Denture Glue Saved Florida Sea Turtle's Life

When a 40-pound seal turtle came into the Turtle Hospital in Marathon, Fla., suffering from a fractured shell, an unlikely substance helped her get put back together: denture glue.

A boat strike left the turtle with a 10-inch crack that made the animal prone to infection and possible death. Bette Zikelbach, the manager of the hospital, weighed her options to quickly repair the fracture as time played a factor when surveying the severity of the damage.

The Associated Press notes that medical staff cared for the turtle named Elena via a broad-spectrum of antibiotics and vitamins through a daily feeding tube. Once the turtle began eating on her own again, the staff shifted their focus towards her shell.

 "Historically, we have tried different marine epoxies and we haven't had a lot of luck," Zirkelbach said, according to ABC News.

While she and staff brainstormed on possible ideas that could fix the turtle's shell, Zirkelbach called on her dentist, Dr. Fred Troxel for help.

Though dental glue had been unsuccessful in the past when it came to repairing turtle's shells, Zirkelbach said she hope that a new dental product might work.

"In modern dentistry, you make something non-organic like a crown stick to something organic," Troxel said, via the news organization. "There are all kinds of different [bonding agents.]"

Officials used a waterproof denture resin to help repair the fracture as well as add prosthetic pieces to parts of the missing shell.

A few weeks following, the turtle is doing well and out of critical condition, according to various reports.