orthodonticsjournal.net

Jalyn Jones might be in pain, but she’s not sure.Jones, 19, was born with hemifacial microsomia, a deformity in which the lower half of one side of the face does not fully develop. Doctors tell her she should be in pain. Maybe she is. After five surgeries, the St. Charles teen said she has built such a high tolerance for pain that it just feels normal.She was still a baby when surgeons closed a hole on the right side of her face and reconstructed her ear. At 5 years old, she developed severe sinus problems. Jones vomited every morning for nine years and suffered constant headaches.At age 14, doctors broke her malformed jaw in three places and restructured the roof of her mouth. The surgery relieved the sinus trouble, but the headaches persist.Hemifacial microsomia is the second most common facial birth defect after cleft lips and palates.Continue reading from:�stcharlesjournal.stltoday.comBy�Raymond Castile