Jaw in a Day Surgery at Mount Sinai
The need to remove part or all of the upper or lower jaw can happen for a variety of reasons. While cancer surgery is the most common cause, some patients face jawbone deterioration due to radiation or certain types of antiresorptive medications, leading to the need for procedures like mandibulectomy or maxillectomy. These surgeries involve removing the affected part of the jaw, and patients often leave the operating room without teeth, unable to chew food for several months. This can take a serious toll on their mental health and overall quality of life.
At Mount Sinai, the Head and Neck, Maxillofacial surgeons, along with Prosthodontists—specialists in restoring and replacing teeth—are at the forefront of developing cutting-edge solutions. These innovations are making a world of difference, dramatically improving the outcomes and lives of patients who undergo these life-altering surgeries.
Jaw in a Day is a unique new procedure that offers patients both an immediate post-surgical restoration of their smiles and a significantly reduced timeline for implantation of permanent teeth. Our surgeons pioneered this procedure and are continuing to refine the Jaw in a Day technique and developing even more options to meet all our patients’ needs.
About Jaw in a Day – how it can help patients following mandibulectomy
Jaw in a Day is an all-in approach to jaw tumor resection and reconstruction that includes same-day placement of titanium dental implants to anchor temporary teeth that look exactly like the patients’ existing teeth. Pioneered at Mount Sinai, the procedure combines years of experience in surgical treatment of oral cancers with sophisticated computer-assisted planning software to offer patients immediate restoration of their smiles and a faster return to normal chewing.
How Jaw in a Day is performed
Before undergoing mandibulectomy at Mount Sinai, patients meet with a multidisciplinary team that includes a head-neck surgeon, a maxillofacial surgeon, and a prosthodontist. Upon diagnosis of cancer, each patient undergoes extensive scanning of their jaws and teeth. These scans are used to develop a virtual surgical plan for each patient and facilitate the manufacture of a temporary dental prosthesis made from acrylic resin that is custom colored and finished to closely resemble their real teeth.
The surgical team performs a virtual tumor and jaw resection along with harvesting and placement of the fibula—a non-weight bearing leg bone that runs from the knee to the ankle—to ensure a successful Jaw in a Day procedure. Once the virtual surgery is completed and the surgical plans finalized, the surgical team proceeds with the Jaw in a Day procedure. This involves resection of the tumor and afflicted mandible, placement of dental implants in the fibula using a custom made surgical guide , followed by it’s harvest and implantation of the fibula to create the new jaw and temporary teeth.
The Jaw in a Day procedure takes six to eight hours to complete and healing typically takes between six weeks and six months. During that time, Mount Sinai’s team follows up with patients to monitor the healing process, clean the temporary prosthetic, and make adjustments to improve alignment, distribution of bite force, and chewing function. When patients are fully healed, the team proceeds to remove their temporary prothesis and fabricate their permanent prosthesis.
Benefits of Jaw in a Day
There are several benefits for patients who are eligible for the Jaw in a Day procedure. They are:
- Enhanced overall well-being associated with having teeth
- Faster healing without scarring or deformity, which facilitates quicker implantation of the permanent dental prosthesis
- Shorter time to return to regular chewing and diet
- Choice in permanent prosthetic options such as ceramic, zirconium and titanium
Mount Sinai’s Advantage with the Jaw in a Day Procedure
As a large tertiary medical center, Mount Sinai has extensive expertise in performing these procedures. That expertise provided the impetus for development of the Jaw in a Day technique. Our surgeons are experienced in performing this procedure, ensuring a precise fit and natural, familiar smile. Our surgeons also have access to a wide range of specialists across the medical center, enabling them to deliver outstanding multidisciplinary care to meet our patients needs. We have multiple locations throughout New York City, making it easy to find care close to home.
The physicians performing this procedure are: