We can add facial implants to the increasing list of things -including knives, jewelry and cars- that can be 3-D printed.
Dr. Pablo Prichard, chief of plastic surgery at HonorHealth's John C. Lincoln Medical Center, has been using these implants, mostly to replace lost bone.
"I think it's better cosmetically, as well as better structurally because that implant is much stronger than that metal sheeting we used to put," Prichard said. Cost of 3-d printed implants can range from $10 to $15,000, considerably more expensive than materials such as titanium sheeting which is about $1,000.