“Troy was really an oral invalid,” Dr. Balshi said recalling Troy’s initial condition. “The high dosage of radiation affected the development of the jaws and his teeth. This condition ultimately leads to bone and tooth loss.”

On Feb. 11, Troy received, among other medical tests, something called an i-CAT Cone Beam CT scan. It’s a state-of-the-art testing procedure that is three-dimensional. Using the computer-generated data, Dr. Balshi was able to precisely plan the position of implants in the upper jaw — including special implants called Zygoma implants which anchor high in the cheekbones.

This avoids any need for bone grafting in the sinuses.

The planning has to be exact, the surgical technique precise because working this high in the cheeks, there is a risk of injuring the eye.

Dr. Balshi calls the procedure the “No Bone Solution.” There was very little bone remaining in Troy’s upper jaw.

All the technology for Troy’s upcoming implant surgery was computer-generated. Once the plan was completed, data files were e-mailed to Gothenburg, Sweden, where a surgical template was made.

“When (the template) returned to our center, technicians used the template to build a replica of Troy’s jaw — with an implant in place,” Dr. Balshi explained.

‘Teeth in an hour’

The surgery itself is referred to as “Teeth in an Hour.”

With Troy under local anesthesia, Dr. Balshi positioned the template in place and installed the special Zygoma implants.

It’s surprisingly a very simple procedure to undergo, according to Dr. Balshi.

Helping make the procedure simple and fairly quick — about an hour — is an i-CAT scan and something called Nobel Biocare Procera Planning Software. The technology was first made available a few years ago but it’s still so innovative that a segment of Troy’s “Teeth in an Hour” surgery was featured on “The Today Show” this spring.

While similar treatments have been done which mimic Troy’s surgery, Dr. Balshi said that none of the prior patients were childhood cancer survivors.

“Troy Guffey was the first patient who had extensive radiation treatment during his growth years that caused the loss of his teeth and the diminished size of his jawbone,” he said.