Turtle Doctor

Dr. Peter A. Norowski has been a practicing dentist in Biloxi for 31 years. He was born in Memphis, Tennessee. Educated at Vanderbilt University and Washington University St. Louis, he began his dental career in Biloxi in 1981. He has involved himself in his community in several different ways, including Christus Victor Lutheran Church, Biloxi Rotary, Edgewater Rotary, Gulf Coast and Biloxi Bay Chambers of Commerce, Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts, and more recently, the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies—IMMS.

Dr. Peter A. Norowski has had an unusual, less nonhuman patient the past couple of months. Rocky, an endangered Kemps Ridley sea turtle, residing at the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport, was presented to Dr. Norowski with a severely damaged shell from an boating accident. Never having worked on a sea turtle before, Dr. Norowski had to devise a strategic plan to help fuse Rocky’s split shell back together. Because this was his first experience with a sea turtle, Dr. Norowski had to do some research and learn some sea turtle anatomy. The veterinary staff at the IMMS had first approached Dr. Norowski as he was doing some volunteer work at the IMMS.

To have an accurate model of Rocky’s shell with which to work, Dr. Norowski and his assistants had to take an impression of Rocky’s shell using multiple materials commonly used around the dental office. Poly-vinyl rubber impression material was layered on top of Rocky’s shell and sewing bobbins were placed inside the impression material to stabilize the material for an accurate impression. After the impression hardened onto Rocky’s shell, plaster was then placed onto the impression material to stiffen and stabilize the impression. The plaster impression was removed from Rocky’s shell and taken back to the dental lab. In the lab, the impression of Rocky’s shell was poured up with denstone, a stone used to pour up dental models. When the model hardened, Dr. Norowski had an accurate model of Rocky’s cracked shell. Dr. Norowski then used this model to create acrylic tiles to fit specifically to Rocky’s damaged shell. After the pieces were made, they were light cured to the turtle’s shell, using dental cements. Different orthodontic wires and palatal expanders were also affixed on top of these pieces to help shift Rockys’ shell.

Dr. Norowski jokes that Rocky doesn’t complain as much as humans do in the chair. He, the talented veterinary staff at the IMMS and his team are hoping for the best outcome for Rocky and are patiently waiting for the day that Rocky can have all of his appliances removed and be crack free!​