Ear Surgery (Otoplasty) Questions and Answers

Question:

I have been diagnosed with tmj with degenerative joint disease for the past 8 years. Over the past year my symtoms, pain in both jaws, neck and shoulders and sever headaches have increased greatly. I am also diagnosed with fibromylgia. I am almost always taking antiflamitories, muscle relaxers and pain pills. In addition I take accupuncture tx. and occasionally physical therapy. I also do several other things for relaxation. My job requirs me to talk all day and this seems to be causing me increase symptoms. Is my only other option surgery or stop talking?

Answer:

Can't make an opinion based on what you're stating. Surgery is usually a last option, have you had other opinions? If not, you should.

Question:

I am 60 years old and had a hysterectomy 9 years ago. I had the hysterectomy because I had a prolapsed uterus, a cystocele and a rectocele. Six months ago I had recurring problems again with the cystocele and rectocele and am now wearing a pessery. I wanted to know what other options there are for this problem, if any. Thank You

Answer:

Surgery done by a specialist in pelvic reconstruction should cure you.

Question:

I am a 23 yr old otherwise healthy female, and I just had all 4 wisdom teeth extracted 5 days ago. The two on my left side were both vertically impacted. They gave me IV sedation, and my teeth came out easily, so the surgery itself was painless and the rest of that day wasn't too bad except for the bleeding. The next day, however, my left cheek had become massively swollen. It is now still very swollen and moderately painful, with little sign of subsiding, making it very hard to smile or to open my mouth wide enough to fit small bites of food. My left cheek continues to be very tight and painful, but my main problem is that there is a half-walnut-sized lump in my cheek, a bit above the level of my mandible. It is extremely hard, seems like its located in the muscle, and doesn't appear to be getting smaller. I called the resident who performed my surgery, and he said that it just happens in some cases, and it might take 3 weeks to go away. Is that true? What causes it? Will exercising my jaw help, or should I try to keep it still? I'm a vet school student, and would like to know some of the medical details also. Thank you very much for your help!

Answer:

Dear Kristen, As you will no doubt learn in your orthopedic rotation what your are experiencing in a bony callus formation over the area where the bone was removed during the wisdom tooth extraction. As the natural underlying bone heals it will lay down a protective layer. As the socket fills the callus will disappear. It may last three weeks, but usually by the second week, baring any inflammation or infection, it should be quite small, and only perceptable with palpation. The pain in the more swollen side is most likely muscle inflammation which is best treated by ASA or NSAID and moist heat. Use the heat as you did the first day or two with the ice packs. You will have beter pain relief if you take the OTC meds on a regular schedule, just don't exceed the daily recommended dose ( prevent GI upset). You trismus, tight jaw will resolve faster as well with consistent use of the moist heat when you can do so. Do not attempt to over do jaw motion, as it will just further inflame the tissue. Stick to a softer diet and be protective of yawning and sneezing( I know sounds odd, but think about it) Also, as your resident will learn as time goes by...young women will swell more at your age for a number of reasons (big teeth, small mouth, his inexperience, length of time it takes to complete treatment etc...)but one he won't realize for a while is if he is right handed, all his patients will swell slightly more on the left because access and visibility are more difficult on that side for a right handed operator, especially if he was sitting down for the surgery! Us old guys still stand up for everything! Good luck with school and don't worry about your cheek, it will be very self limiting.

Question:

I am trying to find out what the cost of an implant on a front tooth will cost on average.

Answer:

Your best bet is to call around to your local Oral Surgeons and ask or search for them right here on locateadoc.com Professional fees vary from area to area, and state to state. Beware of "clinics" and GP's who do both the surgery and the final prosthetic work. Stick with a Surgeon who has had additional training in this type of treatment. We refer to GP's and periodontists who do implannts as "weekend warriors", that is they go to a twoday class, and then back to their office on Mondays to start putting in implants...not a good idea.

Question:

I am nearsighted (-1.25;-1.25) and I would like to find out how to prevent worsening of my eye-sight (I am willing to try anything) or perhaps even try to make it better. I have heard of some methods developed by William Bates - could you please give me some more information on that. I am also interested in laser surgery - are there any conditions for patients who want to be operated? Regards. Jernej Kos

Answer:

Dear Jernej Kos, The laser treatment is a permanent correction of your near sightedness and your best option. If you would like to schedule a consultation, call Annette at 714-879-737

Question:

My wife is considering traveling from Seattle to Vancouver, BC for lasik surgery. Do you know of any specific resources where I can find statistics on the safety and effectiveness of the procedure in Canada versus the US? Do doctors in Canada have to have the same qualifications as doctors in the US?

