Dr. Whelan removed my wisdom teeth in 2003. I talked with at least 3 oral surgeons before choosing Whelan. He seemed nice, and gave me the least costly estimate for the procedure. After the teeth were removed, however, I had jaw pain that did not go away. I was diagnosed with TMJ about six months later, a known risk of oral surgery (becaue it puts the jaw through a lot of stress). The TMJ progressed to jaw arthritis within about a year.
It may very well be that any other oral surgeon would have also given me TMJ, but I am understandably a little bitter. I would not necessarily tell anybody to avoid Dr. Whelan (as I said, he seemed pleasant and affordable), but I highly recommend learning a little about TMJ before going through any major mouth work. If you have any beginning signs (my jaw used to pop), you may be at a higher risk. I had never heard of TMJ before the surgery, and Dr. Whelan seemed to ignore my mention of jaw popping. If you are worried, talk to your oral surgeon. I feel like the surgery may not have affected me as negatively if my jaw could have gotten some rest or some movement a few times during surgery.
out of 5 stars
