Re: SoCal patient needs info on insurance, cost, recover, etc:long post - sorry

[Guest guest]

Mike, as someone already said, there are quite a few Kaiser members

here. As to your questions, I can answer a few:

> 5)Does anesthesia cause hair to turn white or fall out? ( weird

> question huh)

Never heard of that one, but who knows?

> 6)Is there really a chance of permanent nerve/loss of feeeling in the

> nose,lips and mouth?

Yes. They say that most people recover feeling, and those who don't

are usually not bothered by it because it's just one small spot, but

there are people on this board that have had worse experiences,

unfortunately. Make sure you understand the risks involved - I think

docs tend to minimize this one, concentrating on swelling and

anesthesia risks instead. The majority of swelling goes down in 2

weeks for most people, but the numbness stays for quite some time.

> 7)Is 2 weeks a realistic recovery time?

Recovery time for what? Getting back to work? It depends on how you

feel, but many people are still healing and are very tired. My 4-week

anniversary is tomorrow, and I'm going back to the office on Monday -

I've been working from home for 2 weeks.

> 8)My job requires to talk on the phone I would say 80% of the day?

> How difficult is it to speak after recovery?

It's not too bad if you're not wired and your splint is out. However,

my job doesn't require that much talking, so I don't know how you

would feel at the end of the day.

Irene.

>

> Ok now for my issues. My dental history is a colorul one. Mostly red.

>

> Ive suffered gum disease and have had about half of the gum removed

> from my mouth. 4 separate surgeries with wisdom teeth pulled at the

> same time. Suffered some bone loss as well.

>

> I lost my front tooth due to neglect and removing that was an ordeal

> that is tough to live with at times. But Im slowly going to get over

> it.

>

> Now I have decided to get fixed. My periodontist suggested that I

> consult the USC (University of Southern California) School of

> Dentistry for help. I spoke with an Orthdontist and of course I need

> braces. My upper teeth shifted. And I decided that I want to get my

> jaw fixed and get rid of the open bite which has plagued me since

> birth. The ortho stated that to look at me you couldnt tell that

> much - he'd seen worse. Either way. I dreaded the prospect of any

> surgery but I think 35[years old] is time. That and I have missed out

> on some acting work because of a messed up grill.

>

> My dental Insurance will cover the braces, I believe. Then he (Ortho)

> stated that the surgery might be around $5-6k, but he couldnt quote

> me a price for sure. After I made the appointment to see the Oral

> Surgeon, I find out, from the receptionist, that they won't bill

> through Kaiser Permanente, and that if I dont have any other

> Insurance that it may cost me between $16,000-20,000 - both lower and

> upper jaw.

>

> Ok here is the cry for help:

> 1)Has anybody had dealings with USC School of Dentistry? I'd like to

> know your experience.

> 2)Does anybody in Southern California have any info on insurance

> companies ( in So Cal) that have paid for this surgery?

> 3)Any Kaiser Members out there that have had this done? Can you share

> your story?

> 4)Are there any finance companies that deal specifically with

> medical/dental loans? (see how desperate I am now)

> 5)Does anesthesia cause hair to turn white or fall out? ( weird

> question huh)

> 6)Is there really a chance of permanent nerve/loss of feeeling in the

> nose,lips and mouth?

> 7)Is 2 weeks a realistic recovery time?

> 8)My job requires to talk on the phone I would say 80% of the day?

> How difficult is it to speak after recovery?

> 9) Can a Sothern Cal patient give a price on what they paid...please?

> If anyone can give answers to these questions I would greatly

> appreciate it.

>

> Thanks

> Mike

[Guest guest]

Hi Mike,

Sounds like you've had a hell of a time with your mouth- for which

I'm very sorry. I never like hearing the stories that come up about

people that have had such a hard time. I'm glad you're finally

tackling all of this once and for all though! Good luck! I'm not in

CA, so I can't speak to your questions regarding CA, insurance, etc.

However, I can answer a couple of your questions:

6)Is there really a chance of permanent nerve/loss of feeeling in

the nose,lips and mouth?-

YES. This is the risk that my surgeon highlighted the most. He said

that I couldn't live with the idea of some numbness, then he didn't

think I should persue the surgery. That said, he had very good

statistics of nerve recovery. Maybe one or two cases in 26 years of

some problem- he also alluded to much older patients having a harder

time with this than younger patients... He wasn't highly concerned,

but wanted me to be aware. He also made it clear that nerve recovery

doesn't happen overnight... it can take quite a while.

7)Is 2 weeks a realistic recovery time?

Well, recovery definitely seems to be individual... and it has

different stages. I am at 2 weeks today. I have not yet returned to

work. I plan to return this friday part-time, all next week part-time

to ease myself back into full-time work. I would say that a lot

depends on what you do. My job involves being on my feet all day and

actively talking/interacting with people all day AND I have to be

nice!! So, after two weeks, I am not yet feeling up to it all

that. I hope I can handle work next week. There is a stage of

feeling very exhausted. I'm still waiting for that stage to pass

along.... sigh.

8)My job requires to talk on the phone I would say 80% of the day?

How difficult is it to speak after recovery?

My job also involves quite a bit of talking on the phone too. I'd say

75%. Basically I've made it clear to my boss that there is no way

that will be immediately possible. She can't really dispute it after

hearing me talk either! I have my splint still and am not sure when

it will be out. That would be something for you to find out- if you

will have a splint and if so, for how long. I cannot speak

comprehensibly with this splint. I also am banded. I'm not sure how

being banded alone would affect my speach, but I'm convinced that the

splint is definitely making speaking understandibly really difficult.

I don't know if there is anyway you can arrange to do some work that

doesn't involve talking. My boss and I talked about doing that ahead

of time.

Good luck to you! Sorry I wasn't able to answer more of your

questions! Katja