Vanderbilt Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

Great experience even tho I had to be put under. No pain, no swelling, no bleeding…your mileage may vary

ETA: in response to VUMC’s reply, I have the billing phone number memorized by now and it has not been helpful I gave 2 stars because the staff is very friendly, and the Dr. I saw was professional and explained everything she was doing as she did it, so medically I felt like I was in good hands. However, beware the pre-authorization and estimate process. I received 3 different estimates prior to my procedure and then after the procedure, which was supposed to go through insurance but didn’t, I received a bill for more than twice the amount of any estimate I had received. I don’t know how long it will take for that to get sorted out. Also, I reached out about pain I was experiencing post-procedure and it has been 5 days with no response from the doctor. It has been a frustrating experience in terms of patient communication.

I was told a much smaller copay by the doctor's nurse (I have good insurance and this was in network), but after the very minor, 5-minute procedure took place the bills started coming. I am coming up on $800 so far out of pocket and I am not sure when/if they'll end. The procedure was to remove a very small amount of build up on my gums and check it for cancer, etc., but the doctors decided not to remove all of it in the one procedure. I guess they want me to come back and start the billing process all over again. I will never give Vanderbilt Oral my business again and I will tell everyone I meet what a bad experience I had there. Count on it!

I truly wish I had read the reviews before going here. The entire experience was stressful from the beginning. My first interaction over the phone was discouraging, the person I spoke with was dismissive and unhelpful, which in hindsight should have been an early warning sign. When I later called back, the woman I spoke to was more professional, but the contrast only highlighted how inconsistent and frustrating communication can be. I saw Dr. Antonia Kolokythas for my appointment, and unfortunately the visit did not go well. She spent only a few minutes in the room, and during that time she appeared distracted, taking calls and messaging about other patients. When she finally addressed me directly, my symptoms and concerns were quickly dismissed without any meaningful evaluation, testing, or treatment plan. I left the appointment feeling unheard, embarrassed, and reduced to tear. It felt dehumanizing to have my pain and experience minimized so abruptly. I attempted to follow up with patient relations to discuss what happened, but I left that interaction feeling dismissed again. Overall, I regret not taking the time to read other reviews beforehand, as many people seem to have had similar experiences. I’m sharing this so others can make an informed decision before scheduling here. If compassionate care and communication are important to you, consider exploring literally ANY other options first.

I had to get double jaw surgery done and doctor Lin has been amazing through the whole process. They take delicate time to answer all your questions and are so patient. Her and her resident team are very empathetic and I felt comfortable trusting them with something so major. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience with something so anxiety inducing. I’m still in the treatment process, but I’m very happy so far with everything. I highly recommend her or anyone in this office for that matter! They have a great team from the front desk to the nurses in the back.

I want to drop this story so everyone can see this god awful excuse of a doctors office for what they are. I went to them in May for a jaw surgery consult because I had a recent sleep study done and my cbct showed I had a small airway. I had tried other conservative methods such as cpap and an appliance but with no help. Dr. McKenna said he wanted me to try inspire first and if I wasn’t a candidate I could come back and start the process of jaw surgery, so he sent me to an ENT in Nashville (after I had already told him I live in Knoxville) and I asked in the portal if I could go see an ENT in Knoxville instead of the one he recommended and never got a response back so I went ahead and got it scheduled in Knoxville. I got the consult and the ENT in Knoxville told me I was not a candidate for inspire and even blindly recommend jaw surgery when I had not even mentioned it to him. I texted in the portal and told them I was not a candidate and was ready to move on with the jaw surgery and they replied telling me to call a number to schedule an appointment. I scheduled a month later and when the day came I got a call from one of the receptionist telling me that Dr. McKenna wanted to wait until I got the consult from the ENT in Nashville. Just a reminder that I had already asked a month ok if it was ok to go to the ENT in Knoxville and got no response back. I had went back and forth with them on the portal telling them I was not going to the ENT in Nashville and wanted to set up an appointment with jaw surgery. They finally told me to ask the ENT in Knoxville if they could fax the notes for the consultation. I asked the ENT in Knoxville office and they did. I got a text from one of Dr. McKenna’s nurses saying inspire was not talked about in the notes and that I should get the consultation from the ENT in Nashville after I repeatedly told them I was not going. I called back to the ENT in Knoxville and they said they highlighted the part in the notes where it says we talked about inside, but they would call them anyways. The nurses call Dr. McKennas office and Dr. McKennas office told them that they got everything they needed. I texted Dr. McKennas office once again asking if there is a misunderstanding and also asking if I could proceed with the jaw surgery and if Dr. McKenna was not comfortable please let me know. They texted me saying they would let Dr. McKenna know and it would take several days for a response. Well a month and a half goes by and I’ve still got nothing back so I schedule so I can just talk to them about what’s going on. I go to Dr. McKennas office and he tells me that I should try an appliance after I told him the first one I tried really wore my joints down. Apparently he wasn’t comfortable with jaw surgery after saying he was the first consultation and none of his nurses could have told me that the four times I asked over several months. All in all I walked out and never looked back. If you want to feel worthless and waste multiple months of your life running in circles Dr. McKenna is your guy. Some of the worst people you will ever meet