Metal Mouth Message Board

It has been a while since I have been here...

I had a Lefort I + BSSO + genio almost exactly 1 year ago. The results were less than ideal...

Within a week of my surgery, I noticed that things were not as they should be. While my bottom jaw and chin seemed fine, the top jaw was completely on crooked. Imagine a jar with a tilted lid. My bottom jaw being the jar, and the my top being the tilted lid. My top teeth are canted (slanted) so that on one side, you see significantly more gum than on the other. The teeth on that side are all tilted inwards while the other side, they are all tiled outwards. I am not sure if I am explaining this well, but I hope so.

In any case, my surgeon will not admit that there is anything wrong. He takes my bottom jaw and forces it up on an angle to fit in with the top teeth and says, "See, all good!" But it hurts very badly on my TMJ joints and besides, my chin is not supposed to be all the way over to one side of my face.

My ortho has been great and is trying his best to fix things. But it is now going on a full year since surgery and we have gotten NO WHERE. I cannot continue onward as I need to get on with my life.

I feel like I have two options. I either get someone to help me and re-operate on the top jaw. Or I just get these braces off and admit failure and move on letting my teeth be the mess that they are.

I have an upcoming consult with another surgeon next month. But I fear he will not help me because I hear most surgeons are not keen on redo'ing the work of other surgeons. Does anyone have any advice for me??

Can you sue?
Putting your jaw on crooked isn't in the norm of medical care.

maxhammer wrote:Can you sue?
Putting your jaw on crooked isn't in the norm of medical care.

I definitely would like to. My ortho seems to think it is "not that bad" but I beg to differ. I am not sure if he just doesn't want to upset the surgeon he works so closely with...

I am not really sure how to find a good medical malpractice lawyer but perhaps I should look into that.

Thanks, Maxhammer.

Here is a pic...

http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/o57 ... y78/Me.jpg

We'd have to see the before shot to compare. You'd just need to see a second surgeon unrelated to the ortho and oral surgeon who agrees it is outside the realm of normal care. If you get someone who will give that opinion on the record, then you can get a malpractice attorney.

Arnett/Gunson have a reputation for fixing botched surgeries. There might be someone in your area with the same reputation. You could look into that if you have the time, money, and patience. If it's going to bother you forever maybe it's worth exploring. Also, if you don't want to sue, you could maybe get some of your money back instead so you can see someone else/pay for a 2nd surgery.

If I were in your shoes, I would definitely get a 2nd opinion because it looks like you're going to need another surgery to correct your problem. I would think that a second surgery would be far less traumatizing that living with a crooked jaw for the rest of your life. I don't understand how some surgeons can be satisfied with less than perfect work. As mentioned before, go see Arnett/Gunson or another surgeon in your area with lots of experience.

Thanks Maxhammer and RYANvaughn. I am going to get a couple 2nd opinions and go from there. Only reason I hadn't already was because my ortho keeps insisting he can fix it. But it has been a year now and my teeth are exactly the same as the day I came out of surgery so I am no longer optimistic. Time to move on...

someone called "egodrama" ended up with the exact same issue as you over on jawsurgeryblog.com

Hi there where are you located/ who was your original surgeon?
I hope you feel better after a second opinion. I think you may have a good case for compensation although it's not easy to see a problem from the picture. A good lawyer would be able to help you prove a discrepancy. Good luck!

Also, I hear of many who pursue legal action when their surgery goes wrong, but I have yet to hear of anyone who actually won their case.

Have any of you heard of anyone winning?

bracedfaced wrote:Also, I hear of many who pursue legal action when their surgery goes wrong, but I have yet to hear of anyone who actually won their case.

Have any of you heard of anyone winning?

I haven't, but I haven't looked into it much, either. I know my family has a lawsuit against a (leg) surgeon who botched my father's operation, and there's a good chance they will win because they documented everything, and can show care (or lack of) outside the norm. That is the key.

did someone already mention arnett/gusnon? lol. +1

get a second opinion. a third. or a tenth.

if i was unsatisfied with the results of my surgery - mechanically speaking - then i would make every effort to resolve it. lawsuit sounds nice but it is time consuming and it would take several years - at best - before arriving at a decision unless the surgeon settles. But obviously he/she won't since they claim everything is awesomepossom.

I personally wouldn't put all my weight on the law deal, because the process is long and drawn out and it won't fix your jaw. superficial issues are one things, but nobody gets jaw surgery to be in more pain. if you are still suffering then that needs to be treated. hopefully you have family cause if i was by myself and remained in physical pain after surgery i doubt id have the strength to go through the surgery process again.

Just wanted to give an update. I spoke with my surgeon again and he says he will fix it. I am unsure what I am going to do but we'll see what my insurance says first and then I will make a decision. Thank you all for your responses and giving me the encouragement to seek a solution.

bracedfaced wrote:Just wanted to give an update. I spoke with my surgeon again and he says he will fix it. I am unsure what I am going to do but we'll see what my insurance says first and then I will make a decision. Thank you all for your responses and giving me the encouragement to seek a solution.

You should go with another surgeon no matter what. This guy did a shoddy job the first time and you shouldn't trust him to "fix" the very thing he caused and should have prevented.