Like the old adage goes, ‘First impression is the best impression’. This holds true in today’s dynamic and hypercompetitive era where the physical appearance of a person is regarded as one of the primary factors to access his/her attitude towards themselves as well as others. Looking good physically not only boosts the self-confidence of a person, but also makes them look more professional and increases their chances of employability. Recent research data reveals that a well-groomed and aesthetically looking person is quite often perceived to be more trustworthy, credible and professional in their workplace by 55 percent of the recruiters. As a result, people are now very conscious about their looks and increasingly opting to undergo maxillofacial surgeries.

Through their exceptional surgical skills, these surgeons not only enable people get the physical looks of their choice, but also help individuals who have been involved in any mishaps to regain their original look. Dr Yash Merchant (Consultant – Maxillofacial Surgery, Jupiter Hospital) is one such individual who has earned the reputation of being one of the most dependable surgeons across India for a wide variety of maxillofacial surgeries and complex dental procedures.

After completing his Bachelor’s in Dentistry, Dr Yash took-up his Post Graduation in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, as he felt the subject to be a bridge between medicine and dentistry. Post completing the three-year residency program, he completed two fellowships in Facial Trauma and Cancer of Head, Face & Neck. To further hone his skills and enhance his knowledge on the subject, Dr Yash then acquired certification from the Royal College of Surgeons, UK. Furthermore, he has also acquired extensive training in minimally invasive, aesthetic, and robotic surgeries.

“During my undergraduate days, I had suffered a fractured jaw due to my two-wheeler accident and had to seek the help of a maxillofacial surgeon to set right my jaw. This intrigued me immensely and sparked the flame within me to pursue a career in this field. The scope for maxillofacial procedures is expanding with each passing day, and as a specialist maxillofacial surgeon, I often get called-in by dentists as ‘the troubleshooter’ to remove impacted teeth of unusual difficulty, place complicated dental implants, or perform highly complicated extractions especially for elderly geriatric patients who have a higher risk of bleeding due to co-morbidities. This special ability of mine to successfully handle complex dental procedures has helped me immensely in creating a niche for myself in the industry”, says Dr Yash.

Key Areas of Expertise

Unlike other individuals who jump right onto treating the teeth or jaw of the patient, Dr Yash follows a unique approach, wherein he treats his patients from a holistic viewpoint by first trying to understand the root cause or etiology of the problem and then accordingly come-up with a permanent solution for it rather than just treat the symptoms. Some of the primary areas that Dr Yash specializes include head & neck cancer surgeries, tumor removal from the mouth, temporomandibular joint or jaw joint disorders, mucocutaneous lesions, spots and patches in the mouth, and diseases related to salivary glands, to name a few.

“The numerous training programs and multiple fellowships that I have taken-up under different mentors in various geographies have enabled to get a broader perspective on how each patient can be treated. Apart from these treatment procedures, I also specialize in facial aesthetic or cosmetic surgeries like rhinoplasty, facelifts and other surgical and non-surgical interventions to help improve the appearance of a person”, adds Dr Yash.


Patient-centric Approach

Always prioritizing patient safety and experience, Dr Yash makes sure to use only the latest and best-in-class equipment for all his surgical procedures. Thus, he only uses plates that have a very thin profile so that the patients don't feel it in their jaws or faces after undergoing surgery. Owing to his extensive training in diverse surgical areas, Dr Yash employs advanced techniques such as navigation surgery, CT guided surgery and the Da Vinci intuitive surgical robot in his practice to perform procedures with minimal scarring or through inconspicuous scars.

Always prioritizing patient safety, Dr Yash makes sure to use only the latest & best-in-class equipment for all his surgical procedures

Explaining a case study, Dr Yash says, “We recently got a young metro worker as our patient who had fallen from a height and fractured every bone in his face. Despite having fractures on other parts of his body as well, he was only concerned about his facial appearance. By using his teeth as a template, we started setting right his face and jaw under general anesthesia. Most importantly, we made sure to not leave any scars on his face due to the incisions and performed most of the surgery from the access through his mouth. Seeing him get discharged and walk out of the hospital after three months to be rehabilitated has been one of the most rewarding moments of my career so far!”.

Always hungry to acquire more knowledge, Dr Yash is a part of numerous study groups such as AOCMF that facilitate free exchange of information. Additionally, he also spends two hours every Sunday reading recent literature from high impact journals and publications that help him immensely in carrying-out evidence-based surgeries. Furthermore, Dr Yash has been fascinated about tissue engineering right from his UG days and currently involved in research to develop grafts and tissues that can be generated in the labs and used on the patients with reliability and safety. This way, he aspires to eliminate free flap transfer and restore patients with minimal donor site mobility.

Advising youngsters aspiring to be future maxillofacial surgeons, Dr Yash says, “Keep in mind that a surgeon’s life starts only after age 40, and enter into this field only if you are passionate about it. Also, despite still being a grey area in India, if you are ready to spend a few extra years on taking-up super-specialization post your PG, maxillofacial surgery is truly a very rewarding speciality”.