Surgeon for Revision worldwide

[Lifeisbeautiful]

Which surgeon is the best for a revision op?

[LyraM45]

Dr. Gunson in Santa Barbara is usually the big name in town for revision work.  I consulted with a few different doctors and ended up going with a surgeon closer to home for my revision (San Francisco Bay Area).  He did an absolutely beautiful job fixing the mess I walked in to him with.  Nestor Karas in Walnut Creek, CA.  I was a pretty difficult case and I don't think he could have possibly done any better than he did with me.

[Lifeisbeautiful]

Hi Lyra and thanks for your answer.

Do you think he can help me? I had three upper jaw surgeries and two lower jaw surgeries and the last surgeon was a bungler!! I am in great pain and the aesthetic result is horrible. I need urgent help from a really really good surgeon.

[JimmyTheGent]

  He did an absolutely beautiful job fixing the mess I walked in to him with.  Nestor Karas in Walnut Creek, CA.  I was a pretty difficult case and I don't think he could have possibly done any better than he did with me.

Dr Karas has some pretty impressive credentials. DDS, MD, and a Fellowship in Facial Plastic Surgery.  I wish there were more doctors like this on the East Coast (NY)

[PloskoPlus]

Dr. Gunson in Santa Barbara is usually the big name in town for revision work.  I consulted with a few different doctors and ended up going with a surgeon closer to home for my revision (San Francisco Bay Area).  He did an absolutely beautiful job fixing the mess I walked in to him with.  Nestor Karas in Walnut Creek, CA.  I was a pretty difficult case and I don't think he could have possibly done any better than he did with me.

He trained under Sinn?

[Lostfaith]

3 upper jaw surgeries and 2 lower 😳, you need another one ? What on earth happened? How's your skin doing after all that ? I will have to have a revision of upper, this has me worried now

[LyraM45]

Dr Karas has some pretty impressive credentials. DDS, MD, and a Fellowship in Facial Plastic Surgery.  I wish there were more doctors like this on the East Coast (NY)

That he does!  And he taught at University of San Francisco MxFac department for a while too.  I got extremely lucky finding him up here because somehow he is not more well known!  I was so close to pulling the trigger on Dr. Gunson, but after consulting Dr. Karas and getting the feeling that he was 100% just as qualified as Gunson and could more than handle my complicated revision, I had no good reason to go out of my way all the way down to Santa Barbara to have my work done.  And at a super fraction of the cost it would have been going with Dr. Gunson, so that was a huge bonus there.

It most definitely is not common to get the surgeon that has specialty in everything-- MD, DDS, cosmetic surgery, anesthesia, etc, so I am really thankful I found him.  BUT, that gives me hope that there are more on the quiet mom and pop surgeons out there lurking who do have these credentials.  Might take time to find, but I do believe they are out there.  Hopefully you can find something on the East Coast!

[LyraM45]

Hi Lyra and thanks for your answer.

Do you think he can help me? I had three upper jaw surgeries and two lower jaw surgeries and the last surgeon was a bungler!! I am in great pain and the aesthetic result is horrible. I need urgent help from a really really good surgeon.

After seeing what he did with the mess I walked in to his office with and seeing how he's dealt with a few other patients I've sent his way, I really feel like he can take on even the most difficult cases and get you either the best result or damn close to it.  Best you can do is get in for a consult with him and see what you think of him and hear what he thinks about your case.  He's a straight shooter, so he'll tell it to you like it is right in that first consult. 

Edit to add-- few pics that don't even do the job he did justice.  First pic is the bite I got given to me from my first surgery (which is ten times worse than the bite I went in to fix).  It was so twisted, yawed, canted, cross, etc.  Left class II skeletal and dental as well.  Next two pics during  my revision ortho treatment.  Last is the day I got debanded.  They fixed me up better than I ever realistically hoped for.  It's incredibly difficult to correct some of the issues I got left with, especially the twist/yaw to both jaws.  He also fixed the lower deviation to my septum, which was all busted up when my first surgeon didn't trim my nasal spine when they impacted me and instead just crushed it all up in to my nose and left it all balled up and flopped over.  Yeah... that didn't feel good for the two years I had to walk around with it.  Gives me the heeby jeebies just thinking about how much it flopped and clicked around all up inside my nose every time I touched it or opened my mouth wide. 

