Guest guest Posted June 21, 2005 Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 clarkuscoffeyus wrote: >Hello all. Have any of you ever heard of or had surgery performed by >Dr. Arnett from the Center for Corrective Jaw Surgery in Santa >Barbara? I have had to relocate from Denver to LA in the middle of my >treatment and I'm having to go through the process of selecting a >surgeon all over again. > >Thank you for any input you may have, > > > Yep, there's at least four people on this board who have had surgery through him. I'm one of them. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 21, 2005 Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 > > >Hello all. Have any of you ever heard of or had surgery performed by > >Dr. Arnett from the Center for Corrective Jaw Surgery in Santa > >Barbara? I have had to relocate from Denver to LA in the middle of my > >treatment and I'm having to go through the process of selecting a > >surgeon all over again. > > > >Thank you for any input you may have, > > > > > > > Yep, there's at least four people on this board who have had surgery > through him. I'm one of them. > Could you tell what you had done and how it went? The consultation alone is nearly $500, so I'm guessing he's pretty expensive and although I want the best, not every surgeon is worth their fees. Any info you could forward about your experience would be appreciated. Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 21, 2005 Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 I've never met him, or spoken with him, but he is a highly qualified and well known surgeon in this field, from all I have heard. Also, I am told, pricier than some, although I have also never had a quote from him, and some have found it difficult to have insurance that he culs work with, also hearsay. I would have no doubt that he knows his stuff, and many have had excellent results in his hands. I believe that he also developed some of the techniques he uses. Cammie > Hello all. Have any of you ever heard of or had surgery performed by > Dr. Arnett from the Center for Corrective Jaw Surgery in Santa > Barbara? I have had to relocate from Denver to LA in the middle of my > treatment and I'm having to go through the process of selecting a > surgeon all over again. > > Thank you for any input you may have, > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 21, 2005 Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 I've heard only good things about Dr. Arnett but I did not use him because I am based in NYC. However, the doctor that will be following me in Italy once I move back there was trained by Arnett. I do know that people fly out of state to be operated by him and he only does rigid fixation as he believes wiring worsens TMJ. So the one thing that you can count on with him is that he won't wire you although he might give you a splint. Sara > > > > >Hello all. Have any of you ever heard of or had surgery performed > by > > >Dr. Arnett from the Center for Corrective Jaw Surgery in Santa > > >Barbara? I have had to relocate from Denver to LA in the middle > of my > > >treatment and I'm having to go through the process of selecting a > > >surgeon all over again. > > > > > >Thank you for any input you may have, > > > > > > > > > > > Yep, there's at least four people on this board who have had > surgery > > through him. I'm one of them. > > > > > Could you tell what you had done and how it went? The consultation > alone is nearly $500, so I'm guessing he's pretty expensive and > although I want the best, not every surgeon is worth their fees. Any > info you could forward about your experience would be appreciated. > Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 21, 2005 Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 clarkuscoffeyus wrote: >Could you tell what you had done and how it went? The consultation >alone is nearly $500, so I'm guessing he's pretty expensive and >although I want the best, not every surgeon is worth their fees. Any >info you could forward about your experience would be appreciated. >Thank you > What done: The operative report lists eight items, so I'll just give the highlights...lower jaw widening, upper/lower jaw advancement which dramatically increased the airway. Yes, they're expensive. I have nothing but good things to say about them. I went to other surgeons which only led me to appreciate the Santa Barbara office even more. The best explanation I heard regarding surgeons: All of them know what to do when things are right. But when there are complications or things go wrong, does your surgeon know what to do? This office does a lot of surgeries to correct what other surgeons have done. What it boils down to is do you think your case is sufficiently complicated or difficult to warrant the additional expense. In my case, I felt I had enough dental and breathing issues to warrant the expense. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 21, 2005 Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 ceast36532 wrote: >I would have no doubt that he knows his stuff, and many have had >excellent results in his hands. I believe that he also developed some >of the techniques he uses. > > Dr. Arnett owns a patent on the orthagnathic titanium screws used in surgery, for starters... Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 21, 2005 Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 I had surgery at the Center for Corrective Jaw Surgery on May 25th and they are awesome. The lead surgeon was Dr. Gunson with Dr. Arnett assisting him with the surgery. These guys seriously are arguably the best in the world. That might sound retarded, but between the two of them they have done over 4500 surgeries. (Mostly Arnett) They only do jaw surgeries and because that's all they do they are very good at it. For example, the week I was there they were doing 4 people and the following two weeks, I know they did 3 each week and probably are doing 3 each week for the rest of the summer. I live in New Jersey and flew their to have surgery with them in Santa Barbara. I remember them saying that Dr. Arnett even did surgery on like the prince of Saudia Arabia. I had also visited a OS in NYC, and he cost just as much and was less professional. The feeling I got from a lot of OSs is that they do one or two a month if that. If you live in LA, I would highly recommend them. As for the cost, they definately are expensive, but I feel like the biggest factor in cost is where the surgery is done. For example, at his office we got a quote of roughly 27K plus hospital fees for surgery on upper and lower and we basically got the same quote in NYC. My guess is you probably could find another OS in LA area who is somewhat cheaper, but the cost of that decision will be with someone with less experience. We are hoping insurance will pick up a good part of it, but we are definately going to be paying a large portion of it. In short, I selected their office because if someone is breaking my jaw then I want someone who does this on a regular basis and not one or two a month. Their office is very professional and they were great. If you can afford them then go there! Good luck! K May 25, 2005 Upper and Lower > > > > >Hello all. Have any of you ever heard of or had surgery performed > by > > >Dr. Arnett from the Center for Corrective Jaw Surgery in Santa > > >Barbara? I have had to relocate from Denver to LA in the middle > of my > > >treatment and I'm having to go through the process of selecting a > > >surgeon all over again. > > > > > >Thank you for any input you may have, > > > > > > > > > > > Yep, there's at least four people on this board who have had > surgery > > through him. I'm one of them. > > > > > Could you tell what you had done and how it went? The consultation > alone is nearly $500, so I'm guessing he's pretty expensive and > although I want the best, not every surgeon is worth their fees. Any > info you could forward about your experience would be appreciated. > Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 22, 2005 Report Share Posted June 22, 2005 I'm not even thinking about putting Dr. Arnett or any of his partners down. Clearly, they know what they're doing. But my guy, down here in lower Alabama, had done more than 1700 before he got to me, back in 2002. And there were about five of us trooping back into the ward for the surgery the morning I had mine. (Including a big old country farm guy who'd pierced his own ears, but fought the little nursie ladies about the insertion of the IV line! One was ready to slug him!) Hey. No fight about who's on top here. What you want is a surgeon who knows what to do and knows how to do it, and help you through it. Go where you want. Clearly Dr. Arnett is in the forefront of the field, and equally clearly, there are others, such as the much- esteemed Toronto surgeon Dr. Toccio (am I spelling that right?) and my own Dr. Z., who also know what needs doing and how to help. (Arabian princes are not impressive, though, to me. Maybe my prejudices poke out.) I just wish you all the best of results, under the scalpels of whichever surgeon you choose. I definitely agree that I wouldn't go price shopping for a surgeon! C. > I had surgery at the Center for Corrective Jaw Surgery on May 25th > and they are awesome. The lead surgeon was Dr. Gunson with Dr. > Arnett assisting him with the surgery. These guys seriously are > arguably the best in the world. That might sound retarded, but > between the two of them they have done over 4500 surgeries. (Mostly > Arnett) They only do jaw surgeries and because that's all they do > they are very good at it. For example, the week I was there they > were doing 4 people and the following two weeks, I know they did 3 > each week and probably are doing 3 each week for the rest of the > summer. I live in New Jersey and flew their to have surgery with > them in Santa Barbara. I remember them saying that Dr. Arnett even > did surgery on like the prince of Saudia Arabia. I had also visited > a OS in NYC, and he cost just as much and was less professional. The > feeling I got from a lot of OSs is that they do one or two a month > if that. If you live in LA, I would highly recommend them. > > As for the cost, they definately are expensive, but I feel like the > biggest factor in cost is where the surgery is done. For example, at > his office we got a quote of roughly 27K plus hospital fees for > surgery on upper and lower and we basically got the same quote in > NYC. My guess is you probably could find another OS in LA area who > is somewhat cheaper, but the cost of that decision will be with > someone with less experience. We are hoping insurance will pick up a > good part of it, but we are definately going to be paying a large > portion of it. > > In short, I selected their office because if someone is breaking my > jaw then I want someone who does this on a regular basis and not one > or two a month. Their office is very professional and they were > great. If you can afford them then go there! > > Good luck! > > K > May 25, 2005 > Upper and Lower Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 22, 2005 Report Share Posted June 22, 2005 Thank you for replying with your thoughts and experiences. My case is not complex as far as orthognathic surgery goes, but I want (dare say demand) the best aesthetic outcome possible – good function a given. I've seen three surgeons thus far, and all three suggested a different approach (advance maxilla only, advance maxilla and retract mandible, retract mandible only) so I'm a bit confused and still looking for the right guy. Thanks again, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 22, 2005 Report Share Posted June 22, 2005 , Just adding my two cents ... One of the reasons I chose my Surgeon was because he has done approximately 1500 orthognathic surgies during his career. It made me feel all that more confident in his ability. Don't get me wrong - there were other reasons (referrals, school of choice, bedside manner, gut instinct, overall office atmosphere, cost, insurance issues, etc.) but, that was an important one. This is a big deal ... it should be handled by someone that knows what they are doing - not just because they learned it in school - but because they have had sucessful hands-on experience. In my ever so humble opinion, Carol > > > > > > >Hello all. Have any of you ever heard of or had surgery > performed > > by > > > >Dr. Arnett from the Center for Corrective Jaw Surgery in Santa > > > >Barbara? I have had to relocate from Denver to LA in the middle > > of my > > > >treatment and I'm having to go through the process of selecting > a > > > >surgeon all over again. > > > > > > > >Thank you for any input you may have, > > > > > > > > > > > Yep, there's at least four people on this board who have had > > surgery > > > through him. I'm one of them. > > > > > Could you tell what you had done and how it went? The consultation > > alone is nearly $500, so I'm guessing he's pretty expensive and > > although I want the best, not every surgeon is worth their fees. > Any > > info you could forward about your experience would be appreciated. > > Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 22, 2005 Report Share Posted June 22, 2005 clarkuscoffeyus wrote: >Thank you for replying with your thoughts and experiences. My case is >not complex as far as orthognathic surgery goes, but I want (dare say >demand) the best aesthetic outcome possible – good function a given. >I've seen three surgeons thus far, and all three suggested a different >approach (advance maxilla only, advance maxilla and retract mandible, >retract mandible only) so I'm a bit confused and still looking for the >right guy. > If you have anything in writing from these three visits, bring them! You have a right to be confused -- if it's not complex why are there three different plans? Think of the consultation as a job interview -- that means you interview him as much as he interviews you! You've got three different treatment plans and for all I know, Dr. Arnett could provide a fourth one. Let him explain why he feels some of the other treatment plans aren't appropriate for you. The goal is to compare and contrast all the opinions and come up with the one you feel is appropriate for you. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 10, 2005 Report Share Posted July 10, 2005 Hi e, I too am having surgery with Dr. Arnett at the end of August... I initially had a paper consult (I'm from the UK).. but wanted to have one in person... The paper consult varied significantly from the consult I had in person, so I think it's worth seeing him in person before deciding. I was very impressed by his thoroughness. I spent the whole afternoon being x-rayed etc etc. He takes lots of measurements and makes sure that the joints are seated properly before taking x-rays etc (something that other surgeons didn't do) in order to get accurate readings etc. He also fully explains what's what. If you want the best asthetic results, he is very good at this and has written numerous papers and books etc on the topic. I came out feeling really confident that he was the up to the job. So much so, that I'm flying in from the UK and spending life savings on this surgery (have no insurance).... Fingers crossed that it all goes according to plan! Suzy x > > >Thank you for replying with your thoughts and experiences. My case is > >not complex as far as orthognathic surgery goes, but I want (dare say > >demand) the best aesthetic outcome possible – good function a given. > >I've seen three surgeons thus far, and all three suggested a different > >approach (advance maxilla only, advance maxilla and retract mandible, > >retract mandible only) so I'm a bit confused and still looking for the > >right guy. > > > If you have anything in writing from these three visits, bring them! You > have a right to be confused -- if it's not complex why are there three > different plans? > > Think of the consultation as a job interview -- that means you interview > him as much as he interviews you! > > You've got three different treatment plans and for all I know, Dr. > Arnett could provide a fourth one. Let him explain why he feels some of > the other treatment plans aren't appropriate for