Hello, old friends -

I am a returning member of the forum - have been cancer-free for 16 years but have a new question:

Does anyone have experience getting reconstruction many years after cancer treatment? I had a successful palatectomy/maxillectomy (and radiation and chemo) in 2009 and have been wearing an obturator since then. Though I was pretty happy with it for the first few years, it has recently been problematic - my swallowing muscles are compromised because of it and I struggle to swallow almost all solid food. I'm eating, but it's no fun!

Because of the swallowing difficulty and also chewing problems, I am considering having reconstruction (fibula, etc?) of my upper maxilla and half of my palate, as well as several teeth. I am working with a terrific prosthodontist who is going to make me a new obturator, but I'm seriously considering doing the reconstructive surgery if it's going to make my life a whole lot better! Does anyone here have experience with this kind of reconstruction many years after their original surgery/cancer treatment? Is it crazy for me to consider [/i]another[i]major oral surgery just to get better swallowing/chewing/speaking?

Please, if anyone has experience with this, let me know how it went for you. You can also PM me if you prefer.

Thank you!
Chrissy

I'm a few months late, but my husband had a partial maxillectomy to remove his palate in 2013. He has also been experiencing issues with his obturator. The fit is good (he says), very tight, but his molars on either side are loose and rotting. Either molar could fall out at any time, leaving him with no anchor to hold the obturator. If it happens, I guess temporary denture glue could help for a bit, but having any gaps drives him crazy. Gaps cause him issues with swallowing, speaking, having beverages or moist foods drip out through his nose...

He's been having a hell of a time finding anyone willing to do the flap procedure, or put in dental implants, or any procedure, to help. Radiation history is likely why, but I'm not sure. Two of his old specialists have died, others moved, one of his original surgeons refuses to do flap procedures anymore and highly recommends not to do it, and gave us gruesome examples he's seen first-hand, out of very genuine compassion. New contacts we've reach out to sound unfamiliar but 'willing to try' different surgical options (yikes & what the heck).

I wish I had something to offer you, right now. We'll have to travel to a find somebody who knows what to do. Might take months to get this sorted, but if you buzz back sometime, I'll update. If he could find a way to make an obturator work without flap surgery and without molars, he absolutely would do that.