Re: I'm new to this site and have alot of questions regarding this surgery r/o

[Guest guest]

HI welcome to the Group!

My NAme is Kat, i am 20 and from the UK.

I had upper and lower jaw surgery (+ RPE and sinus work) 3 years ago

to correct a class III under bite. I have no regrets from having

this surgery. Pre op i had low self confidence and my teeth only

touched at the very back and that was just! I chose to do the

surgery for medical reasons, so i could generally have a better

functioning mouth and be able to eat properly, i also was a mouth

breather and found that if i tried to breathe through my nose that i

felt as though i was suffercating.

Ive had braces since i was 13 and still wear a retainer now but only

on a night. I had 2 surgeries. One to remove my wisdom teeth and

the jaw surgery. I was in hospital 4 days after my jaw op. I lost

a stone in weight in those four days. I was banded shut and on a

liquid diet for 6 weeks, progressing to a 'mushy' diet for the

following 3 months.

Different people will have views about choosing surgeons and

othros. I was reffered by my dentist to my ortho when i was 12. I

didnt meet any other ortho. I feel that working with my ortho and

surgeon from day one to my surgery 5 years later allowed us to build

a strong relationship and i could trust them full 200%. I have read

that alot of people on the boards have meetings with a few ortho's

and then select the right one for them. Being from the uk and under

18 wehn i had my surgery i was on the NHS so i didnt need to

organise medical insurance etc. Im not sure how this works outside

of the uk. I am sure that people will give you advice on the

boards.

I found that the removal of my wisdom teeth was more painful than my

jaw surgery. Infact i didnt really suffer much pain from that, it

was just the food issue that i found testing, though it was worth it.

Overall i am very pleased that i chose to do this surgery and i have

no regrets! I would do it again if i needed to.

Feel free to check out my before and after photos under Katerina in

the photos section. There are also some more recent ones on site 2

under katerina.

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/orthognathicsurgerysite2/

I hope this is of help to you. Good luck with finding your ortho.

feel free to ask any questions someone on the board will be able to

help you in one way or another.

Kind regards

Kat_UK

> I'm 37 and have been told since I was 22 that I needed to have

this surgery to

> correct my bite. I had three years of braces in high school and

my teeth were

> perfect but then slowly over time my bite shifted and I could no

longer touch

> my front teeth together. Only my back teeth touch and I grind the

heck out of

> them. My dentist of the last 5 years was very opposed to the

surgery so I

> didn't consider it but now he retired and I have a new dentist who

is all for it.

> I've consulted with two orthodontists and am going to meet with an

oral

> surgeon. Do most of you get this covered by your medical

insurance? How

> much does the ortho and surgery typically cost? The 1st ortho

quoted me

> $8,500 and the 2nd quoted me $6,500 - this is for 9-12 months of

braces prior

> to the surgery. What should I look for in a surgeon and are there

any recs in

> the Bay area for Northern California? How long were you in the

hospital? My

> reasons are more cosmetic but everyone who knows me say they can't

tell

> and I'm being ridiculous. It really affects my self-esteem and I

hate smiling for

> photos. I am concerned about my grinding and mouth-breathing so I

want to

> do this for reasons other than cosmetic. The 2nd ortho I

consulted with said I

> needed upper and lower jaw surgery and that this surgery was

different than

> the TMJ surgery. Has anyone had this surgery and regretted it? I

have so

> many questions and am glad to have found this board. Thanks in

advance for

> any feedback/suggestions.

[Guest guest]

I also had similar quotes for braces. I did decide to go with the more

expensive doctor because it was light and day on the detail of my

exam. If you are going to do this, you need to make sure you feel

comfortable with the doctor, and that the doctor is really good. That

doesn't always mean the more expensive doctor is better, you just have

to evaluate the situation.

Good luck!

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I had upper jaw surgery 16 weeks ago. I live in the UK so I didn't need health

insurance as the NHS pays for it. I was in hospital for 9 days after my surgery.

Before my surgery I hated smiling for photo's etc and had a pretty low self

esteem, but since the surgery I am a different person I am much happier and have

my photo taken!

I am gald that I went through with the surgery as it has made a big difference

to me, and it has made a big difference to my appearence and have no regrets

about the surgery.

I would be happy to answer any further questions you may have.

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

DONT GET IT DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

klmiles_1999 wrote:I'm 37 and have been told since I

was 22 that I needed to have this surgery to

correct my bite. I had three years of braces in high school and my teeth were

perfect but then slowly over time my bite shifted and I could no longer touch

my front teeth together. Only my back teeth touch and I grind the heck out of

them. My dentist of the last 5 years was very opposed to the surgery so I

didn't consider it but now he retired and I have a new dentist who is all for

it.

