Jersey shore university Medical Center
Motorcycle Enthusiast Back on His Bike
After Facial Reconstruction
T
oms River resident Tom Macchia woke up on a Friday
morning in 2007 intending to go for a leisurely motorcycle
ride, as he had done many times before. But that Friday
morning ended much differently from all the others.
During his ride, Tom, 46, was slowing down as he
approached a red light when a car made an illegal turn. Tom
hit the side of the car at 30 mph. After being thrown to the
pavement, Tom was rushed to the Regional Trauma Center at
Jersey Shore University Medical Center.
“His face was significantly distorted. It was much flatter and
wider than normal,” says Manolis Manolakakis, DMD, a board
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17
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certified oral surgeon who treated Tom after the trauma team’s initial
examination. “It was quite apparent that Tom sustained fractures of
essentially all his facial bones except for his forehead bone.”
After undergoing CT scans to get a more exact idea of the
extent of his injuries, Tom was taken to the operating room to get
his bleeding under control and temporarily stabilize his facial
fractures. The surgical team wired his jaw together, which offered
some temporary relief for him until it was time for his formal
facial reconstruction.
Five days after the accident, Tom went back to the operating
room for the reconstruction. “The surgical plan for the facial
reconstruction was for me and Kayvon Haghighi, M.D., DDS,
to repair from the bottom up and from outside in,” explains
Dr. Manolakakis. “Tom’s entire face was reconstructed using
his dental occlusion as a guide.”
The lower and upper jaws were reconstructed with titanium
plates and screws to put Tom’s teeth back into proper position.
This served as the foundation to align and reconstruct the
remainder of his face, including his cheekbones, eye sockets,
and nose. The procedure took eight hours.
Miraculously, Tom was discharged from Jersey Shore three
days after surgery and has fully recovered. “I cannot say enough
about what Dr. Manolakakis and the team from Jersey Shore did
to get me back home to my family,” Tom says. “When I tell the
story to friends and family, it is hard for them to believe because
of how well my face has healed from the reconstruction.”
Tom still enjoys riding his 2005 Chopper motorcycle throughout
Toms River and is thankful that he can enjoy the ride. n
— Rob Cavanaugh
Tom Macchia is on the road again after a motorcycle accident fractured
nearly every bone in his face. His surgeons did such expert work that
friends and family have trouble believing the accident happened at all!
about the doctor
Manolis G. Manolakakis, DMD
Board certified in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Shrewsbury | 732-542-0755
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OceanMedicalCenter.com | March/April 2010