, the turtle likely wouldn't have survived.

For the most challenging cases, Neille uses 3D scanning and printing to create custom replacements for missing shell sections. He combines these printed pieces with dental materials to achieve the best outcome for each patient.

The breakthrough came thanks to Dr. Yana Stevens from Heyfield Family Dental Care, who donated spare dental supplies that would have otherwise gone to waste. She reasoned that if the materials were safe for human mouths, they'd work for turtles too.

Stevens provided step-by-step instructions and the crucial UV light needed to bond the material to shell structures. Since dental fillings last five years or more in human teeth, she's hopeful they'll provide long-lasting protection for turtles.

The Ripple Effect

Neille's Tinamba farm now shelters about 200 native animals, including wombats, possums, emus, and birds. His nearly 2 million Instagram followers help him identify injured wildlife across the region, creating a network of rescue and care.

Dr. Stevens is already thinking bigger, joking that she's ready if any animals need dentures. The collaboration shows how creative thinking and spare resources can solve problems that might otherwise seem unsolvable.

For turtles crossing Gippsland's busy country roads, innovation is literally saving lives one shell at a time.