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        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Col. Jose Villalobos (left), 59th Dental Group maxillofacial prosthetics program director, and Maj. Stephen Cherrington (center), 59th Dental Group maxillofacial prosthodontist, discuss retired Army Master Sgt. Todd Nelson’s new prosthetic ear at the San Antonio Military Medical Center, Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, June 28. The 59th Medical Wing's Maxillofacial Prosthetics Department is one of only a few in the Department of Defense that creates prosthetic body parts, such as eyes, ears and noses. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Kevin Iinuma)59th MDW brings normalcy to wounded patients
                        
                        
                        Col. (Dr.) Jose Villalobos, left, the 59th Dental Group maxillofacial prosthetics program director, and Maj. Stephen Cherrington, center, a 59th Dental Group maxillofacial prosthodontist, discuss retired Army Master Sgt. Todd Nelson’s new prosthetic ear at the San Antonio Military Medical Center, Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, June 28, 2016. The 59th Medical Wing's Maxillofacial Prosthetics Department is one of only a few in the Defense Department that creates prosthetic body parts, such as eyes, ears and noses. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Kevin Iinuma)
                
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        Maj. Stephen Cherrington (right), 59th Dental Group maxillofacial prosthodontist, compares retired Army Master Sgt. Todd Nelson’s new prosthetic ear to his skin tone at the San Antonio Military Medical Center, Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, June 28. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Kevin Iinuma)59th MDW brings normalcy to wounded patients
                        
                        
                        Maj. Stephen Cherrington, right, a 59th Dental Group maxillofacial prosthodontist, compares retired Army Master Sgt. Todd Nelson’s new prosthetic ear to his skin tone at the San Antonio Military Medical Center, Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, June 28, 2016. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Kevin Iinuma)
                
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        Maj. Stephen Cherrington (right), 59th Dental Group maxillofacial prosthodontist, colors retired Army Master Sgt. Todd Nelson’s new prosthetic ear to match his skin tone at the San Antonio Military Medical Center, Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, June 28. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Kevin Iinuma)59th MDW brings normalcy to wounded patients
                        
                        
                        Maj. Stephen Cherrington, right, a 59th Dental Group maxillofacial prosthodontist, colors retired Army Master Sgt. Todd Nelson’s new prosthetic ear to match his skin tone at the San Antonio Military Medical Center, Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, June 28, 2016. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Kevin Iinuma)
                
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59th MDW brings normalcy to wounded patientsPublished July 12, 2016
                    
                    By Staff Sgt. Kevin Iinuma
                    
                    
                    59th Medical Wing Public Affairs
            **JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas (AFNS) --**Most people may have no idea what “maxillofacial” means, but to wounded warriors with traumatic injuries the word inspires hope.Disfigured by circumstances while abroad or at home, maxillofacial prosthodontics gives wounded warriors and civilians a chance at living a normal life.“The specialty improves quality of life by restoring or replacing oral and associated facial structures with artificial substitutes such as silicone prostheses, acrylic prostheses, metal frameworks, and a combination of all the materials,” said Col. (Dr.) Jose Villalobos, the 59th Dental Group oral maxillofacial prosthetics program director.The 59th Medical Wing conducts a 12-month Maxillofacial Prosthetics Fellowship Program that provides a one-of-a-kind comprehensive experience, promoting interservice opportunities, according to Villalobos.The dental group specializes not only in dental care, but also in oral and maxillofacial surgeries to help wounded warriors.“We have great patients to work with because they are really appreciative, and they truly appreciate the service we provide,” said Maj. Stephen Cherrington, a 59th DG maxillofacial prosthodontist. “I think it goes back to giving them back a chance.”Retired Army Master Sgt. Todd Nelson, a wounded warrior, has found the program very valuable.“I don’t know where else wounded warriors would go to get the help they need if it wasn’t here,” Nelson said.Maxillofacial prosthetics fellows use their expertise to decide the best way to improve a patient’s quality of life and bring back a sense of normalcy. Prosthetic noses, ears, jaws, and even eyes can be made with silicone or hard acrylic resin.“The maxillofacial staff honestly treats you as an individual,” said Nelson, who serves as a spokesman for wounded warriors. “You are very important when you come here; it’s like everyone gets the red carpet treatment.”Providing patients with prosthetics may be a small step in moving forward, but it is also something that gives them the motivation to get back on their feet.“What has happened to you doesn’t define you; what defines you is how you react to it. I am actually just a walking billboard of that cliché,” Nelson said. “But, the truth is, it’s really how you react to it and not what happens.”medical 



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