Oral and maxillofacial surgeons undergo extensive education and surgical training to ensure they will be well prepared to answer your questions on conditions affecting your face, mouth and jaws.
Whether or not to have surgery is a big decision. No matter how much advice you get, ultimately the decision is yours. Asking your surgeon plenty of questions can help guide you towards making the right decision.
What type of surgery are you recommending and why?
It is important to understand exactly what procedure is being recommended by your surgeon, ask questions about your diagnosis and the treatment being proposed.
Do I really need this surgery?
It’s a good idea to know exactly how the surgery might help you. Be clear about what the benefits might be. Check how long the benefits should last. For many types of surgery, they should last a lifetime. For other types the benefits might be short-lived. Ask what the chances of success are, and typical success rates.
What are the risks of surgery?
All surgery has risks. There are risks that are associated with the anaesthetic you will have. There are also the general risks of surgery, such as bleeding from the wound, while each type of surgery also has its own specific risks. You could ask your surgeon, what could go wrong? How often do these issues arise?
What happens if I don’t do anything?
Is your condition likely to get better or worse if you don’t have the surgery?
Are there any non-surgical treatment options?
Surgery is not always the first step for the treatment of some Oral and Maxillofacial conditions. Everyone is different, so ask your surgeon if there are alternatives to surgery and what might happen if you do nothing.
What are the costs?
Surgery and the time spent recovering from it, costs money. Ask your surgeon the following questions;
- How much will you pay overall, to the surgeon, to the anaesthetist, to the hospital?
- If your surgery is covered by Medicare, how much will Medicare pay? What will be your out of pocket costs?
- The Australian Medical Association has a range of excellent resources to assist patients considering surgery.