As of today, I am DEBRACED.

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#1 Post by **4beauty4symmetry** » Thu May 22, 2008 9:55 am

Hi everybody,

Just dropping a note to let everyone know I was debraced today, about two hours ago. The removal of the brackets took only a few minutes--the bulk of the hour session was spent removing the glue with some kind of drill thing.

It went fine. My gums are not irritated and feel much as they did before the Ortho and his assistant went to work. There's a couple of teeth at the bottom whose gum line feel a little tingly upon touching, but that's it. I'll wait a day and then start putting on those crest whitener strips.

Can't quite believe it. My teeth feel and look much larger and smoother than I remember.

One wrinkle, if you can call it that, is that I now have a lingual retainer between my two upper central incisors. During orthodontics they kept seperating--I had always a gap between them, and the ortho said people who've had front teeth gaps often wound up having to have these after treatment.

Also, I was suprised to learn that the retainer, which I receive next week, is to be worn 24/7 for the first 4 months. I thought it was just for nights. But that's fine. I can remove it for special occasions and it will be far less intrusion than my teeth have had to cope with since . . . Nov 2006, when I first had the RPE installed.

My signature gives much of my information. I'm giving this information partly because I consider my 'case' to have gone extremely well, and hope that it will make people realize they CAN successfully have this surgery in another country. I will be going back to Costa Rica for the implants, and perhaps for laser gum surgery.

Will have to wait a few weeks to see how the tissue settles before I know if I will need or want it.

While it's been a strain, I have trained my tongue to position itself when I speak so that I no longer have the hissing and whistling s's I was burdened with after surgery.

Have been away from the board for awhile. Have skimmed some people's accounts of surgery and post surgical results. I have to say that I feel very lucky that my surgeries went as well as they did.

Some of you know that I had my SARPE and BSSO and geniplasty in Costa Rica, by an Oral Maxillofacial surgeon who went to school in the US, was trained at schools in Miami and Huston, two leading OMS centers (studied directly under Wolford and is co-author of some papers with him).

I think I"m living proof that one can receive care as good--if not BETTER--than what is available in the US, and at much less cost. So I'm posting this update partly so that people who can't afford to have this work done here will at least be open to the option of doing it overseas.

Had my lower jaw surgery and genioplasty in early Nov 2007, and by the day after Xmas I was back to completely solid food. By I think February the numbness in my chin had completely dissipated. Immediately following surgery, I had full sensation in my lips, tongue, and jaw, with the exception of the button area of my chin.

The braces, tho, I must say, have been far more intrusive and unpleasant than I was prepared for. I'm relieved and amazed they are no more.

Have to run right now--really do wish everyone well!

#2 Post by **misiame** » Thu May 22, 2008 11:09 am

Congratulation!!!!!

I fought for over a year with my insurance and then after being so depressed with the whole process I read your posts. I must admit that you inspired me to look "outside of the box".
Thank you!
I know I will come back as happy as you did!
I'll have my surgery on June 10 in Costa Rica.
I will be there for 12 days. I need BSSO and genio. The whole journey (surgery, hospital stay, 10 days at a retreat, meals 3 x a day) is $8000.

I am just wondering if you Doctors's name was Oscar R. F. ...

#3 Post by **4beauty4symmetry** » Thu May 22, 2008 1:07 pm

Yes, it sounds like you will have the same OMS as me.

Will you be staying at Clinica Biblica?

Do you speak Spanish--that can only help!

I did have a great recovery, esp from this second surgery, but honestly I don't know how much of it was due to my surgeon.

For months beforehand I got a lot of aerobic exercise and stuck to a whole foods, low sodium diet. I also started taking very good quality Omega 3 Fish oil gel capsules, as Omega 3 oils evidently help with nerve transmission, and Omega 3 Oils was the one ingredient decidedly missing from my diet.

I stayed at a retreat where a staff prepared five small liquid and soft food meals a day, with ingredients and recipes selected by me. I managed to consume grains, beans, and fresh fruits and vegetables.

If I hadn't done all the above, I don't know if my energy level would have been as good as it was. I don't know if the fact I had almost no numbness came from my diet and excersie regime, or because my OMS worked swiftly and was able to not disturb any nerves, or both.

At any rate, I trust Dr. Reiche to be very responsible, and believe you will be in good hands with him and his operating team.

p.s. I'm still kind of dazed. . . is it really all over? Just a retainer and that's it?

#4 Post by **misiame** » Thu May 22, 2008 1:35 pm

Yes! I am glad I will have the same doctor as you did.
I will have the surgery at La CatÃ³lica Hospital and after that i will be staying at Aradhika Recovery Home.

I am starting to pack my bag slowly...any suggestions on what to take with me? Something that maybe you wished you took with you there and you didnot...
Thank you.

#5 Post by **Round2inAZ** » Mon May 26, 2008 9:39 pm

WOW, thanks you two!! Your posts have made me jump for joy!!

Insurance won't pay for mine, and I need both jaws done + a sliding genioplasty. 8 grand I can afford!

I'm curious about the process -- do you send your records over first, then set up a phone consultation, then an office appointment with him or what?!!

