Everyday Oral Surgery Dr. John Zuniga DMD, PhD: Diagnosing and Treating Patients With Nerve Injuries (Pearls from an Experienced Neurosurgeon)
Despite decades of progress, diagnosing and treating nerve injuries remains a challenge for many oral and maxillofacial surgeons. Today we take a deep dive into the subject as we speak with experienced nerve microsurgeon, Dr. John Zuniga. After chatting about his professional background, we ask John how he developed his expertise in treating nerve injuries. In answering, he shares a roadmap to success that all upcoming surgeons should follow. While unpacking details about his practice, we touch on the improvements that John has seen in the field, including innovations such as nerve allografts. We then discuss the checklist that John uses when determining if a patient requires surgery. Reflecting on the difficulties surrounding nerve injuries, we talk about treatment and diagnostic limitations. Later, we focus our conversation on how John performs nerve damage surgery, with John providing added details on caring for patients with trigeminal neuralgia. We wrap up our discussion as John shares some final pearls of wisdom related to treating nerve pain, as well as dealing with damage caused by past surgeries. Tune in to benefit from his insights.
Key Points From This Episode:
- Hear about Dr. John Zuniga’s practice and extensive experience in medicine.
- How John developed his interest in nerve injuries.
- John shares advice for upcoming oral and maxillofacial surgeons.
- Exploring the diagnostic improvements that John has seen over the years.
- Why John is excited about the future of nerve treatment.
- The game-changing innovations to nerve allografts and neurotrophic factors.
- We unpack John’s checklist when deciding if a patient needs surgery.
- The factors that make neuropathic pain surgery so unique and difficult.
- What nerve surgery looks like for John.
- The type of information that can inform how well John can do his job.
- How John treats patients with trigeminal neuralgia.
- John shares his words of wisdom for treating nerve pain.
- Tips on being a top researcher.
- Dealing with medical insurers when treating nerve damage.
- How to handle nerve damage that has been caused by past surgeons.
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
UT Southwestern Medical Center