Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Archive — Page 1 of 1

After having reconstructive surgeries to repair the asymmetry caused by Parry-Romberg syndrome, Tracy Baker now faces the world with more confidence. (photo by Susan Urmy)
July 22, 2026

Adult Cleft and Craniofacial Program rebuilds faces and confidence long after childhood

Tracy Baker thought she just had to live with an asymmetrical face, and then a Vanderbilt Health team gave her a new visage.

By Jill Clendening
October 27, 2025

Macon County father’s voice restored following oral cancer surgery

After surgical removal of a rare tumor left a sizable hole inside Nick Schrock’s mouth, he could only speak in a muffled, lispy whisper. Tyler Ames, a dentist at VUMC, fashioned a prosthetic device to close the hole and allow Schrock to speak more clearly.

By Jill Clendening
Jeremy Kerr, left, and his son Tyler, right, pose with Sam McKenna, MD, DDS, who performed corrective jaw surgery to repair their underbites and crossbites.
July 21, 2021

Father, son benefit from jaw reconstruction guided by 3D virtual planning

By Jill Clendening
June 9, 2021

Nerve repair advances lead to improved restoration of facial sensation

VUMC’s oral and maxillofacial surgeons care for patients with facial trauma and perform orthognathic surgery, which corrects jaw irregularities and realigns the jaws and bite. These specialists also perform benign tumor and cyst resection and reconstructive surgery, so they are very familiar with measures to preserve and, in some cases, repair the trigeminal nerve.

By Jill Clendening
Members of the Vanderbilt Oral Health team include (front row, from left) Julie Rezk, DMD, Margaret Maclin, DMD, (back row, from left) Kelly Norris, DMD, Tyler Ames, DMD, and Samuel McKenna, MD, DDS. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons not pictured include Susie Lin, DDS, MD, Ashish Sharma, BDS, MSD, and Luis Vega, DDS.
April 15, 2021

Vanderbilt Oral Health consolidates, expands services in new location

With the opening of Vanderbilt Oral Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s dental and oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) services are now together in one convenient location on Belcourt Avenue in Nashville, just across from the Belcourt Theatre.

By Jill Clendening
February 11, 2020

He’s a dentist. He plays hockey. He is VERY careful about his teeth.

Tyler Ames, DMD, has seen the worst of what a hockey puck or stick can do to the mouth. He loves hitting the ice anyway with his team the Gravediggers.

By Nancy Humphrey