Metal Mouth Message Board

Well, i have decided to get double jaw surgery at 57 years old.
(I wish I had done it 30 years ago

Has the community resolved a good way to find the best surgeon and facility... and what a cash procedure might cost?
I am willing to travel to see a doctor that I feel confident in.
I was hoping to find someone that has done hundreds of these surgeries and uses the latest technology... but I can find no way to rank doctors by experience in a specific procedure, etc.

Any super-genius thoughts or guidance?

Matt

Hi Matt,

I'm also 57 and contemplating this surgery. Did you have it done?

machoo wrote: ↑Sat Jun 26, 2021 10:43 am Has the community resolved a good way to find the best surgeon and facility... and what a cash procedure might cost?
I am willing to travel to see a doctor that I feel confident in.
I was hoping to find someone that has done hundreds of these surgeries and uses the latest technology... but I can find no way to rank doctors by experience in a specific procedure, etc.

Such a ranking doesn’t exist. As far as the medical community is concerned, all surgeons licensed and insured to perform a procedure are equal. You can use US News rankings or something like that, but I’ve read that’s a scam and doctors can pay for their ranking for marketing purposes. A Lefort and BSSO with or without SG will likely run you $25-100k out of pocket unless you can get it covered by insurance. I’ve heard schools will do it towards the lower end of that scale, and the “experts” who have a private practice that does mainly orthographic surgery will be towards the top. Going to Asia or South America is a real option where it’s generally much cheaper (but probably still $15k+) but there are some horror stories about things going wrong, having no ability to sue for damages, and having to shell out the big bucks to a US doctor to fix it. Good luck, and welcome to Archwired!

My surgeon charges about $20k for the Lefort/BSSO, but that doesn't include the anesthetist or hospital. The hospital costs are what really add up.

As far as how to find someone, I'm not sure. I lucked into my surgeon because my orthodontist recommended him, and it turned out he's done thousands of them and is the best in the area. I would recommend talking to as many of them as possible and seeing how comfortable each of them makes you feel. My guy showed me a ton of before and after photos of his patients and they were all great, and I had good feelings from him and his staff every visit that I had. I didn't have any niggling doubts in the back of my head about anything he said, and he fully answered all of my questions (no matter how dumb they were), and wasn't dismissive of any of my concerns (no matter how dumb they were).

It's tough to find someone good, I have the same problem choosing a new doctor or dentist! Good luck!

Carno wrote: ↑Fri Sep 24, 2021 10:40 am My surgeon charges about $20k for the Lefort/BSSO, but that doesn't include the anesthetist or hospital. The hospital costs are what really add up.

This^. My surgeon’s charges were only a couple grand. The anesthesia and hospital OR charges were like $70k if it hadn’t been covered by insurance.