SAN DIEGO — Members of the Maxillofacial Restoration Program team at Naval Medical Center San Diego restored the jaw and medical readiness of Army Spc. Grant Dickerson through a complex jaw-in-a-day surgery after a benign tumor destroyed nearly two-thirds of his mandible.
Dickerson’s condition, a central giant cell granuloma, was first identified at Evans Army Community Hospital at Fort Carson, Colorado. After imaging revealed the extent of the tumor, he was referred to NMCSD’s Maxillofacial Restoration Program, one of the Military Health System’s leading centers for advanced maxillofacial restoration.
Using virtual surgical planning, 3D-printed guides, and a transplant from the patient’s leg, Navy surgeons rebuilt Dickerson’s jaw and provided immediate dental rehabilitation—compressing what is typically an 18- to 24-month, multi-stage process into a single operation. The approach restores form, function, and readiness faster than traditional methods, and fulfills DHA’s mission to improve health and build readiness.
For Dickerson, who has wanted to be a Soldier since childhood, the outcome means he can return to his unit and his Army career.
The case highlights the Military Health System’s commitment to high-reliability health care, cross-service collaboration, and restoring the human weapons system through advanced surgical innovation.
(U.S. Navy video by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Jason Afable)
| Date Taken: | 08.19.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 12.08.2025 11:57 |
| Category: | Video Productions |
| Video ID: | 988148 |
| VIRIN: | 250819-N-KM181-1002 |
| Filename: | DOD_111407970 |
| Length: | 00:08:16 |
| Location: | SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Downloads: | 2 |
| High-Res. Downloads: | 2 |
This work, The New Face of Readiness: One Soldier’s Story of Restoration and Return to Duty, by SN Jason Afable, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
