Professional Maxillofacial Prosthodontics in San Diego

Maxillofacial Prosthodontics in San Diego

Maxillofacial prosthodontics restores the parts of the mouth, jaw, and face lost to cancer surgery, an accident, or a condition present from birth. Every device is custom-made: an obturator that closes an opening in the palate so you can eat and speak again, a lifelike ear or nose, a prosthesis that supports your jaw after a resection. The goal is straightforward, even when the work isn't. Getting you back to eating a meal, holding a conversation, and looking in the mirror without bracing yourself first.

Dr. Grillo, Dr. Lum, Dr. Weatherington, and Dr. Breziner care for patients across San Diego — prosthodontists, a periodontist, and an endodontist all practicing under one roof at our Lusk Blvd office. We coordinate directly with your oncologist, surgeon, or physician, so you don't have to relay information between teams. No referral needed. Call (858) 755-9810 to get started.

Quick Takeaways

• Bring your records. Surgical reports, recent imaging, and your oncologist's or surgeon's contact information let us give you real answers at the first visit.
• Ask about timing. Some prosthetics are placed at or shortly after surgery; others wait until tissues heal and radiation is complete. If dental implants are part of the plan, healing and bone quality drive that schedule.
• Ask about medical coverage, not just dental. Prosthetics following cancer surgery or trauma sometimes fall under medical benefits. We'll help you sort out which applies and review payment and financing options first.
• Expect several appointments. Imaging, fitting, refinement, then follow-up as your anatomy settles. Removable options such as dentures need similar adjustment over time.

How Treatment Works

1. A consultation that starts with your history

We review your medical history, surgical records, and any imaging you have. Then we examine how much tissue remains, how your jaw moves, how your speech and swallowing are affected, and what your skin and bone can support. Nothing gets designed before we understand what we're designing around.

2. Coordination with your medical team

If you're under the care of an oncologist, head and neck surgeon, or another physician, we contact them directly. Radiation schedules, planned surgeries, and healing timelines all affect when a prosthesis can be made and fitted, and that conversation happens between clinicians rather than being handed to you to relay. Within our own walls, prosthodontics, periodontics, and endodontics coordinate the same way, so our specialists plan together instead of referring you out.

3. Digital capture and design

We use impression-less intraoral scanners, 3D facial scanning, and cone beam imaging to capture your anatomy without goopy trays pressed into sensitive tissue. Those scans become the blueprint for the device, and when dental implants are part of the plan, they let us map anatomy on a 3D CT and preplan positions with 3D printed surgical guides.

4. Fabrication with our laboratory partners

Your prosthesis is built for your anatomy, not adapted from a stock form. We work with top-tier labs and skilled technicians on color, contour, and texture, because a nose or an ear has to read as yours in daylight, not just fit in a chair.

5. Fitting, refinement, and long-term follow-up

The first fitting checks function, comfort, and appearance. Adjustments follow. Tissues change, especially after radiation or ongoing healing, so we plan on seeing you again rather than treating delivery as the finish line.

What This Care Gives You Back

• Eating real food again. An obturator that seals a palate defect, or a prosthesis that restores jaw support, changes what you can chew and swallow without leakage or fatigue.
• Clearer speech. Separating the oral and nasal cavities restores the airflow your voice depends on.
• Facial symmetry that holds up in person. Custom shading and contouring matched to your own skin and features, not approximated.
• Stability when implants are involved. Dental implants can anchor a prosthesis so it stays put without relying on adhesive, and implant-supported dentures apply the same principle across a full arch.
• Protection for what remains. Supporting healthy tissue, bone, and remaining teeth keeps small problems from becoming larger reconstructive ones, which is why gum disease treatment is often part of the plan.
• Fewer moving parts in your care. With prosthodontics, periodontics, and endodontics in one practice, Dr. Grillo, Dr. Lum, and Dr. Weatherington plan together instead of across referral chains.

Who This Is Right For

After head and neck cancer treatment

Surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy for oral, head, or neck cancer can leave structural changes that affect eating, speaking, and appearance. Obturators, mandibular resection prosthetics, and facial prosthetics are designed for exactly these defects. If treatment hasn't started yet, a pre-radiation screening is a valuable time to be seen.

After facial or jaw trauma

Reconstruction after an accident often combines surgical work, implants placed with guided precision, and a prosthesis built to restore both structure and appearance.

Congenital differences

Patients born with cleft lip or palate, or with other structural differences of the face and mouth, may need prosthetic restoration alongside or after surgical care. We provide cleft lip and palate surgery as well, which keeps surgical and prosthetic planning in the same conversation.

When something else may fit better

If your concern is missing teeth without a facial or palatal defect, dental implants, implant-supported dentures, or full mouth reconstruction may serve you better and more simply. If reconstructive surgery is still an option and would give you a better long-term result, we'll say so and work with your surgeon. The consultation exists to sort that out.

Timeline and Milestones

Every case runs on its own clock, and anyone who quotes a fixed number of weeks without seeing your anatomy is guessing. Here's the general shape of it.

