Oral & maxillofacial surgery · MUSC Health, Charleston
Minimally invasive orthognathic surgery with patient-specific implants, and full-scope TMJ surgery from arthroscopy to total joint reconstruction.
For referred patientsEach operation is digitally planned before surgery and carried out through the least invasive approach the case allows.
Practice highlights
Three highlights of the practice, each explained in its technical form and in plain terms. Referrals across the full scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery are welcome.
MIOS
An advanced approach to jaw surgery using smaller incisions and specialized techniques to minimize tissue trauma, reduce swelling, and accelerate recovery.
Read moreIn plain terms
Jaw surgery that repositions the upper and lower jaw with less surgical exposure, aiming for a faster and easier recovery.
PSI · Accuracy and precision
To improve the accuracy and precision of orthognathic surgery, the guides and plates are designed for each patient from the virtual plan. He has worked on adapting the guides to fit through the smaller incisions of minimally invasive surgery, a combination few surgeons use.
Read moreIn plain terms
The operation is rehearsed on a 3D model of the patient's face first, and the plates are made to fit that patient only.
TMJ arthroscopy · Total joint replacement
Treatment matched to what the joint needs: arthroscopy, open joint surgery, alloplastic total joint replacement, and combined TMJ and orthognathic surgery, including ankylosis, condylar resorption and revision cases.
Read moreIn plain terms
Surgery of the jaw joint, from a minimally invasive arthroscopy through a small entry point to replacing the joint when it can no longer be repaired.
Other areas of interest
Maxillofacial traumaBenign pathologyJaw reconstruction with tissue engineeringComplex dentoalveolar surgery, including wisdom teethImplant reconstructionHow the surgery works
Four short explainers: minimally invasive jaw surgery, patient-specific implants, TMJ arthroscopy and total joint replacement.
Jaw surgery through smaller incisions, with guides and plates made for the patient.
The surgery rehearsed on a 3D model, then guides and plates made to match it.
A tiny camera and instruments inside the joint, through a very small entry point.
A joint that can no longer be repaired, replaced with a prosthetic joint.
The plan, measured
Every case starts as a virtual plan. After surgery, the result is measured against that plan, independently of how satisfied the patient is. The differences are what end up in the literature and in the teaching.
For referring clinicians
The referring clinician stays informed through planning and treatment, and the patient returns for the orthodontic and restorative phases.
Teaching and research
Lectures, cadaver courses and research come out of the same practice: what is measured in the operating room gets published, and what holds up gets taught.
Invited lectures and cadaver training courses on MIOS, patient-specific implants and TMJ surgery, in English and Spanish.
Speaking topics and courses