Just can't keep quiet on this one,

August is correct, Jerry let me know your thoughts on this.

In my professional experience, Prosthodontists come in two categories those that do dentures and those that despise dentures.
Prosthodontists trained in the southern states and the UK ( for some reason ) in my experience have more gravitation towards providing denture treatment. More experience in maxillofacial reconstruction and obturators (palatal plates), both immediate post surgical obturators and permanent prosthesis. Dr. Robert Hoar, Dalhousie, Class of 63-64, then continued his education in the "Big Easy" for his specialty training, was our local prosthodontic maxillofacial reconstruction expert. He was a member of the Capital Health Tumor Board until he recently retired. A loss the dental and OC community felt bigtime.
He was consulted by the ENT's, plastic surgeons, oncologists and maxillofacial surgeons on most cases that may or could require prosthodontic replacement of teeth and/or oral surronding structures prior to surgery. Many times he was present during surgery to assist the surgeons in recognizing where the best surgical margins were located away from the cancer site so that an obturator would be successful.
He was a mentor extrordinaire. I was lucky to have him as a professor. He made sure that every student in my class saw, adjusted and participated in a patients treatment who had/or needed an obturator. (plate)

I'm rambling again...

My point is...If your surgeon, as August has said knows of someone, visit them, if he cannot recommend someone then start calling every prosthodontist within 100 miles of you and ask them question, ask for references.
Obturators can be very successful if constructed by a caring, understanding, skilled prosthodontist. Obturators get their sometimes poor evaluation from the experiences of patients who fell into the hands of inexperienced individuals who haven't constructed enough of them.
Not that you don't have enough on your mind already but a detail that can make you much less miserable post surgery.

Cheers,

Mike