Now I just want to eat. My jaw was 40% bottom removed and replaced with bone from my back but that was rejected agfter 22 days and I had emergency surgery because I hemoraged and lost so much blood they had to give me blood and then they just never replaced my jaw. I can swallow now but my teeth do not meet and cannot chew. Is there any hope? Anybody had this old fashioned surgery these days?

Hey Peace

Surely they are going to try another replacement. are they not?

I can hardly eat solids but I eat all soft foods and mash them up. Chili, stew, soups. I cut everything into very small peices, then I only have to chew a little. I know this may not be much help, but it works for me.

There is Always Hope! Hope is a Good Thing! Petey

Thanks Petey, but I tried twice and do not want another 14 hour operation although they do not want to do another operation either. I am just done this way. Quess I should just be lucky to be alive but I yearn to eat anyway!

Peace
there's always hope..don't ever give that to the Beast. I had my jaw removed and rebuilt with titanium and fibula. Thankfully, I've have no issues at all.

I have no idea whether they would try another recontruction of your jaw or not. If they don't, there is still lots to life that needs to be lived, and it doesnt depend on eating the way you used to.

I'm not sure what you mean by "old fashioned" though. the micro-vascular work involved with mandible reconstruction and donor bone is by no means old fashioned. It's only been in the past decade or so that it's even been possible. Beoyond that, the solution often was to simply remove the jaw completely; there just wasn't much else they could do.

Have you talked to the surgeons about future restorative work? I would want to exhaust every possibility in that regard

Wayne

Hey Peace

I'm no Doctor and know very little about dentistry except that I went every 4 months for cleaning trying to save my teeth from gingivitas. I had deep scrapings, special mouthwash, etc. but I lost the battle and had to get dentures. I have a full bottom and a partial removeable top, that clips to 4 teeth.

What I'm trying to get to here is there must be a way to reshape your teeth, or do something to correct your "bite". Caps, bridge, partials etc. If you could get to chew on one side in the back would that be a big improvement? Maybe wilckdds aka Dr. Jerry Wilck DDS will chime in here and give you some advice.

If you go to the "Introduce yourself" forum, go to page 2. There is a topic titled "May I be at your service" by Dr. Dai Phan DDS MS. posted on 3-24-07(READ IT). He offers advice and you are in the scope of his work. I know there must be something that can be done besides a third attempt at reconstruction.

I am sending him this thread. You should look him up and send him a PM.

Remember, HOPE IS A GOOD THING! Peace Out, Petey

Peace,
I had half of my lower jaw replaced here in Virginia, the bone from my lower leg was used. That was four years ago and my jaw is fine so far. I strongly suggest that you ask about this procedure. There isn't any need for you to go the rest of your life missing your jaw. Not with the advancements we have with medicine now.
Good luck,
Minnie

Hello all,

I hope I can offer some advice to the OP. With today's advancement in surgical and reconstructive techniques, the entire jaw or part of the jaw can be reconstructed that will restore functions that were lost before. However, it should be noted that these types of surgeries are not for everyone. A surgeon must take into account the patient's overall systemic health and the prognosis of the case. Sometimes the risks or the end results may be too limited to justify for the commitment of the surgery. If the reconstruction is not recommended, be sure to find out the reasons. Is it because your medical center does not have the personel to do the surgery and specialists to restore your dentition? Or is it because of your systemic condition considerations that put you as a poor candidate for surgery? Or perhaps there are other options that may be better than reconstruction of your jaw? It is always wise to seek second or third opinion regarding your situation.

Let's assume that surgical reconstruction of the lower jaw is not possible, then what is next? When a jaw is resected, you will loose the normal relationship of the upper jaw to the lower jaw. That is the resected side tends to rotate out of the position due to the lack of equal muscle pull. However, there are oral prostheses that can restore occlusion (teeth coming together) and allow you to masticate the food properly. From what I read of your post, you do not have problem swallowing nor having part of your tongue removed so I would say that the prognosis of having an appliance that works for you is good. However, these types of appliances are best left for prosthodontists or maxillofacial prosthodontists. Another point to consider is to monitor your ability to open your mouth. If you notice a decrease in your mouth opening, contact your dentist or physician and inquire about a trimus appliance at once. Untreated trimus will cause a huge complication for prosthesis construction. What is the world's simplest trismus appliance? A: Taped together tounge blades.

It should be noted that these appliances will not look normal and they will not allow you to eat all kinds of foods like before. However, they will provide adequate teeth contacts during function. DP

Peace,

Sorry to hear what you are going through. Dr. Phan is certainly more qualified to answer your questions and I am happy to see that he has done so.

Jerry

Quick question for Jerry or Dr. Phan -

Does the Vizilite and/or VELScope light up OTHER problems besides just oral cancer, like lichen planus or leukoplakia? THANKS! JaneP

These devices are NOT DIAGNOSTIC for cancer, they are discovery devices. While the VELscope is more sophisticated, if you don't know what you are looking at, these things are not going to be a substitue for knowing what you are looking at. They will find EVERYTHING including pizza burns, and cheek bites. You have to understand how to do a proper screening first, they are ADJUNCTIVE devices. They will find leukoplakia, lichen planus, herpes simplex and the list goes on and on.