Any good oral surgeons in Boston area?

[Guest guest]

Hi all. I'm new here.

I've been considering going through the ortho & surgery process to

correct my crooked jaw for a few years... I have a couple

questions: first, whether anyone has any leads on docs in my area,

and second, whether this is something remotely affordable if I can't

get insurance to cover it.

Currently I have no insurance. My university offers a plan that

explicitly excudes both orthodontics and oral surgery. So I'm

willing to try any plan that looks affordable. But I doubt I'm

really eligible for much, as a poor grad student.

Thanks for your help & best to all!

collette

[Guest guest]

Hi all. I'm new here.

I've been considering going through the ortho & surgery process to

correct my crooked jaw for a few years... I have a couple

questions: first, whether anyone has any leads on docs in my area,

and second, whether this is something remotely affordable if I can't

get insurance to cover it.

Currently I have no insurance. My university offers a plan that

explicitly excudes both orthodontics and oral surgery. So I'm

willing to try any plan that looks affordable. But I doubt I'm

really eligible for much, as a poor grad student.

Thanks for your help & best to all!

collette

[Guest guest]

Actually, I think there have been some suggestions just lately, for

folks in/near boston... Look around in the past week or so's posts. I

remember that one suggested a surgeon at Tufts, and another someone

who teaches at Harvard... which leads me to a second possible answer.

Have you tried consulting with schools of dentistry/oral surgery.

Some folks can go that route in comfort; it may involve having

students work on you under supervision, particularly for the braces,

and it may involve being a show and tell exhibit for teachers to let

their students examine you. It also can save some money.

best bet: find an insurance policy that will cover you. (You'll have

some time to do this, as the whole thing is generally a lengthy

procedure, and there's not a lot of point to rushing into it.) Next

best: negotiate. Some docs give discounts to patients who either pay

in advance or are paying without aid of insurance. Hospitals, too,

may give you a break if you either pay in advance, pay cash or don't

get the breaks an insurance company can get for you. It never hurts

to ask.

These procedures are expensive, no question. Ortho is usually

somewhere between $4,000 and $6,000 or more, depending on what you

need. Surgery, likewise, will depend on what you need. It's most

often between $5,000 and $20,000 or more, and the hospital and

anesthesia fees are on top of that.

One good thing, though, about being a grad student is that you have

prospects, I would hope, of being highly educated for a position once

you get out of grad school. (If you're a history major, as I was,

heaven help you!)

And while many feel that it's important to do these things early, to

protect the joints, there are no guarantees, and it's not likely to

be too late for you any time soon. I had lower advancement in 2002 at

the age of 56, almost 57...

Cammie

> Hi all. I'm new here.

>

> I've been considering going through the ortho & surgery process to

> correct my crooked jaw for a few years... I have a couple

> questions: first, whether anyone has any leads on docs in my area,

> and second, whether this is something remotely affordable if I

can't

> get insurance to cover it.

>

> Currently I have no insurance. My university offers a plan that

> explicitly excudes both orthodontics and oral surgery. So I'm

> willing to try any plan that looks affordable. But I doubt I'm

> really eligible for much, as a poor grad student.

>

> Thanks for your help & best to all!

>

> collette

[Guest guest]

Actually, I think there have been some suggestions just lately, for

folks in/near boston... Look around in the past week or so's posts. I

remember that one suggested a surgeon at Tufts, and another someone

who teaches at Harvard... which leads me to a second possible answer.

Have you tried consulting with schools of dentistry/oral surgery.

Some folks can go that route in comfort; it may involve having

students work on you under supervision, particularly for the braces,

and it may involve being a show and tell exhibit for teachers to let

their students examine you. It also can save some money.

best bet: find an insurance policy that will cover you. (You'll have

some time to do this, as the whole thing is generally a lengthy

procedure, and there's not a lot of point to rushing into it.) Next

best: negotiate. Some docs give discounts to patients who either pay

in advance or are paying without aid of insurance. Hospitals, too,

may give you a break if you either pay in advance, pay cash or don't

get the breaks an insurance company can get for you. It never hurts

to ask.

These procedures are expensive, no question. Ortho is usually

somewhere between $4,000 and $6,000 or more, depending on what you

need. Surgery, likewise, will depend on what you need. It's most

often between $5,000 and $20,000 or more, and the hospital and

anesthesia fees are on top of that.

One good thing, though, about being a grad student is that you have

prospects, I would hope, of being highly educated for a position once

you get out of grad school. (If you're a history major, as I was,

heaven help you!)

And while many feel that it's important to do these things early, to

protect the joints, there are no guarantees, and it's not likely to

be too late for you any time soon. I had lower advancement in 2002 at

the age of 56, almost 57...

Cammie

> Hi all. I'm new here.

>

> I've been considering going through the ortho & surgery process to

> correct my crooked jaw for a few years... I have a couple

> questions: first, whether anyone has any leads on docs in my area,

> and second, whether this is something remotely affordable if I

can't

> get insurance to cover it.

>

> Currently I have no insurance. My university offers a plan that

> explicitly excudes both orthodontics and oral surgery. So I'm

> willing to try any plan that looks affordable. But I doubt I'm

> really eligible for much, as a poor grad student.

>

> Thanks for your help & best to all!

>

> collette