you. The goal is to > compare and contrast all the opinions and come up with the one you feel > is appropriate for you. > > Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 Hi There! I'm another patient of Dr. Arnett's. My surgery is scheduled for July 27th. While this has all been a very tough process, having Dr. Arnett for a surgeon is really helping. I haven't had my surgery yet, but so far my experienc has been great. The office staff is wonderful, and always there to answer questions....I think I bother them a little too much! Dr. Arnett has performed this surgery over 4,500 times. With this, the entire process is very stream lined. I had a paper consultation, and then a consultation in person. While at his office, he worked with me, showed me exactly what needed to be done, etc. They even have Liz, who handles the insurance aspect come in and discuss the payment part of it all. Liz submits everything to the insurance and is a god send when it comes to understanding all of that. One thing to note though, is with this, Dr. Arnett is in high demand. He also lectures across the world so he isn't always in the office. Scheduling an appointment can take awhile. Also, his office won't let you schedule an appointment for surgery until your orthodontics are completely ready, and insurance has cleared. This can be frustrating, b/c since Dr. Arnett is in high demand, he usually books 6 months out. You can't even schedule your appointment until you are ready, so there is ususally a 6 month waiting period. I've been ready since April, and was supposed to have surgery in September, but lucked out with a cancelation. Good luck finding a surgeon though, and if you need anything else, let me know! Nichol Suzy wrote: Hi e, I too am having surgery with Dr. Arnett at the end of August... I initially had a paper consult (I'm from the UK).. but wanted to have one in person... The paper consult varied significantly from the consult I had in person, so I think it's worth seeing him in person before deciding. I was very impressed by his thoroughness. I spent the whole afternoon being x-rayed etc etc. He takes lots of measurements and makes sure that the joints are seated properly before taking x-rays etc (something that other surgeons didn't do) in order to get accurate readings etc. He also fully explains what's what. If you want the best asthetic results, he is very good at this and has written numerous papers and books etc on the topic. I came out feeling really confident that he was the up to the job. So much so, that I'm flying in from the UK and spending life savings on this surgery (have no insurance).... Fingers crossed that it all goes according to plan! Suzy x > > >Thank you for replying with your thoughts and experiences. My case is > >not complex as far as orthognathic surgery goes, but I want (dare say > >demand) the best aesthetic outcome possible – good function a given. > >I've seen three surgeons thus far, and all three suggested a different > >approach (advance maxilla only, advance maxilla and retract mandible, > >retract mandible only) so I'm a bit confused and still looking for the > >right guy. > > > If you have anything in writing from these three visits, bring them! You > have a right to be confused -- if it's not complex why are there three > different plans? > > Think of the consultation as a job interview -- that means you interview > him as much as he interviews you! > > You've got three different treatment plans and for all I know, Dr. > Arnett could provide a fourth one. Let him explain why he feels some of > the other treatment plans aren't appropriate for you. The goal is to > compare and contrast all the opinions and come up with the one you feel > is appropriate for you. > > Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 12, 2005 Report Share Posted July 12, 2005 > Hello all. Have any of you ever heard of or had surgery performed by > Dr. Arnett from the Center for Corrective Jaw Surgery in Santa > Barbara? I have had to relocate from Denver to LA in the middle of my > treatment and I'm having to go through the process of selecting a > surgeon all over again. > > Thank you for any input you may have, > Drs. Arnett and Gunson are the dynamic duo. They are the dream team. And their office staff is about as nice and on top of things as I've encountered. While Dr. Arnett is a super-buy guy, you don't get the impression of that when he's with you. Both he and Gunson hav ea greta bedside amnner, take the time to explain everything, and my prep for what was actually going to happen before and after surgery was right on the money. Even to the point of " when you come out of surgery it won't be bad but day three through five is the worst... " I had a weird complication - not a huge deal, but my teeth slid a couple of mm out of my jaw since my jaw was so tiny and there wasn't a lot of bone. Dr. Arnett realized this when he went back over my x-rays (this was about five weeks after surgery) and so he called me to come up for an emergerncy appointment. (I'm in LA) So I drive up and he puts me in his car and drives me to a local orthodontist on his lunch break so that he can have the teeth looked at - he didn't want me to do it in LA 'cause he wantd to be there. It ended up being no big deal, but he really went the extra mile. They are worth every penny you pay them and more. Cheers, Nina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.