Awful doctor. I have to look for another doctor to fix my jaw.

Submitted April 5, 2024

Big talker but did not deliver. Full of misinformation. Will have to live in pain for the rest of my life because of the surgery he performed.

Submitted April 13, 2023

I was referred to Dr. Tocchio to have my wisdom teeth removed. This was my first surgery, and I was concerned about the possibility of anesthesia awareness, a complication wherein anesthesia does not work correctly, and the patient can feel the excruciating pain of the surgery as it is occurring (google it). Anesthesia awareness is estimated to occur in 1 out of every 500–1000 surgeries.

Dr. Tocchio hastily assessed me at my initial appointment, without providing any opportunity to ask questions. I had to press his receptionist to be allowed to ask the doctor further questions before I left. When I finally got the chance to ask him about my concerns, he said he had never heard of anesthesia awareness before. Figuring that he would know it by another term (like "intraoperative awareness"), I explained the condition, and he responded with this exact quote: "Where did you get that [starts with 'c', ends with 'rap']?" (RateMDs won't let me use the literal language my prospective surgeon actually used.)

You can imagine how the conversation went from there.

Well Dr. Tocchio, you can read about "that crap" in the British Journal of Anesthesia, or The Lancet, or The Cochrane Library, or any of the other peer-reviewed publications that you're supposed to be reading so that you don't kill or injure your patients. It's really unacceptable that the doctor has never heard of this condition, would react with dismissiveness and condescension when confronted with new information, and would attempt to gaslight a patient who raises a legitimate concern. This condition often leads to PTSD, which is a devastating illness.

Honestly, I think they ought to take his license away. Surgeons ought to be able to anticipate and answer all of your questions about surgery. They should practice state of the art medicine. What other risks does he know nothing about?

I ended up seeing another oral surgeon who answered all of my questions and performed the procedure flawlessly.

Submitted Feb. 28, 2022

Never visit him, no manners, not ethical and he is a scammer!

Submitted Feb. 10, 2022

All around terrible. Secretaries were disrespectful and none of them were wearing masks. Went in for a consult and it was evident that Dr. Tocchio just wanted to charge me an unfathomable amount for what I wanted. He seldom answered my questions and I felt like I was another paycheck.

Submitted Feb. 10, 2022

Horrible staff, subpar doctor and overpriced. I cannot do justice to how bad this clinic is. He had encouraged me to do an expensive procedure that I didn't need and when I went to my dentist she was floored as to why he went through the procedure. There was no informed consent but it was staff pressuring me and lying about why I needed the procedure. He needs his licensed revoked

Submitted Feb. 10, 2022

I had an appointment to see Dr. Tocchio regarding my wisdom teeth. I actually witnessed how poorly the receptionist were being treated by another patient. I found them to be very helpful, they wen above and beyond to help me with all my paperwork. As for Dr. Tocchio, he is a guru at what he does, trust me when I say you will not get better treatment! People can be extremetley mean, I would not listen to negative comments. I guess it goes both ways, if you want respect , you should also give it!

Submitted Feb. 3, 2022

Dr Claudio Tocchio performed lower jaw surgery on me in 2003 to correct an underbite and cross bite. I asked a lot of questions and was told it was an easy surgery and there was next to no chance of any negative outcomes. I was particiularly concerned about nerve damage because he had a figure of a jaw showing a nerve wrapped around it, where the surgery would be taking place. He told me the nerves in your jaw where different than the nerves from your spine, and there was no chance of nerve damage. He went even further and said you could actually sever it and sew it back together with no ill effect. I had my doubts about this, but he had been recommended by my orthodontist, so I pushed my gut feeling aside and moved forward with the recommended surgery. What a mistake! I had the surgery in 2003 and now, in 2022 I can only say what a nightmare living with the result has been. My jaw doesn't line up properly, I have nerve damage on one side causing numbness (like freezing for dental work). People look at me strangely when I talk because I no longer look normal. It's extremely uncomfortable, embarassing and causes me to stay home and avoid social situations when it feels particularly bad. The other day someone asked me if I had experienced a stroke due to the drooping and deformity on that side of my face. Please be very careful when agreeing to this type of surgery. My botched surgery will affect me for the rest of my life. Based on my experience and unfortunate outcome, I would say run if anyone refers you to this man for treatment.

Submitted Jan. 18, 2022

Knowledgable, Funny, Excellent Surgeon. Performed a Lefort correctional procedure on both jaws in 2011 and the results have been extraordinary. People noticed a complete change in appearance immediately after the surgery. Office staff are helpful and is conveniently located near NYGH where he practices. 10/10!

Submitted Aug. 16, 2021

I was referred to Dr. Tocchio by my orthodontist because of the position of my jaw and having severe sleep apnea. I was told I have obstructive apnea. After they did scans, Tocchio told me that double jaw surgery would 90% cure the apnea. It’s so intrusive that I wasn’t going to do it for anything less than 80%. After the surgery he told the nurse I didn’t need my cpap machine because he cured me. Well my apnea is worse, I still don’t have feeling in my lower lip and chin (surgery was 2 1/2 years ago), my sinuses are messed up, the webbing where the stitches were inside my bottom lip are so deep it’s painful when food gets stuck in it and I now have about 3 more years of orthodontist work because my molars don’t match up to chew food like lettuce. Be careful of his charm and bedside manner. He makes promises and has no clue of the outcome.

Submitted July 4, 2021