braces without surgery

[twaquan]

I am looking to get braces to fix crowed teeth I've had since I was a kid. Ive had a few extractions that I eventually plan to replace with implants. However, I have recently been told that I may require jaw surgery to achieve optimal results. I have dental insurance to cover the cost of braces, but there is no way i can afford jaw surgery. Is there anyway I can just get braces to straighten my teeth? I know it's not ideal, but jaw surgery isnt an option. Thanks.

[shortcircuit]

No one here can give you a definite answer for your situation, it's a good idea to get several consultation appointments with different orthodontists. Skeletal discrepancies (meaning your jaws either aren't the right size and/or don't line up with each other correctly) can be camouflaged up to a certain extent with braces only, however if you get 6 consultations and wind up with 6 referral slips to oral surgeons, then you won't be in that category.

At the very least I would get a couple more opinions and go from there.

[twaquan]

Thank you for your reply. The crowding is the result of bad dental work i had as a kid. My regular dentist (great guy) seems confident my teeth can be corrected with braces, but he's no ortho. I've had a few teeth pulled (the ones where i had the bad dental work), will this make it easier to have braces? Is it possible my teeth may eventually line up on their own after having the bad teeth pulled? Can I sign a waiver to opt out of surgery and just go with braces? I know it may not be the best solution, but i'd be happy with any improvement.

Just out of curiosity, how much is jaw surgery?

[FlowerPower]

I have an open bite and 1 orthodontist has suggested surgery but also gave me the non-surgical option. (Invisalign but only 70% closed) I have some more consultations coming up before I make a decision but between the 2 options they gave me, the estimate only varied about $1,000. I am in a small town and their estimate was just a rough guess of what the orthognathic surgeon might charge. I would go to every consultation possible. Each orthodontist has different experiences and strengths.

[twaquan]

I thought surgery was like 40k?

Anyway, thanks for the reply. My issue isnt over/under bite. My problem is crowding. Aside from the obvious cosmetic problem, it also makes it difficult to keep my bottom teeth cleaned. I have to have three cleanings a year, and since my insurance only covers two, I have to pay for the other out of pocket

[shortcircuit]

Thank you for your reply. The crowding is the result of bad dental work i had as a kid. My regular dentist (great guy) seems confident my teeth can be corrected with braces, but he's no ortho. I've had a few teeth pulled (the ones where i had the bad dental work), will this make it easier to have braces? Is it possible my teeth may eventually line up on their own after having the bad teeth pulled? Can I sign a waiver to opt out of surgery and just go with braces? I know it may not be the best solution, but i'd be happy with any improvement.

Just out of curiosity, how much is jaw surgery?

You would be amazed at what they can correct with braces only, however with borderline cases you will probably find that some orthodontists will say surgery is needed, and some won't. Sometimes they will start treatment, then reevaluate after a certain period of time. I've seen a lot of posts here where people have also had surgical treatment plans change substantially after a year or so in braces.

With respect to the teeth that you've already had pulled, whether that is bad or not depends on which teeth. The first premolars are usually the ones to go when ortho extractions are needed, however the big molars in the back are never pulled just to make room and losing those is never a good thing. I also haven't heard of teeth moving to a better position by themselves, I guess it's possible but everything I've read indicates that crowding only tends to get worse as you age, and that has definitely been the case for me.

For the surgery costs, a very rough estimate does tend to be around $40k but it's heavily dependent on insurance and how much you can negotiate that down if you don't have insurance that will cover it. I've seen people on here who paid less than $1000 out of pocket for the whole thing. My insurance has a $3500 annual max on my out of pocket expenses, so that is probably what I will wind up paying unless I get hit with balance bills from out-of-network physicians. It's similar to airline tickets, if you talk to 10 people in cattle class on the same flight you'll find out that they've all paid different prices.

[momo2015]

I had three orthodontists tell me I needed surgery when I was getting estimates for braces. I told them all no and asked what they could do. The ortho I went with showed me pictures of someone similar to me who also didn't have surgery and very honestly told me what he thought he could and could not do. I thought it was good enough and went with it. I got pretty good correction, but it did not close my open posterior bite on both sides (or my cross bite). Still, as far as aesthetics, it was really d@mn good compared to what I started with.

However, I did changed my mind and opted for upper jaw surgery. I really wanted a closed posterior bite because of chewing, etc. It was covered by my insurance (well, it should be but I'm still waiting for insurance to pay - surgery was only 12 days ago). Because I'd met my out of pocket for the year I shouldn't have to pay anything at all.

[twaquan]

I had a few molars pulled (bad dental work as a kid). I plan to get implants or bridges, but only after i address the crowding.

As far as medical insurance, I have a 2000 dollar deductible and a 6000 annual maximum. I cannot afford anything close to that for jaw surgery. However, since most orthodontists offer payment plans. I could probably afford just braces.

[momo2015]

Then I would just be up front in the consult with the ortho. Let them know surgery is not an option and ask what amount of correction they think they could achieve without it. Mine was able to get my teeth to look good from an aesthetic standpoint but not able to correct my crossbite or open bite, although he tried.

[momo2015]

Is it possible to show pictures? I can show you what mine was able to correct with braces only.

[twaquan]

Not sure if there is a way to post pics?

Thanks for the advice. How should I go about it? Should I let him know right off the bat surgery isn't an option, or wait until he recommends it? Even if he strongly recommends surgery, can I waive it and just have him do braces? I cant understand why he would be willing to let me go on with crooked teeth, even if he cant fix the bite.

Like I said, I have had a few extractions and I have long roots *couple are curved). Hope this wont be an issue.

[momo2015]

Tell him right away during the consult. The treatment plan will depend on surgery or no surgery. I've got some things that will have to now be redone because we started the treatment planning for no surgery and at almost the very end I changed my mind.

[twaquan]

Thanks for your replay (again). I have an appointment on the 12th. Hopefully it goes well!