Complete Mandibular Reconstruction Requires Complex, Immediate-Load Restoration

One of our most challenging and rewarding cases this year was for a patient who had a cancerous mandibular tumor. His entire mandible was removed and reconstructed using parts of his fibula before an immediate-load temporary prosthesis was placed. The patient is wearing the temporary for about a year to ensure the cancer doesn’t return, then we will fabricate a final prosthesis.

Tumor removal and mandible reconstruction were handled by Drs. Fawaz Makki and Uthman Alamoudi, Otolaryngologists at AdventHealth. The process began with detailed planning, starting with intraoral and bite scans of the maxilla and mandible, and a CBCT scan of the patient’s head and fibula. These scans were merged to assess the tumor’s impact and plan the reconstruction, ensuring that bone, tissue and teeth aligned properly.

We then used multiple CAD software, including exocad, to digitally simulate the final outcome of the reconstructed mandible and design a functional,...