I've consulted with two orthodontists and am going to meet with an oral

surgeon. Do most of you get this covered by your medical insurance? How

much does the ortho and surgery typically cost? The 1st ortho quoted me

$8,500 and the 2nd quoted me $6,500 - this is for 9-12 months of braces prior

to the surgery. What should I look for in a surgeon and are there any recs in

the Bay area for Northern California? How long were you in the hospital? My

reasons are more cosmetic but everyone who knows me say they can't tell

and I'm being ridiculous. It really affects my self-esteem and I hate smiling

for

photos. I am concerned about my grinding and mouth-breathing so I want to

do this for reasons other than cosmetic. The 2nd ortho I consulted with said I

needed upper and lower jaw surgery and that this surgery was different than

the TMJ surgery. Has anyone had this surgery and regretted it? I have so

many questions and am glad to have found this board. Thanks in advance for

any feedback/suggestions.

[Guest guest]

Hello there - Sounds like you are definitely a candidate for

Orthognathic Surgery, so you've come to the right place! I'm a forty-

seven year old with an underbite who is just beginning the journey.

I, like you, needed this to be done a long time ago, but I just

wasn't ready to take the plunge. Now, it's the perfect time for me to

move forward. I've had my braces on for just three weeks; I've

already seen lots of changes as my teeth are moving. I have the BEST

Surgeon and Orthodontist I could've ever found and am truly blessed

to have them taking care of me. I will be having braces for up to ten

months prior to the surgery and up to six months afterward. My OMS

won't be sure exactly what procedures he will be doing until six

months prior to surgery; we are certain I will need a BSSO (Bilat.

Sagittal Split (Ramus) Osteotomy) to set back my mandible, but the

need for a LeFort is still up in the air (that's the Maxillary

(Upper) surgery). The LeFort would be done to bring my maxilla

forward and drop it down in front. As for insurance, this is an

excluded benefit of the insurance I have thru my employer (a

hospital, believe it or not). So, I will be paying out-of-pocket for

this. My OMS has surgical privileges at a small short-term hospital

here which will be charging me one-third the cost that my

employer/hospital would've charged me; it's a no-brainer! My

insurance does pay $1K for braces however, so that's better than

nothing. The Ortho total is $5K, the surgery will be about $6K, and

the surgeon's fee will be $6K for the BSSO only (don't know how much

for the two procedures). My OMS is also a board-certified Cosmetic

Surgeon, and he also wants to do some neck and chin Lipo. I'm having

this done for functional reasons, as I'm having problems with

mastication and speech (I've been told I mumble), but the

cosmetic/aesthetic improvements will be a welcome benefit. My pre-

braces pictures are in the second Diane folder in the Photos section.

When choosing a Surgeon, it is very important to pick someone you are

comfortable with; I am very much at ease with mine and trust him

completely. You will be putting your face ( & life) in his hands!

Contrary to what some people say, it is not that important how many

of these procedures your Surgeon performs each year; my OMS does

about a dozen per year and he would do more of them if it weren't for

the lack of insurance coverage for this type of surgery in this state

(Idaho). [None of the OMS's in Idaho probably do more than a dozen

per year.] Well, hope all this helps you make your decision. Let us

know what you decide to do. This is an awesome group and we are here

to help in any way we can. Welcome aboard! ~~~ Diane

> I'm 37 and have been told since I was 22 that I needed to have this

surgery to

> correct my bite. I had three years of braces in high school and my

teeth were

> perfect but then slowly over time my bite shifted and I could no

longer touch

> my front teeth together. Only my back teeth touch and I grind the

heck out of

> them. My dentist of the last 5 years was very opposed to the

surgery so I

> didn't consider it but now he retired and I have a new dentist who

is all for it.

> I've consulted with two orthodontists and am going to meet with an

oral

> surgeon. Do most of you get this covered by your medical

insurance? How

> much does the ortho and surgery typically cost? The 1st ortho

quoted me

> $8,500 and the 2nd quoted me $6,500 - this is for 9-12 months of

braces prior

> to the surgery. What should I look for in a surgeon and are there

any recs in

> the Bay area for Northern California? How long were you in the

hospital? My

> reasons are more cosmetic but everyone who knows me say they can't

tell

> and I'm being ridiculous. It really affects my self-esteem and I

hate smiling for

> photos. I am concerned about my grinding and mouth-breathing so I

want to

> do this for reasons other than cosmetic. The 2nd ortho I consulted

with said I

> needed upper and lower jaw surgery and that this surgery was

different than

> the TMJ surgery. Has anyone had this surgery and regretted it? I

have so

> many questions and am glad to have found this board. Thanks in

advance for

> any feedback/suggestions.