Sharon,

Yes, there is something that can be done with the hole that goes into your sinus. There is also a way to "fill" the hole that used to be the roof of your mouth. My doctor was NOT expecting me to have a recurrence at all. The way they can fill the hole into your sinus is to take part of your tongue and create a flap that will fill that hole. Filling in the roof of your is major surgery and one that I was not going to do as I was ok with the obturator. I didn't have a need to feel whole as my doctor described it. I was whole.

The other thing is that with a total maxillectomy there isn't any bone left for teeth or anything for an obturator to attach itself to. So in order to eat anything other than soft, pureed foods you would need to get a fibula flap to get some bone back in there.

I am not sure of recurrence rate of maxillary cancer either but I would say that you might be in a better position than I was as you also had radiation after your surgery and I think it was the radiation that kicked it more than the surgery since it doesn't always show itself when you are getting surgery. My surgery was in the front of my mouth and the recurrence was in the roof of my mouth and in the back part of the side maxilla.