When having teeth pulled your dentist or oral surgeon should be following whats called the Marx Protocol. It is where you have 20 HBO dives prior to having teeth removed and 10 immediately afterwards. Sometimes a patient who already has undergone radiation will have a few more afterwards, like 20 instead of the 10. It is to prevent ORN.

A mandibulectomy is no walk in the park. Of course every single person is different with their reactions to procedures and medications, etc. I had a very difficult time but that was just me. I usually see mandibulectomy patients spend somewhere from 10 days to 2 or 3 weeks in the hospital. Speech isnt affected as much as your would think. Ask for a possey muir valve on your trach so you will be able to talk easily. Swelling takes a very long time to recede. It will be a full year before a doctor will do any reconstructive work. Most plastic surgeons do not like to come into things in the middle so if you are traveling for this surgery be prepared to do any follow up surgeries there as well. I would doubt there will be any hardware sticking out of your face.

If I had to give a good guess about length of time a person would be incapacitated due to having a mandibulectomy I would say a minimum of 3 months. I really hate to say it but you could be out of work for a very long time with this operation. Going into something major like this you really cant predict how quickly you will recover. Alot depends on your age and health and if there are any complications with the surgery. Having surgery in an area that has undergone radiation is bound to have some challenges with healing. Dont be surprised if you need further HBO.

What is rhBMP-2? Is this the titanium bar? I had that done and unfortunately my body rejected the metal and the surgery had to be redone. Even though everyone is different, I have seen others have similar problems with this. I know it doesnt sound like it would be better using a piece of your leg bone but in my opinion, it works better. Some doctors even use cadaver bones for this procedure. Ive heard this works very well.

This type of surgery calls for alot of planning so it doesnt disrupt everything in your life. I prepared for being sick for only 2 months. I ended up being in the hospital for 2 months. My recovery was a very long and difficult one. It took me about a year to bounce back but I had many complications that most do not. I am hoping that your surgery is not nearly as involved as mine was and it will be a quick recovery for you.