Leslie Robinson

Given the opportunity to have any face, who would you be? An iconic beauty? A fashion model? A movie star? Or yourself? This was the choice given to Leslie Robinson when faced with the medical necessity of jaw reconstruction. When one of the foremost oral and maxillofacial surgeons in the United States offered to include any cosmetic enhancements she might desire, Leslie knew exactly whose face she wanted: her own.

By age 11, it was determined that Leslie was missing as many as eight adult teeth, meaning that once she lost her baby teeth, she would need implants. But the solution would not be so simple. In the absence of the roots and nerves associated with the permanent teeth, the jaw does not develop properly. Although fortunate enough to keep her baby teeth until adulthood, Leslie knew that surgery was inevitable.

After living overseas for many years, Leslie and her family returned to the U.S. and began exploring medical options. Leslie attended college at Florida State University, while a career move took her parents to Dallas, Texas. Initially, her mom did not want to move to Texas. But God had a plan. When the time came for Leslie to begin her treatment, she discovered that the leading doctors in both maxillofacial surgery and restorative dentistry were at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas!
Living and working in Tallahassee, Fla., beginning in 1992, for the next two and a half years, Leslie flew to Dallas once a month for consultations, surgeries and restorative therapies. Each step of the way, it became abundantly clear that God was in control all along.

Leslie's first surgery entailed the reconstruction of her jaw. "They literally took my upper jaw out of my face, laid it on a table and cut it into three pieces," said Leslie. Needing a small piece of bone to enlarge the curve of the jaw, the surgeon was unsure where he would get it since no source was apparent on the x-rays, she explained. (The less desirable alternative was titanium.) Prayers were answered when the surgeon opened up the roof of Leslie's mouth and a piece of bone the exact size he needed miraculously fell out.

For the next six months, Leslie's jaw was wired shut, save for an opening the size of a straw. All of her food had to be blended while she healed and underwent physical therapy to gradually increase range of motion. Once the wires were removed, she endured a second surgery to install the implants that would eventually anchor her teeth. Harvesting additional needed bone from the front of her hip meant a slow and painful dual recovery, followed by a tedious dental restorative process.

In the course of the reconstruction, Leslie's two front teeth had to be removed, creating an even larger gap in her smile. For a year, she wore removable dentures. But instead of allowing them to be a source of angst, she made them an instrument of humor, popping them out just for laughs. "I had so much fun with those things! I looked like a very well-preserved 90-year-old woman," she said.

According to Leslie, the entire experience taught her to trust in God. "I felt like he was always right there," she said. Today, with six teeth anchored to four implants, she flashes a hundred-watt smile. Although she can detect minor changes to her appearance as a result of the procedures, she can't imagine having chosen any face other than the one God gave her. "I liked who I was," she said.


Up Close

Family: husband, Ken; son, Ty, age 10; daughter Jacey, age 7; two cats, Smokey and Dusty and longtime canine companion, Dakota, age 18

Hilton Head Island resident: since January, 2002

Family business: Special Forces Home Services

Describes herself as: outgoing, fun-loving, quick-witted

Words to live by: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding."-Proverbs 3:5

What makes a woman beautiful?: "Being joyful in all circumstances and trying to see the positive."