Surgeons in Georgia

[maxyale]

What are some experienced surgeons in/around Atlanta? So far all I can find is Dr. Loetscher, and he doesn't have any before/after pics which makes me nervous about scheduling a consultation

[GJ]

I'm not sure about GA, but Richard Joseph seems very good in nearby FL.

[maxyale]

Loetscher's prices are extremely competitive. Only ~30k for upper and lower jaw surgery. I'm afraid someone like Antipov would cost upwards of 60k for the exact same procedure, and I really just can't afford that.

[haven]

California Antipov? He's under some insurance networks at least for mine. I think he works out in Russia or something so you can theoretically see him overseas for a procedure and have your follow ups in California.

[maxyale]

How much cheaper would it be in Russia?

[haven]

I can't speak to that. Ive never met him. I did set up a consulation for him next month for my wisdom teeth.

I think I read that in the forums. Try searching his name and go through the results.

[maxyale]

Would it be considered risky to get surgery from someone who's less well-known, or would it not be since everyone's board certified?

[GJ]

Would it be considered risky to get surgery from someone who's less well-known, or would it not be since everyone's board certified?

Well-known surgeons mess up a lot, so I don't think it's any riskier so long as you trust the guy, he has a proper plan he can execute, and are on the same page.
There was an article on the internet that explained why surgery fails. I can't find it, but lack of communication, poor planning, and different expectations were some of the higher metrics.

Something else to consider is every known surgeon was at one point in their career lesser known. I'm not pushing you in any direction, of course, but just make sure you're on the same page with A+ communication and planning.

[maxyale]

Would you say preparing morphs of what I want would help me and the surgeon be on the same page?

[GJ]

Would you say preparing morphs of what I want would help me and the surgeon be on the same page?

You could look at that several ways:

1. Yes, he can see what you want, and you can have discussions, etc and get on the same page.
2. Instead, you want a surgeon who sees things the way you do and presents a plan that you agree with.
3. Doing that could lead to something in between where he's willing to work within the scope of what you want, but things get lost in translation and you wind up with a mess.

So, I'm not sure. #2 is ideal.

[kavan]

Morphing with an 'auto' program; something that does all the work FOR YOU, more often than not, DISPLACES areas automatically that you might not realize were altered in the morph. For example, it can change things that can't be changed in a surgery. Also, the DISPLACEMENTS on the morph need to be analyzed and related back to the possibilities of the surgery. Most people using auto-morph programs can't/don't do that. Although the doc certainly could look at the morph, he/she would have to take out his/her ruler/protractor etc to analyze it and relate back the displacements done to the possibilities of surgery. So, it's only as good as a communication tool IF you know what you are doing with it in terms of the displacements made to it and have a good idea how those displacements would relate to the surgery you are requesting.

[Dogmatix]

Would you say preparing morphs of what I want would help me and the surgeon be on the same page?

I would advice to not do that. The only kind of surgeons I've heard of is the kind that gives a plan and you can either like it or go to another surgeon. Best is to ask the surgeon for a morph and see if you agree with it. What you want is to ask open questions and let the surgeon describe what's going to happen.

For a surgeon to accept a morph from a patient is very risky. Chance is that patient comes back with the morph after surgery and point outs that it's not same, even if the best effort would be put into it. It's also a red flag that the patient may have unrealistic expectations of the outcome.

[maxyale]

I mean I understand that it's not an exact science but wouldn't it to be a good idea to convey to him what you want, especially if you mainly want the procedure for cosmetic reasons?

[kavan]

Morphs are better for face implants where it's possible to design the look on the morph and of course when the morpher is familiar with the art of the possible. With maxfax there are MORE limitations because they have to balance the BITE. Also, on the first consult, they can't really tell you whether or not they can get close to the morph because they have to do all the diagnostics first to come up with a plan.

You could give it a try. But be willing to pay for the complete diagnostic and work up where they give you THEIR plan based on how the teeth will fit. Like give them the morph but WAIT to see IF they can accommodate close to your request.