He's now getting set to do all of my implants (I am losing all of my upper and lower front incisors thanks to some of the damage through my first round of treatment).  Even though I am scarred in terms of having full trust after being steam rolled by my first surgeon and ortho, I have the fullest faith I can have that I know I'll continue to be in good hands with him for the next phase of treatment here. 

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[LyraM45]

He trained under Sinn?

I am not sure I know Sinn.  I've actually never asked him who he trained under.  That is a good question!

[JimmyTheGent]

He also fixed the lower deviation to my septum, which was all busted up when my first surgeon didn't trim my nasal spine when they impacted me and instead just crushed it all up in to my nose and left it all balled up and flopped over.  Yeah... that didn't feel good for the two years I had to walk around with it.  Gives me the heeby jeebies just thinking about how much it flopped and clicked around all up inside my nose every time I touched it or opened my mouth wide. 

How is such gross incompetence not considered malpractice?  Impacting your maxilla by just crushing your nasal spine instead of trimming it beforehand?  That's like a mechanic fixing a flat tire by squishing a new tire onto the lug nuts over the old tire instead of removing the flat first.   

[LyraM45]

How is such gross incompetence not considered malpractice?  Impacting your maxilla by just crushing your nasal spine instead of trimming it beforehand?  That's like a mechanic fixing a flat tire by squishing a new tire onto the lug nuts over the old tire instead of removing the flat first.

I'm really glad you say that because I just recently (and finally) put in a formal complaint against my first surgeon with the  CA medical/dental board.  I was hoping my revision surgeon would tell me I was justified doing that and kind of put my mind at ease wondering if he thinks I am some kind of complaint/sue happy patient (I'm not suing the first surgeon, just did a formal complaint), but he doesn't speak to anything regarding what he thinks about my first case like that.  I understand, but it doesn't help in terms of me thinking, "well, was it really negligent what happened to me or was it just a s**t happens honest mistake?"  I have a feeling it's more than an honest mistake, but it would be nice to have confirmation of my feelings there some how.  It would definitely give me some closure where closure is needed.

There was a lot that went on and went bad in my first surgery deal.  If you want the quick story, I've got that on my website:  http://www.confessionsofametalmouth.com/botched-jaw-surgery-story.html

I have had a few surgeons tell me that they think my original surgeon didn't even do the work (because supposedly she is a much better surgeon than the work I have to show for it) and they think her resident may have been left to wing it and she left the OR for whatever reason.  I'll never know, but it makes sense since the work was just that freaking bad.  So bad that most of the surgeons I consulted with for revision weren't sure they could fix it all 100% right again.  Somehow my team managed to get it pretty damn close though!

[Lazlo]

f**k those are scary situations. Im so sorry to hear about what you guys have been going through and wish you solid recovery.

f**k Dr. Sinn did such an amazing job on me when I think of what could have gone wrong. Except for having to wear a few bands for a month I have zero issues.

[Lazlo]

f**k those are scary situations. Im so sorry to hear about what you guys have been going through and wish you solid recovery.

f**k Dr. Sinn did such an amazing job on me when I think of what could have gone wrong. Except for having to wear a few bands for a month I have zero issues.

Another thing, I asked Dr. Sinn for me to have no lower teeth show when I smile and he said that was a result of how he would stitch the incision back up and he totally delivered. I have that full smile without the lower showing at all ever which make me really really happy.

[LyraM45]

He trained under Sinn?

I just realized some of Dr. Karas's published work is co-authored with Sinn.  Mostly back when  he was training in Texas.  So, I guess he has some kind of involvement with Dr. Sinn.