Metal Mouth Message Board

Hey there, I'm currently located in Melbourne and am set to get upper and lower jaw surgery along with a possible genioplasty by next December.

I'm getting the procedure done via a public hospital (Royal Melbourne Dental Hospital), as opposed to paying 14-20 grand via private. Naturally I have no say in what surgeon I will get, and I know for a fact that my surgeon will be a 3rd year student specializing in facial surgery.

I've already had SARPE surgery done with this hospital and have seemingly no problems, however worried that with a surgery this major I might be risking a lot going with the free option rather than choosing my own surgeon. Especially concerned about the genioplasty since it's an aesthetic procedure which I imagine only a very experienced surgeon can do best.

So am I right to be worried? Or should there be no major draw-backs in getting this surgery done by a student at a public hospital?

The Royal Melbourne Hospital is where I had my surgery done and I'm very happy with the whole experience. I knew who one of my surgeons was definitely going to be and I got to meet with him a few times before, even as a public patient. The second surgeon is luck of the draw, plus a couple of students. The surgeons are very qualified and extremely experienced so you KNOW you're in safe hands. The students just ask you questions and then watch.

If you're interested in other free options, I suggest looking into getting it done there. I was on the waiting list for 4 months.

To answer you're questions, it's always okay to be worried. There should be no major problems, but you *may* not get optimal results. I say research all your options and go with what you feel most comfortable with!!

If somebody less experienced is working on you, chances are they are assisting. I do believe that after somebody has assisted on a number of these surgeries only then are they allowed to actually take the lead, often times with somebody more experienced assisting. A surgeon has to do the procedure quite a few times before he/she has established themselves as an expert. It may seem that a student is taking the lead, but trust me, they are not.

This surgery is quite a big deal. The real pros that perform this surgery are pros because they have easily done this procedure well over 1,000 times.

Don't worry, someone will be watching them very closely the entire time! The student may be allowed to lead the surgery but there will be someone much more experienced there making sure they don't do anything wrong.

Thanks guys, that's really reassuring. I've been told that I can get equally good work done by public surgeons, most of whom are as experienced if not more so than some private surgeons, was just wondering why some people still insist on picking a surgeon instead of taking the public route.

[quote="thisisme"]The Royal Melbourne Hospital is where I had my surgery done and I'm very happy with the whole experience. I knew who one of my surgeons was definitely going to be and I got to meet with him a few times before, even as a public patient. The second surgeon is luck of the draw, plus a couple of students. The surgeons are very qualified and extremely experienced so you KNOW you're in safe hands. The students just ask you questions and then watch.[/quote]

Awesome! What kind of surgery did you get?

class3underbiteboy wrote:Thanks guys, that's really reassuring. I've been told that I can get equally good work done by public surgeons, most of whom are as experienced if not more so than some private surgeons, was just wondering why some people still insist on picking a surgeon instead of taking the public route.

Awesome! What kind of surgery did you get?

Firstly, not all countries have a public route for jaw surgery. The public waiting list can be 2 years+ and some people want this part of their life over and done with as soon as possible. Other people have children, jobs, etc and can't drop everything when a public hospital has an opening. Then there are the people who like knowing their surgeon and their exact expertise and past results...

Anyway I had lower jaw advancement (8mm) and the removal of all four of my impacted wisdom teeth. Did you mean this December or next December? You might want to start making calls if you want it by this December because the waiting list is longer for double jaw.

[quote="thisisme"]Anyway I had lower jaw advancement (8mm) and the removal of all four of my impacted wisdom teeth. Did you mean this December or next December? You might want to start making calls if you want it by this December because the waiting list is longer for double jaw. [/quote]


Hopefully this December, at least that's what my orthodontist promised. I only got my braces last month so he says it's a tight squeeze but hopefully possible :3

I have just had sarpe surgery in sydney but went through private and i wasn't out of pocket that much because of medicare and i am claiming the rest through my tax. So are you out of pocket anything going public??? or it everything covered??

peckabel wrote:I have just had sarpe surgery in sydney but went through private and i wasn't out of pocket that much because of medicare and i am claiming the rest through my tax. So are you out of pocket anything going public??? or it everything covered??

I had my sarpe surgery entirely free, and the total cost of my treatment and further surgeries (upper, lower and genio) is $1,360

Hey bbsadmin, just wanted to say np worries to ya. i myself will be getting the same surgury done and i cant wait! Depending on how severe your underbite is lets say if you have an underbite and your teeth touc h, you can just get some lower teeth pulled and have braces on for a while but what ever it is dont worry, and
Lets Just do this.

i can definitely understand your concern here, this is a big surgery and you really dont want a rookie working on your face. but as everyone else has mentioned im sure there not just going to let the student take the lead or if they do they will be well supervised. they have to start somewhere, and im sure they have done this on many cadavers before they would let them attempt this on a patient.

Best of Luck!
House