Dental Reconstruction For Donnie

Don (Donnie) Hobbs was diagnosed with oral cancer in the spring of 2013.  In order to remove the cancer to save his life, he had to have major oral surgery.  Donnies surgery lasted 14 hours. During that time the doctors had to  cut him from ear to ear to give  access for the surgery. They had to remove 1/3 of his  tongue, the floor of his mouth,  and everything in between. For example, salivary glands, muscles, and all soft tissue.

 After removing the cancer itself, then came the  reconstruction. For the plastic surgeon to be able to reconstruct the floor of his mouth,several procedures were necessary. Some examples are, removal of a piece of skin  and artery from his  forearm , and removal of skin from his leg to be used to graft his arm.

Donnies surgery  was a success!  Unfortunately,Donnie had an infection that took six months, and a second surgery to heal. Because of the 6  month delay and the healing of his mouth, he was unable to have any dental work done for 1  1/2 years. Eventually, he was able to return to normal dental care. Even though Donnie has done everything possible to take care of his teeth, due to the lack of salivary glands he finds his teeth  unsalvageable.  He will need full mouth extractions to   Eliminate his dental infections

 Due to the damage done in his mouth from the cancer and the surgeries, he finds himself with limited options for dentures. Donnies mouth is unable to support a denture the way a regular mouth would, because of his lack of jaw bone. Donnie needs 4 implants on the top and 4 on the bottom in order to support his dentures.

To eliminate the infections that are risking his reconstruction and health, Donnie needs dental surgery immediately.

No amount is too small, all donations are greatly appreciated. Even if you are unable to give, please share this page. Thank you for taking the time to read Donnies story.