Oral & Facial Reconstruction Surgery in Chennai

Understanding Oral Reconstruction Surgery in Chennai

Removing the cancer is only half the operation. Rebuilding what was removed is what decides whether you can eat a normal meal and be understood on the phone a year from now. That rebuilding is what oral reconstruction surgery in Chennai means: restoring the function and the appearance of the mouth, jaws and face after a tumour or an injury has taken tissue away.

Most patients arrive with the same two fears. Will I look like myself? Will I be able to speak and swallow? Dr. Pradeep S. and Dr. Kalpa Pandya plan every case around those questions. This is core oral and maxillofacial surgery work, and the reconstruction is designed before the first cut is made, not decided afterwards.

Reconstructive Surgery After Oral Cancer Chennai: Our Approach

Reconstruction after cancer surgery is not a cosmetic afterthought. It is part of the same operation. When oral cancer or an oral potentially malignant disorder forces us to remove tissue, we plan the repair in the same sitting wherever we can, so you wake up already rebuilt rather than waiting months with a defect.

Dr. Pradeep S. and Dr. Kalpa Pandya work as one team on this. Combining the tumour removal with immediate reconstruction reduces the number of operations you go through, and lets you move into recovery and rehabilitation sooner. The same principle applies whether the surgery is a glossectomy, a mandibulectomy or a maxillectomy.

Flap reconstruction we do in-house

After a tumour comes out, the wound has to be closed with living tissue that will heal. That is what a flap is. We perform several of these reconstructions in-house, and the choice depends on how much was removed and where.

• Primary closure: Direct suturing of small wounds when there is sufficient healthy tissue remaining. Often enough after a wide local excision of an early lesion.
• Local flaps: Using nearby healthy tissue from the tongue, cheek (buccal), or roof of the mouth (palatal) to cover moderate surgical defects.
• Maxillofacial obturator: A specialized dental prosthesis designed to seal defects in the roof of the mouth, restoring normal speech and swallowing after upper jaw surgery. It is what keeps food and liquid from escaping into the nose after a maxillectomy.

The PMMC (pectoralis major) flap for larger defects

When a large area of soft tissue has to be replaced, the pectoralis major flap is one of the most dependable options we have. It is also called a pectoralis major myocutaneous, or PMMC, flap: muscle and skin are moved up from the chest into the mouth, still attached to their own blood supply.

We use it most often to rebuild large defects of the floor of the mouth, the tongue or the lower jaw region, including after a composite resection. Its blood supply is robust, which matters a great deal for healing if you have already had radiation or will need it after surgery. If you are weighing it against a free flap, this comparison of free flap versus PMMC for jaw reconstruction sets out the trade-offs.

Jaw reconstruction and complex bone restoration

Rebuilding the upper or lower jaw is what restores the shape of your face and makes dental rehabilitation possible later. Jaw reconstruction in Chennai uses specialised techniques to put the skeleton back together, and the approach we choose is also used for benign jaw tumours and in facial trauma work.

• Mandibular reconstruction plate: A biocompatible metal plate used to bridge gaps in the lower jaw, maintaining the natural shape and alignment of the face.

For complex microvascular free flaps, such as the radial forearm, fibula, anterolateral thigh (ALT), scapular, and deep circumflex iliac artery (DCIA) free flaps, we plan and perform these advanced procedures in close coordination with our reconstructive plastic surgery colleagues. This collaborative approach ensures the highest level of precision and safety for complex bone and soft tissue transfers. If a fibula free flap is on the table for your jaw, we will explain exactly who is doing what in theatre.

Once the bone has healed, teeth can often be put back. Many patients go on to full-arch dental implants on the reconstructed jaw, and our dental implants team plans this from the start.

What to Expect During Your Recovery and Rehabilitation

Recovery is gradual and it needs close monitoring. You will be guided through wound care, nutrition and physical therapy so that oral function comes back safely rather than being forced. Speech and swallowing improve with work, not just with time, and speech and swallowing therapy after oral surgery is a real part of the treatment, not an optional extra. Patients often find it helps to read what life after tongue cancer surgery actually looks like day to day.

We stay with you through every step of healing, from the first consultation to long-term follow-up, and our clinics are equipped to manage post-operative rehabilitation. Reconstruction is also discussed within our multidisciplinary cancer care team, so the plan for radiation or further treatment is never made in isolation from the plan to rebuild.

We warmly welcome outstation and international patients to our Chennai practice. Patients regularly travel to us from across Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Bangladesh, as well as the wider South India and South Asia regions. We offer remote second opinions and provide dedicated support for Bengali- and Tamil-speaking patients to make their care journey as comfortable and stress-free as possible.