• Consultation and records review: one visit, sometimes two if additional imaging or coordination with your physician is needed.
• Planning and digital design: scans and design work happen between appointments, with implant planning added when surgery is part of the plan.
• Fabrication: laboratory time varies by device. A facial prosthesis with detailed color matching takes longer than a straightforward obturator.
• Fitting and adjustments: expect more than one visit, whether we're seating a removable prosthesis or an implant-retained one.
• Ongoing care: periodic checks, and replacement over time as tissues change or the prosthesis wears.

Radiation and surgical healing usually set the pace. Once we've seen your anatomy and talked with your medical team, Dr. Grillo, Dr. Lum, and Dr. Weatherington will map out a timeline specific to your case.

Preparing for Treatment and Caring for the Result

Before your first appointment

Gather what you have: operative reports, pathology reports, recent CT or panoramic images, and the names and numbers of the physicians treating you.

Write down the things that bother you most day to day, whether that's a specific food you miss, a sound you can't make, or a photograph you avoid.

Those details shape design decisions more than you'd expect. Bring your medication list, and contact our San Diego team ahead of time if you'd like us to request records on your behalf.

Living with your prosthesis

Daily care depends on the device, and we'll teach you the specifics hands-on before you leave with it. In general: clean the prosthesis and the tissue it contacts every day with the products we recommend, avoid heat and harsh chemicals that can distort or discolour materials, and store it safely when it's out.

Report soreness, a change in fit, or a new pressure spot early. Small adjustments are easy; a wound under a prosthesis is not. Keep your regular hygiene visits too, since remaining teeth and gum tissue carry more load than usual in reconstructed mouths.

If your restoration is anchored by dental implants, those visits also let us monitor the surrounding bone and soft tissue, and address early signs of gum disease before they threaten the reconstruction.

Cost, Insurance, and Financing For Maxillofacial Prosthodontics

Costs range widely here because the devices do. The type of prosthesis, the complexity of your anatomy, whether dental implants are involved, and how many stages the plan requires all move the number. We review all of it with you in writing before treatment begins, so there are no surprises later.

Prosthetics following cancer surgery or trauma sometimes qualify under medical benefits rather than dental, so mention any medical coverage you carry. We're a Delta Dental provider and work with every patient to maximize their benefits. Payment is due at the time of service, and financing is available through Cherry.

Why Patients Choose DNTL

We started as an advanced restorative group practice with three operatories and one doctor. Complex cases kept needing surgical care we had to refer out, which meant handing patients off mid-treatment. So we built the practice we wanted to send people to: sixteen operatories, four specialists, one location.

• A maxillofacial prosthodontist in a private practice setting. This specialty usually lives inside hospital systems and academic centers. Having it here means no referral queue to enter.
• Specialists who plan together. Dr. Grillo and Dr. Lum in prosthodontics, Dr. Weatherington in periodontics, and Dr. Breziner in endodontics collaborate on cases in the same building, on the same day.
• Technology chosen for accuracy, not novelty. Cone beam and 3D CT imaging, 3D facial scanning, impression-less intraoral scanners, intraoral photogrammetry, and 3D printed surgical guides for less invasive, more precise implant placement.
• Artistry alongside engineering. Partnerships with top-tier laboratories and technicians who understand that a facial prosthesis has to look right, not just fit right.
• Sedation available. Oral conscious sedation and IV sedation for patients who need them.
• A practice that feels like a practice, not a clinic. Concierge-level attention, one team that knows your history, and open weekday hours at our San Diego office.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is a maxillofacial prosthodontist different from a general dentist?

Maxillofacial prosthodontics is a subspecialty focused on restoring structures of the face, jaw, and mouth lost or altered by cancer, trauma, or congenital conditions. It requires training beyond general dentistry and beyond standard prosthodontics, plus an artistic eye for matching skin tone, contour, and texture. A general dentist restores teeth; this work restores anatomy.

Do I need a referral to be seen?

No. Many patients find us on their own. If you're already working with an oncologist or surgical team, we'll coordinate with them directly.

Should I come in before my cancer surgery or radiation, or after?

Before, if there's time. Pre-radiation screening lets us address dental problems that become much harder to treat afterward, and planning a prosthesis before surgery can allow for a better result. If treatment has already happened, that's fine too.

Will a facial prosthesis look natural?

That's the goal, and it's why laboratory partnership matters. Ear, nose, and eye prosthetics are shaded and contoured to your own features. Implant retention helps considerably, since a prosthesis that doesn't shift reads more naturally than one held by adhesive alone.

How long will my prosthesis last?

Devices wear, and your tissues change, particularly after radiation or continued healing. Most facial prosthetics need remaking periodically, and intraoral devices like obturators need adjustment as the surgical site matures. We plan for that from the start.

What if I've had a bad experience with dental care before?

That's common here, and understandable after a long course of medical treatment. We move at your pace, explain what we're doing before we do it, and have sedation available if that helps. You're allowed to ask us to stop and explain.

Let's Talk About Your Case

A consultation is just a conversation: we look at your records, examine what's there, and tell you plainly what's possible, what it would involve, and what it would cost. Whether the path forward involves dental implants, a full mouth reconstruction, or something far simpler, you'll hear it from the same team of specialists who would be doing the work. You leave with information whether or not you decide to treat with us.

Call our San Diego office at (858) 755-9810 and we'll find a time that works.