Debbi Lew
5/5
I am more than happy to write a strong review for Dr. Kevin Consani. I was extremely nervous and apprehensive about being referred to a periodontist for gum graft surgery. However, I asked my dentist and 5 other friends that are general dentists for referrals for a periodontist that has a practice near my home in San Mateo. All 6 of these dentists referred me to Dr. Scott Miliken who retired last year however 3 of these dentists told me that his partner, Dr. Kevin Consani was excellent, too.
During my initial consultation, I was impressed by Dr. Consani's warm and caring chairside manner. Dr Consani is honest, ethical and does not overcharge his patients. Also, I appreciate the fact that he recommends the most minimally invasive treatment option for his patients.
Dr. Consani was able to put me at ease and thoroughly explained the pros and cons of different treatment options for gum recession ranging from least invasive (e.g. do nothing, wait and watch the pockets of recession) to the most invasive gum graft surgery that involves taking an oral sedative called Halcion that you take 30 minutes before the surgery but once you take it, you're not allowed to drive a car and someone else has to drive you to and from the gum graft appointment.
Out of the 4 types of gum graft surgeries (e.g. alveolar, pedicle, free soft tissue, connective), Dr. Consani chose the most minimally invasive gum graft option for me. Basically, he told me that he would cut a small airplane strip of tissue from the roof of my mouth then suture the donor tissue under the two adjacent teeth with gum recession.
I asked him how much pain would I feel or how much time would I need to take off from work. He told me that I can use Advil to manage the pain and reduce swelling. Since he used local anesthesia, I didn't need to take time off from work because I can drive myself to and from my appointment.
On the day of my gum graft procedure, Dr. Consani soaked a Q-tip in Novocain then gently rubbed the Q-tip over my gums, then I read a People magazine while I waited for the Novocain to numb my gums. After about 15 minutes, Dr Consani gave me some shots with more Novocain that I barely felt and then he did my gum graft. The surgery part of the gum graft took about 30 minutes for my first appointment and about 20 minutes for my second appointment.
I am pleased that my recovery went smoothly. I didn't have any complications because I followed Dr. Consani's post op directions. After about 72 hours, the silly putty that he used to stop the bleeding fell out and I was down to taking one Advil every 6 hours.
When it came time to settle my final bill, I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't have to pay anything because Dr. Consani spread out my gum grafts over 2 months in 2 different billing years. The first gum graft was done on Nov. 20,2019, and then the second gum graft was done on January 13, 2020. By scheduling my 2 gum grafts in two different billing years, Dr. Consani stayed under the $2000 annual Delta Dental insurance maximum.
It has been 6 weeks since my second gum graft. I am a very happy patient. My gums healed beautifully, the sutures dissolved without any infections and the donor tissue from the roof palate is blending in with the gum tissue under my teeth.
