An Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon is a specialist who diagnoses and treats a wide range of conditions affecting the mouth, jaws, face and neck. Dr. Fathimani is a board certified Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon and Board Certified by the American Board of Facial Cosmetic Surgery. The specialty combines aspects of both dentistry and medicine, requiring advanced education and training. Here are some key aspects of their practice:
Surgical Procedures
They perform complex surgical procedures, such as removing impacted teeth, dental implants (single, multiple, All on X, zygomatic), bone grafting (sinus lifts, hip and tibia bone grafts to the mouth and jaws), treating complex facial trauma, reconstructive surgery, corrective jaw surgery (orthognathic surgery), facial cosmetic surgery, TMJ surgery, Oral Pathology, Management of Sleep Apnea and Airway concerns, Head and Neck benign and malignant surgery, Cleft Lip and Palate repair and Office General Anesthesia. Some of the most common procedures that they do include the following:
- Dental Implants: They are often involved in placing complex dental implants, which requires a thorough understanding of both the bone and soft tissues of the mouth. These procedures routinely involve bone grafting as well to reconstruct the jaws and make them suitable for dental implant placement.
- Dentoalveolar Surgery: Wisdom teeth are the most common surgeries Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons perform; however, they routinely extract other complex and other impacted teeth that are referred by their dental colleagues. As well, they work closely with Orthodontists to expose and bond impacted teeth to allow them to erupt into the arch.
- Head and Neck Pathology: They diagnose and treat cysts, tumors and other pathological conditions in the oral and maxillofacial region.
- Facial Cosmetic Surgery: Dr. Fathimani is one of the few Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons in North America to also perform cosmetic procedures, such as facelifts, eyelid surgery, browlifts, rhinoplasty, jawline rejuvenation treatments, chin surgery, liposuction, skin tightening procedures, laser skin resurfacing and minimally invasive treatments. He has a state of the art surgical and aesthetic practice designed for all his surgical and non-surgical patients.
- TMJ Disorders: They treat temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, which affect the jaw joint and muscles controlling jaw movement.
- Cleft Lip and Palate Repair: They are involved in the surgical correction of congenital deformities like cleft lip and palate.
- Laser Treatments: There are only a few Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons nationwide that have lasers in their office setting. Dr. Fathimani has spent significant training to provide laser treatments for his patients. These include laser skin resurfacing, dental laser treatments for tongue ties, frenectomies, oral pathology, aesthetic gingival pigmentation correction, periodontal rejuvenation therapy and management of snoring with the QuietNite handpiece from DEKA.
- Anesthesia: Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons are trained to administer anesthesia, including general anesthesia, making them capable of performing surgery in both hospital and office settings.
To become an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, one must complete dental school followed by a residency program, which typically lasts 4-6 years and includes training in surgery, anesthesia and other medical disciplines. After their training is complete, some surgeons elect to complete advanced fellowships in Head and Neck Surgery, Cleft Lip and Palate repair or Facial Cosmetic Surgery. Dr. Fathimani completed his Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery training at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City and after 7 years of Faculty practice in New York City, he completed a highly competitive fellowship in Facial Cosmetic Surgery at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans.
