Ask RiotACT: Orthodontist and Jaw Surgery Recommendation?

I used to Dr Fricker as an orthodontist, now Orthoclinic in Manuka – not sure who the orthodontist is there so cannot comment.

I had double maxillofacial surgery to correct an under bite and went with Dr Hyam as my surgeon, who I also used for my wisdom teeth removal. Surgery went incredibly well, and I’ve have had no issues whatsoever in the five years since. Everything was explained to me perfectly and I was ecstatic with the results. Dr Hyam seemed very eager to have me return to normal as soon as possible – so I was not wired up, and released from hospital early (although this may have been due to my individual recovery).

As for the private health insurance, you will always be fairly out of pocket as this is usually an elective surgery – although you can definitely claim a fair portion back via health insurance. From memory, I was around $10k out of pocket, which included surgeon, anesthetist fees and medication. I think around $4-$5k was covered by health. Of course, these numbers are unique to my particular surgery and may be completely different for yours. Best advice would be to look around and see what is/isn’t covered.

The orthodontist we used has retired, but Michael Cooper did upper jaw expansion surgery on the kid (and all wisdoms out too). He did a beautiful job, minimal pain and swelling. He’s in Torrens st Braddon, same practice as Peter Vickers who I’ve been told is great too.

Dr David Madsen is fantastic. He’s an absolute perfectionist and he explains processes really well and spends time with his patients.