I currently live in London, Ontario, and I have to get orthognathic surgery because I have condylar hypoplasia, which was caused by osteoarthritis due to TMD.
I want to see an experienced surgeon, since I was told that I am a very difficult case. I have pretty severe facial asymmetry, as well as an open bite. I will likely be going to Toronto for consultations.
Firstly, is there anyone who has gotten orthognathic surgery with a similar case as me?
Also, does anyone know of any good surgeons in Southern Ontario?
I have heard of Dr. Caminiti and Dr. Tocchio the most so far. Is there anyone who has gotten their surgery done by either of them?
Hi nqrse! There are not many Ontarians on this board so I wouldn't expect too many responses about specific doctors in southern Ontario.
However, I had my surgery in London with Dr. Lapointe. He does A LOT of jaw surgeries and has been doing them for a long time. It can take awhile to get in to see him but I recommend at least getting a consultation with him. He's quite personable as well, which makes the whole experience that much better.
SARPE: December 19, 2013
Expander out/TPA in: May 13th, 2014
Upper and lower braces: May 21, 2014
Lefort I + BSSO + sliding genioplasty: June 11, 2015
Braces off: November 28th, 2016!!!
Braces on again, upper and lower: September 3, 2024
I'm a year post op from Dr. Tocchio. I'm struggling with recovery as far as the nerves and face muscles returning to normal. Doesn't feel like I have consistent blood flow in my lower jaw area. I'm disappointed with his knowledge on helping me get past this part. Every check up I hear, just give it more time... it's been a whole year so I'm quite frustrated. I'm not sure if I'm in the minority with his patients.
As far as the surgery went, everything is in it's right place. I do know he has a decent reputation and 20+ years experience in this area. I found Rox's online journal of her jaw surgery experience with Dr. Tocchio really helpful. Search google.
I've heard good experiences with him, but unfortunately I have to tell you I'm frustrated with my experience with him.
That sucks, JayDee123. Could you describe your complication in more detail? I'm going in for a first consult with Dr. Tocchio this month and I'm leaning towards him for my double jaw surgery due to positive online mentions. Have you found any answers online or otherwise, yet? Hope your condition will improve soon, please keep us updated.
Sure. Everything is in the right spot, but I still experience a lot of stiffness in my cheeks after a year. It looks weird when I talk because of this. Decent amount of numbness still in my lower lip/chin. Some days are better than others and that's unpredictable. I think there's an issue with blood flow in the jaw area for me. I tried lifting weights again recently and my jaw area went really numb for the next week, so that's out.
There is NO guidance from Dr. Tocchio to help me. I just started going to a physio place on my own and I'm hopeful that it will help. So, all I can say is he'll put everything where it should be and you're on your own if the healing doesn't go to script. Some people heal better from this than others.
Thank you for your reply, jaime. After reading your post, I actually found someone at my church who got their surgery done by Dr. LaPointe, and she seems to be very pleased with her results. I am planning to get a referral to him from my family doctor.
I am planning to see many surgeons before deciding on one. I have seen two surgeons already - Dr. Armstrong and Dr. Shimizu, both at the University Hospital.
For anyone in London, here's my experience:
I was so disappointed after meeting Dr. Armstrong as he was very snappish and rude. I did not return after the first meeting.
Dr. Shimizu was wonderful. He listens to his patients and explains things thoroughly. I have a friend who got his surgery done by him, and his results are outstanding. He got no nerve damage and a perfect bite, as well as improved facial aesthetics.
JayDee123, I hear your frustration - one of my fears about getting jaw surgery is that something might go wrong, and the surgeon may not own up to it. I'm so sorry that this is happening to you. I've read many posts about Dr. Tocchio, and a recurring statement seems to be that he is not very empathetic towards his patients. After reading your reply and other people's reviews, I am skeptical about Dr. Tocchio.
I'm not sure if you are aware but what you're experiencing with your cheek sounds a lot like nerve damage. I think you should search up ways to help it heal, there are treatments available and the earlier the better!
It sounds like I had a similar issue to you - my condyle was slowly disappearing, shorter on one side, facial asymmetry, etc. I got surgery a year and 3 months ago to fix it (though not in Canada). I was a "difficult" case as well, and my story is long, but to give some quick advice - if you are doing this with the hope your face will have a good cosmetic outcome, be very cautious. If you can live with the assymetry you have now, really take time to think this through. I had the two doctors I consulted with both tell me how much better I would look after, but that has not been the result, not even close. My 3D plans were NOT how my face turned out - one surgeon I consulted with after my surgery to see what could be done looked at the original 3D plans and said "Hmph, well THAT didn't happen". My asymmetry was much more pronounced after. The side of my jaw that had to be moved more (due to the assymetry) had a massive divot (was compared to the bone damage from a gunshot wound by a surgeon who later examined it!), that whole side of my face looked smaller, and my face was much, much longer. To be fair, my condyle seems stable and has in fact grown back a tiny bit. But I probably would not have gone through it if I knew how poor the cosmetic outcome would be. I am actually sitting here now recovering from a mandibular implant surgery to fix some of these issues. Yes, the underlying issues with my condyle and headaches, breathing, etc are all better - but I'm not sure the tradeoff was worth it.
Decided to search my surgeons name to see if anything popped up and this thread popped up. I had my surgery with Dr. Armstrong over a year ago at University Hospital. I had the exact same first impression of Dr. Armstrong (very arrogant and did not explain things), but I trusted my orthodontist's recommendation of him as "the best" implicitly so I decided to go ahead with him. He was the only one I consulted with. I regret having my surgery with him every single day. I'm in terrible pain (nerve pain/muscle pain? I'm not sure, but my entire lip and chin hurt and it's very hard for me to talk without stopping because of the pain). My quality of life has gone to trash. If you think he was rude at the initial consult, imagine what he is like when you express your complications to him. He completely abandoned me (stopped following up) and when I called the hospital to see why I was told he said it was because the last time he saw me I said I was thrilled with my results (I literally remember crying to the nurse that I'm not sure how I can live the rest of my life if this is permanent). That shows you his ethics (or lack there of). NQRSE you are so smart for taking things slow and consulting with as much people as you can. I'm in the terrible situation of now trying to find an oral surgeon who will give an honest second opinion in the small knit community of Southwestern Ontario. I'm not sure if you've had your surgery yet or who you decided to go with, but if you haven't, my advice is, if possible, get down to SoCal and consult with Dr. Gunson. The consult might cost around 1K but you will leave with a solid plan and you can take that plan to local surgeons....trust me, this is not a surgery you want done wrong.....I've heard good things about Dr. Shimizu and Dr. Abbaszadeh in London. Dr. Tocciho is a popular name in Toronto, but his results are too inconsistent for my liking. I only know one person who had Dr. Caminiti since she makes youtube videos and her aesthetic results with him are incredible. Sorry for bringing this over year old post back from the dead, just wanted to vent about my surgeon
