Oil on canvas
Painting size: 18x18"
Painting by Mark Gilbert
Oil on canvas
Painting size: 18x18"
Painting by Mark Gilbert
Click on the arrows above to view more paintings of Rhonda G
Rhonda's story
Rhonda came to the Oral and Maxillofacial Unit in 1990 when she was 20 years old because of persistent pain in her jaw joints caused by her upper and lower teeth not meeting. The problem lay in the faulty relationship of her upper and lower jaws. The lower jaw was slewed to the right, whilst the upper jaw and nose were slewed to the left. Her upper jaw and face also looked sunken back and hollow compared to the lower jaw. She was disturbed by her facial appearance although the initial reason that she came for treatment was the pain in her jaw joint.
Following an eighteenth-month period of orthodontics she underwent and her upper jaw and nasal bones were also fractured. Her upper jaw was brought forward and fixed in place with titanium metal plates. The nose was straightened and the lower jaw was then fixed in its new position in relation to the upper jaw so that the teeth met properly.
Rhonda describes the transformation in her life as fantastic. She was not only cured of her jaw joint pain but she now feels she looks like the rest of her family.
Rhonda studied flower arranging and now has her own florist's business. She is married to Russell and they have a daughter, Molly.