Posted by Captin Cannuck on April 17, 2008 at 19:33:20:In Reply to: Re: For those of you who have had MMA posted by bredren on April 17, 2008 at 04:51:40:
Yes, I saw the doctor in Toronto first. I was not so impressed with him. The Toronto (North York) surgeon has a lot experience doing jaw surgeries. Apparantly, he does more jaw surgeries than any other surgeon in Ontario. Among the jaw surgeries he does, MMAs are included. He does MMAs for people with jaw deformities and also for patients with OSA. What I felt about him was that he didn't seem any more interested in MMAs than in any other jaw surgery. He charges about 2500 bucks for post MMA care. As for MMAs specifically for sleep apnea patients, he does not do them anywhere near as routinely as Dr. G. in Halifax does.
I felt that with Dr. G. the big difference was his genuine interest in the procedure. What I mean is that Dr. G. is passionately interested in MMAs for OSA. He is writing and publishing articles in academic journals. He travelled to Australia for a fellowship specializing in MMAs for OSA. He went to great lengths to learn that particular type of surgery. He collaborates with other researchers who are studying about OSA. His way of thinking about that form of surgery is much more sophisticated. I think that where possible, he believes in striking a balance between aesthetic considerations and improving the airway. In order to do this, he follows Delaire's cephalometric analysis. This is a kind of road map of the head in which certain points generally line up in most people (google that if you want more info). He knows how to make calculations based on the patient's x-rays which show him how much he can advance people in order to improve their airway without making them look like a gorilla (Another surgeon whom I saw said that the farthest possible was best, by the way - a very different philosophy to say the least).
He has other great qualities. When I went to see him in Halifax, I found him to be very compassionate and humble. He is a big wheel in the world of Canadian OMF surgery, but when you meet this guy, you would never know it. I felt that he really cared about his patients. He came to see me in the hospital during my recovery. He said that he just happened to be in the area. When I went to see him in Halifax, I saw some slides of before and after photos of OSA patients. I could tell by the way that he spoke of them that each person was kind of special to him. I felt that he really wanted to do his best for them in order to improve their quality of life. He asked me a lot of questions about the effect of OSA. He insisted on taking his own x-rays (unlike the Toronto surgeon). Yes, he is really interested in it. To my mind, this last factor was the biggest one for me. I think that if you want to really achieve excellence in anything, whether it is playing the violin, pitching a baseball, or mastering a complex type of surgery, then you've *got* to be *really* interested in it. Otherwise, where is your motivation for excellence coming from?
I have no reservation whatsoever in recommending Dr. G. to you.