Eating a hamburger is one of life’s simple pleasures. But one man hadn’t been able to enjoy such a treat for several years due to a mysterious condition.
The man, aged in his 40s, who has asked to remain anonymous, has spent the past four years barely being able to open his mouth.
His jaw bones had fused together, and he was only able to open his mouth by around two millimetres – most people can manage 40 millimetres between the teeth.
The condition is normally triggered by trauma or disease, but in this case doctors could not find the cause.
However, thanks to surgeons at Melbourne’s Epworth Freemasons hospital and 3D printing technology, his jaw has now been restored.
“It was one of those things that slowly became worse over a period of time,” the patient said.
“It was a few years back, where it seemed to get bad, quickly.
“I have been putting up with it, in the extreme state, for four years, but COVID-19 and another surgery delayed my ability to sort it out.”
The man was still able to eat solid food, cut into extremely small pieces, by squeezing it between his teeth. Enjoying anything as simple as a toasted cheese sandwich was not possible.
“It limited food options, so something like a big fat steak was off the menu unless it was cut into tiny pieces,” he said. “It certainly had an impact.”
The man was assessed by oral medicine specialist Associate Professor Michael Stubbs, who referred him to oral and maxillofacial surgeon George Dimitroulis.
Mr Dimitroulis said that, without surgery, the man was at risk of injury or death if he vomited or needed urgent medical treatment that would require a breathing tube to be inserted.
“Having a jaw that’s closed to that significant degree can potentially result in a disastrous situation,” he said.
Surgical planning and custom 3D printing of the replacement jaw devices was done with millimetre accuracy, based on CT scans taken in the lead-up to surgery.
To be anaesthetised, the patient had to have a breathing tube put into his airway through his nose, as his restricted mouth opening was not wide enough to accommodate it.
Mr Dimitroulis said the fused jaw was successfully released and replaced in a “complex and highly challenging” seven-hour operation.
“We surgically released the fused jaw and replaced it with a fully-customised, 3D-printed titanium jaw device that restored his jaw function and allowed him to open his mouth normally again,” he said.
“Once we released the jaw he was able to open his mouth about 24 millimetres straight away, and that will improve as his jaw muscles loosen over time.
“Using 3D-printed jaw components has made it simpler, easier, more predictable and more precise so we get a result that is better than it was five years ago, with a faster recovery time.”
Before surgery, the patient was looking forward to eating a Tim Tam biscuit – something that had just not been possible.
“You can’t really squash a Tim Tam, they’re pretty hard,” he said.
He has now conquered the chocolate treat and is back to eating normal food, including a tasty hamburger.
