Pewaukee Bride Under Goes Facial Reconstruction

It was a nightmare-situation for a Pewaukee bride to be.

Just weeks before her wedding, a softball accident crushed part of her face.

Rapidly improving technology focused on 3D printing meant this newlywed could look more like herself again.

Looking at her now you would never know she'd been slammed with a tipped softball just a few short months ago.

"What happened is it broke here, here, and here. so it took my cheek bone, pushed it in, and out,” said Carlie. "I was like breaking down cause i was like this is a month before my wedding and I have a broken face."

Carlie eventually met Dr. Carolyn Brookes.

Dr. Brookes is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon working for Froedert and Medical College of Wisconsin.

She suggested a newer technique: 3d printing a new cheekbone.

"We were able to obtain a mirror image of the part of her face that was affected. And then we were able to 3D print a custom implant that keyed in to the abnormal underlying bone - and allowed us to achieve precise symmetry with the unaffected side,” said Dr. Brookes.

"Obviously my face will never be what it looked like before the accident. But it definitely looks ten times better than it did like after the accident,” said Carlie.