Do you have before and after photos?

Thank you so much!! There is hope!!! I am so less stressed now.

#6 Post by **4beauty4symmetry** » Tue May 27, 2008 7:19 am

Hi RoundZ,

I have to get the hard drive on my mac replaced--after that I could probably email you photos.

I went down there for some regular dental work and an in person consult, at which the OMS took xrays and showed me before and after photos of his patients.

You could just email him the xrays and then talk with him over the phone.

Read my past posts. Think you'll find lot of information there. Just click under my profile and click the "find all posts" link.

Miasme, I don't know what your needs or preferences are, so I'm not sure what to tell you to bring. You are going during the rainy season, which means it rains for a few hours every day beginning about 3 pm, so definitely rain gear. I carried a small tote umbrella.

Might want to bring your own DVDs, and, if you are into reading, a small reading lamp.

#7 Post by **badbite** » Tue May 27, 2008 8:58 am

4beauty4symmetry, Did you need bone grafts for your implant anchors? If so how did that fit into the surgeries? Thanks, I have the same problems as you (open bite, crossbite, underbite) along with severe crowding and I am missing one bottom molar.

#8 Post by **4beauty4symmetry** » Tue May 27, 2008 9:37 am

Nope. I was missing two bottom molars, but didn't need bone graft.

He struck me as conservative, doesn't want any surprises or complications, so I would ask him if the implant anchors should be done at the same time or in a seperate operation.

#9 Post by **misiame** » Tue May 27, 2008 11:02 am

I didn't have to send them anything. The only thing Dr. Reiche wants me to do here is the surgical wires and hooks. The rest, molds, x-rays and the pre op tests will be done in Costa Rica.
I will keep you posted...but (I am not sure if I can do that) this is the website

www.costaricanewlook.com

Tue May 27, 2008 11:11 am

I don't understand. Without x-rays how does he know what needs to be done?

If I were you, I'd get them emailed--I assume somebody, at some point, made x rays of your jaw skeleton, right?

Perhaps it will cost you a few hundred dollars to have a new set made--seems to me worth it!

#11 Post by **misiame** » Tue May 27, 2008 1:22 pm

I had a pile of papers describing my case (for the insurance) done by OS from here. Thats all was needed.

#12 Post by **Round2inAZ** » Tue May 27, 2008 9:36 pm

Hey Beauty,

Well I just went through your 15 or so pages of posts. Some great stuff contained therein! In fact, I saved some of them in my Yahoo account.

A coupla questions, if you don't mind:

* It seems that you were a little disappointed, at least initially, with the outcome, particularly the "gumminess." Are you happy with the results now?

* In one of your posts you described Dr. Oscar as "very conservative." Do you know if he does cosmetic-only cases? Or does he only do functional correction? (I have e-mailed them requesting info and am awaiting their reply.)

You did a great job of chronicling events as they transpired, and for that I am grateful!! No doubt your posts helped many others on here as well.

#13 Post by **ctbush** » Mon Jun 02, 2008 11:50 am

I'm wondering about the process you folks went through with your insurance companies prior to deciding on Costa Rica? I just received the initial denial from my provider and am now evaluating my options. I have heard stories of folks who fought for a year or more and finally got their surgery covered.

This thread piqued my interest because I have friends who just started a business in CR after spending years in DC, and it might be a nice double whammy to get a reduced price surgery and see my friends (but I'm weary about overseas surgery AND would still like to hold out hope that I will still get at least part of the surgery paid for by my provider.

Mon Jun 02, 2008 6:47 pm

Sorry not to have responded sooner--I'm supposed to get automatic notifaction when a thread I've subscribed to gets a posting, but it didn't happen in this case.

For some reason, about a month after the surgery, the 'gummy smile' effect largely disappeared--with the exception of a little bit on my right side--but it's barely visible and I feel no need to take extra steps to get it remedied.

I don't know if R would do jaw surgery solely for aesthetic reasons, but my guess is he would be more likely to, or more open to discussing it, than many US surgeons, largely because Costa Rica is such a mecca, or wasteland, depending on how you look at it, for Americans seeking cosmetic enhancement thru surgery.

Personally, even though I am pleased with my improved profile and appearance, I would never in a million years have done all this if weren't that I was tired of the openbite, and of never being able to close my mouth without straining.

I don't have medical insurance; and I had no medical problems caused by the open bite and cross bite, so even if I did have insurance, I don't think any Massachusetts insurance carrier would have covered it.

As I've said many times (I think), I hate the idea of people who've been denied insurance denying themselves this surgery because they can't afford it in the US, but could in Costa Rica. For those who are skeptical or worried, I suggest you compare my account of my two surgeries overseas with those of people who had the same proceedures near where they lived.

I don't know if I ever mentioned it but Dr. R is ambidextrous. I like that in a surgeon.

I'll be checking in to this forum, more frequently now that it looks like I could be of some help.

Btw, got my retainer last week. Hate it. Oh well. At least it's removable.

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As of today, I am DEBRACED.

As of today, I am DEBRACED.

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