Clinical Strengths

Oral health is integral to overall health, and the care we provide across the full spectrum of oral maxillofacial surgery and hospital dentistry services at the University of Michigan focuses on uniting multiple disciplines to create the best outcomes for our patients.

Craniofacial Anomalies

Through our expertise in oral health and facial growth, we bring a unique understanding of skeletal deformities, allowing us to offer comprehensive reconstructive treatments for craniofacial anomalies, including cleft lip and palate. We perform more than 100 operations a year to repair lips, palates, and jaw deformities, seeing patients from around the world. We were among the first surgeons to use 3D printing and virtual modeling for visualizing and planning accurate reconstruction for congenital and acquired deformities.

Complex Oral & Facial Pain

Myofascial pain can result from many sources including mechanical trauma, rheumatological disorders, and neurologic conditions. We perform a thorough assessment to determine the source of the pain and employ a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach to manage it.

Comprehensive Dental Rehabilitation

We leverage skills in reconstructive and maxillofacial surgery and general dentistry to perform comprehensive dental care for patients with medical complexity and special health care needs. Our scope of practice includes a comprehensive level of breadth and depth in restorative dentistry, including direct restorations, crowns, bridges, root canals, extractions, dentures, periodontal and root canal surgeries, and restoration of dental implants.

Dental Infections

As one of the few hospitals in the region with a dental service, we provide comprehensive care and a point of access for patients with dental infections and other emergencies in a resource-rich clinical environment.

Facial Fractures & Trauma

Our approach to surgical reconstruction of facial trauma emphasizes advanced and minimally invasive techniques to achieve the best results for patients. Severe oral and facial defects can happen for a variety of reasons such as trauma, cancer and congenital defects. These types of deformities often require major reconstructive efforts. These procedures, often done in the hospital, include major bone grafts, soft tissue flaps and grafts, and complex oral and facial prosthetics.

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

We treat patients from around the country for juvenile idiopathic arthritis, a rheumatic disorder that can affect multiple joints, including the jaw. We focus on minimally invasive surgical techniques to reduce surgical pain and improve recovery times. For patients with advanced disease of the jaw joints, we perform total joint replacement and jaw correction.

Malocclusion (Misaligned Teeth & Bite)

Corrective jaw surgery can normalize the position of asymmetrical jawbones. We use 3D-printed surgical guides to achieve precise results.

Maxillofacial Prosthetics (Anaplastology and Prosthodontics)

We create custom realistic silicone prostheses for patients with congenital, acquired or traumatic loss. These prosthetics are usually created for the auricular, nasal or orbital regions. We develop individualized prosthetics using digital surgical planning, custom surgical guide creation, and 3D visualization of pre- and post-surgical patient data. We also create intraoral prosthetics, such as maxillary obturators, mandibular resection prostheses, palatal augmentation prostheses, palatal lift prostheses, and speech aid prostheses.

Oral Lesions

We diagnose and treat a variety of cancerous and benign oral lesions, which can present as bumps or sores in the mouth. For cases requiring surgical treatment, we frequently can biopsy and treat the lesion during the same operation.

Oral/Head & Neck Cancers

We provide a full range of surgical treatment for oral cancers, with a focus on tumors originating in the mouth and throat. Our expertise in microvascular reconstruction, a technique that allows surgeons to use a patient’s own tissue to repair the area where a tumor was removed, results in excellent outcomes for patients. We are also one of the few programs offering comprehensive treatment for pediatric head and neck cancers, combining our expertise in tooth and jaw development with training in oncology and microsurgery.

Salivary Gland Diseases

Salivary gland disorders have different treatments depending on the diagnosis. For benign and malignant tumors, surgery is the core treatment. Our surgeons specialize in both minimally invasive surgery techniques and open surgical approaches, depending on the patient and the specific situation.

Sleep Disorders

Through our multidisciplinary sleep disorders program, we develop holistic treatment plans for adults and children with sleeping problems, including obstructive sleep apnea. Patients can see multiple experts on their care team as part of a coordinated plan, making the experience more efficient and effective.

TMJ Disorders

Our oral and maxillofacial surgeons provide the latest treatments for temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ), including minimally invasive techniques such as arthrocentesis and cutting-edge arthroscopic procedures, as well as open joint surgery and total joint replacements. We leverage our active TMJ clinical research program to provide new insights into treatment options for this disorder of the temporomandibular joint. Our dentists offer non-surgical approaches that consider multidisciplinary perspectives.