MELBOURNE, Australia – A life-changing procedure for a cancer patient was performed by Greek-Australian Dr. George Dimitroulis, a Melbourne-based maxillofacial surgeon, 9News reported. The world’s first ever jaw reconstruction using a 3D printed jaw which features a titanium frame to carry bone grafts to allow for tooth implants has restored the quality of life to a 31-year-old cancer patient.
Melbourne resident Anelia Myburgh noticed an unusual bump above her teeth and made an appointment with her dentist who referred her to specialists. After a series of tests revealed she had jaw cancer, about 80 percent of her upper jaw was surgically removed as well as part of her upper lip and a section beneath her nose, 9News reported.
The disfiguring procedure was difficult to live with, Myburgh, a finance worker, told 9News, “We communicate with our mouths, we eat with our mouths, if you don’t have a mouth we can’t really live in a way a person takes for granted,” adding that her self-consciousness caused her to stay home most of the time and only leave the house wearing a surgical mask.
After being told that nothing could be done, she researched on her own and found Dr. Dimitroulis who said, “Putting the device in is the easy part, the hard part is the healing, we’re not exactly sure how that’s going to go,” 9News reported.
Months of recovery followed with temporary teeth put in so Myburgh could get used to them, 9News reported adding that the permanent teeth were put in for free.
A five hour operation added a skin graft from her forearm to fill out her upper lip and so far the results are a success, 9News reported.
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