I cannot believe no one has reviewed Dr Whelan yet! I was suffering from some pain on my right jaw, I knew that my wisdom teeth was bugging me and that I needed to do something soon. I started out seeking a normal dentist, Dr Perkl. His staff had me X-rayed and then he walked in....and said "Kiddo you got some wicked wisdom teeth". Great my first time meeting the man, and that's what sealed my fate for needing an oral surgeon. He told me to seek Dr Whelan and that his office will work on getting a referral ASAP, as they were also infected. Joy! So I called and they were able to get me in the next day, otherwise I would have to wait for another 2 weeks since he was booked up. Walking into the office, the staff were all nice and welcoming. I was a bit nervous to meet Dr Whelan, since this was my first surgical procedure. He walked in and was so soft spoken, and there is a calm nature about him that put me at ease. He explained my situation and went over my X-Rays, I needed to get all 4 out, and they were all bony impactions. He explained the pictures that were taken of each affected tooth, and made sure I understood what was going on. He explained all the risks, and recovery. Upon walking out the consultation room, his staff asked if I wished to schedule surgery with him. I didn't waste any time at all. These bad boys needed to come out soon. My surgery wouldn't be until a month later, but he said I should be okay, by rinsing out with an oral rinse to keep it clean. Molly his Patient Service rep, printed out my expected pay, and what my insurance would pay. She was thorough, and explained everything to me. At this point, I didn't care as long as my insurance would cover a good portion. So I signed on the line, and anxiously waited. The day of my surgery was a breeze, I walked in, they whisked me to the operatory. The gal in there was real sweet, and had a gentle hand. We went through the normal questions, and then Dr Whelan walked in and greeted me. Before he put the IV sedation he went over briefly what we discussed and asked if I still wanted all four out. I agreed, and then he sprayed my arm with some cold numbing spray. All I remember was him saying, "time to put you out, if you can still help us with your opening your mouth once we get started, that would be a great help." I don't recall if I was able to help. I woke up in some pain, and his assistant asked if I was in pain, to which I just nodded. In walked Dr Whelan and he gave me shot of lidocaine which numbed it furthermore. Once I came to, enough they let me go home. Later that evening he called to check up on me, which I thought was fabulous! The recovery itself took a week, and I was pretty miserable, unable to really talk, given my age of 30, with some nice big teeth and deeply set roots, I knew I would be pretty much out of it. I stayed in bed the first 2 days, then got out the house for a nice little walk on the third. I puffed up very nicely, but hid behind dark sunglasses and a hat whenever I went out. There was considerable swelling, and bruising on my right jaw (the worst one), which was very much expected. I didn't eat very much, except lots of soups, pudding, and yogurt. I then was able to swallow pho all cut up like I was 3 again, and that felt like heaven. My Post Op was a week from my surgery, and that is where I got taught how use the irrigation syringe to keep the holes cleaned. I healed up nicely, and expect to make a successful recovery. Dr Whelan did stress for me to call if new symptoms or more pain continues. I still am not eating all I want, as the holes are a pain to clean and it hurts still, but he did mention I wouldn't be back to normal for 2-3 more weeks. I would highly recommend Dr Whelan and his staff to others that are seeking an Oral Surgeon on the north end. They're a great team, and Dr Whelan is very good at what he does!!! read more
