Chapter 89 - Part B: Mandibulectomy Mechanics: Curved Beams, Load Paths, and Fracture You Created

In this BoardsCast episode, we continue Tobias Chapter 89 - Mandibulectomy and Maxillectomy by shifting from oncology to biomechanics.
Mandibulectomy isn't just about removing bone — it permanently alters a curved beam that carries load, and every cut changes how the mandible bends, twists, and fractures.

Most postoperative complications aren’t due to infection or wound breakdown…
 They’re due to mechanics the surgeon didn’t account for.

You’ll learn:

• Why the mandible behaves like a curved, asymmetric beam
• How occlusal forces travel through the mandible — and what happens when you remove part of it
• Why unilateral mandibulectomies create predictable fractures and drift
• When reconstruction prevents — or worsens — loading problems
• How muscle imbalance and joint asymmetry destabilize function
• Board-relevant patterns in postoperative failure after jaw surgery
• Why “successful resection” can still biomechanically doom the patient

This episode gives you the mechanical intuition needed to prevent the fractures you unintentionally create during mandibulectomy.

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Listen On: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction: The Post-Op Fracture Nightmare
• 1:00 New Mental Model: The Mandible as a Curved Beam
• 2:30 The Engineering of Failure: Defining Stress Risers and Load Paths
• 4:15 The 90-Degree Cut: Why sharp corners lead to catastrophic snaps
• 6:00 Torsional Strain: How chewing forces twist the remaining bone
• 8:15 The "Fracture You Created": Recognizing surgical design flaws
• 10:45 Mitigation Strategies: Rounding corners and managing the "beam" length