Fortunately, only a few individuals will ever require the need for maxillofacial reconstructive surgery. More often than not, the term relates to the surgical correction of a sizeable acquired defect of the maxillofacial region. As one might imagine, over the course of a lifetime an individual may experience any number of events that can produce a defect of their physical being in the head and neck region. This misfortune may come from something as simple as a fall resulting in a blow to the facial region to as complicated as oral cancer that requires one to have a portion of their facial skeleton removed. When the facial bones are damaged it is sometimes necessary to rebuild them or "reconstruct" them to return the individual to normal function and appearance. Untreated conditions of this kind can be very disabling and may often result in low self esteem and depression if the circumstances are dire enough.