Answer:

You have entered an area where it will be hard to compare apples to apples so to speak. Inportant things to ask about are experience ( more than 300 cases done), size of the optical zone of treatment( I have seen 5.5 mm patients from Canada. We use 6.5 in the USA...smaller is likely to produce more haloes at night.). In the USA, the FDA dictates what type of eyes we can operate on. There is nothing regulated in Canada, so many patients who are pushing the limit would be operated there, while here in the USA, they would not be considered good candidates. Some doctors in Canada have done LASIK for years, as have some in the USA. Others there and here have just started, and have limited experience. That is why you need to ask those questions. One more point for your wife: you will have no legal recourse as a USA citizen in Canada if the issue of Malpractice arises. My advice for my patients is to consider this, and the fact that they will have to return to Canada for enhancements, complication management, and possibly followup care. What do those trips cost in terms of time off of work, mileage, hotels, etc. Go to www.isrs.org for a site with good information. Thanks

Roy Amir, MD
La Jolla, CA

Question:

My wife is considering traveling from Seattle to Vancouver, BC for lasik surgery. Do you know of any specific resources where I can find statistics on the safety and effectiveness of the procedure in Canada versus the US? Do doctors in Canada have to have the same qualifications as doctors in the US?

Answer:

You have entered an area where it will be hard to compare apples to apples so to speak. Inportant things to ask about are experience ( more than 300 cases done), size of the optical zone of treatment( I have seen 5.5 mm patients from Canada. We use 6.5 in the USA...smaller is likely to produce more haloes at night.). In the USA, the FDA dictates what type of eyes we can operate on. There is nothing regulated in Canada, so many patients who are pushing the limit would be operated there, while here in the USA, they would not be considered good candidates. Some doctors in Canada have done LASIK for years, as have some in the USA. Others there and here have just started, and have limited experience. That is why you need to ask those questions. One more point for your wife: you will have no legal recourse as a USA citizen in Canada if the issue of Malpractice arises. My advise for my patients is to consider this, and the fact that they will have to return to Canada for enhancements, complication management, at possibly followup care. What do those trips cost in terms of time off of work, mileage, hotels, etc. Go to www.isrg.org for a site with good information. Thanks

Roy Amir, MD
La Jolla, CA

Question:

MY BOTTOM TEETH ARE DISLOCATING FROM MY BONE DUE TO BONE LOSE SAYS MY DENTIST HE SUGJESTS CUTTING MY GUMS DOWN TO GIVE MW ANOTHER FIVE YEARS BEFORE I SHOULD HAVE FOUR BOTTOM FRONT TEETH REMOVED WILL THIS WORK? HOW DOES IT WORK? AND ABOUT HOW LONG DOES THIS PROCEDURE TAKE? AND HOW LONG TO RECOVER? THANK YOU

Answer:

Go now and make an appointment with someone else for a second opinion regarding your teeth. You did not state your age, or if you have any medical problems, or illness which could have contributed to this problem. I have no idea what type of "bone loss" you have, how much is gone, how stable the teeth are, or aren't, and I have not examined your mouth, nor seen your xrays. But if it were me, and some dentist said he wanted to cut my gums away so I can keep my teeth, maybe for 5 years, i would wonder why. If he's so sure you're going to loose them why does he need to take several thousand dollars out of your pocket first. If they're really that bad, don't do it. Have them extracted, and replace them with either a bridge or partial denture. If another dentist says they're not that bad then you know the first guy just wanted your money. I have yet to see a patient that was even remotely happy after gum surgery, and I've been in practice over 20 years! GOOD LUCK!

Question:

Dear sir or dam: Hello,I am a student from Auburn University.After one year study here my eyes got deeper near sight.This problem affected my study and life very much.I found your center can do the eyes laser correction surgery,I am very interested about that.Could you please give me some information about that?Here I have some questions: 1.Could youplease tell me the price of treating both eyes?For I am a student,the price is very important to me. 2.How long will the whole process take?I could select one quarter break(at most 10 days) to go there. Thank you for your kind help. Have a nice day!

Answer:

It is best for us to go over all the details over the telephone. You can call us toll-free at 800-444-5241. We look forward to speaking to you. Sincerely, Andrew Caster, MD

Robert Joseph, MD
Danville, KY

Question:

Why do the prices fluctuate so much in PRK and Lasik? Why is it so much cheaper in Canada? Are they less qualified? I heard people pay as little as $1,000 and are satisfied. Do you know how I could find a good Dr. at the lowest price?

Answer:

Prices vary in this surgery, just like they vary for everything else in life. And, in general, when you get the lowest price, you generally don't get the best quality. There are lots of quality decisions that each doctor and laser center must make -- do we buy the expensive drops, or the cheap ones? the expensive drapes, or the cheap ones? Since it is impossible to undo the surgery if you are not happy, I would suggest shopping for quality, not price.

Robert Joseph, MD
Danville, KY

Question:

I had the LASIK procedure performed in November. After 2 weeks, I had double vision in my left eye and was told I had an obliteration that needed to be corrected. I had a second surgery on the left eye. My dr. tells me the obliteration is corrected and my vision is 20/40 in the left eye, but I have triple vision. He told me that this was due to the amount of reconstructive work which was performed and that the surface of the cornea is irregular, but will heal itself with time -- usually 3-6 months. Does this sound accurate?

Answer:

It may be, but is dependent upon topography. This is clearly an irregular result, but all you can do is wait for the present.

Question:

How long before surgery should a person not wear soft contact lenses?

Answer:

We recommend to our patients that they should be out of their soft contact lenses for a total of 2 weeks before surgery is done. After 1 week, we perform a complete eye examination and then wait 1 week to repeat the exam to assure stability. Assuming that all is stable we then proceed with the surgery.

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• Learn about Ear Surgery (Otoplasty) in the Articles Section
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