New here, thinking about upper jaw surgery..=)

[aAndw0909]

Hi just joined here, im 24yo and i've been thinking of having upper jaw surgery for some time now, I have an anterior open bite and cross bite(its pretty bad and affects my quality of life so bad as far as breathing and speech). I had went to the dentist last month and as of right now I need 2200$ dollars worth of dental work before i can even think about braces. If I ever get that done, my braces will cost at maximum 2000$ per my insurance and 90% is covered on the actual surgery and anesthesia..Bad news is..Im only covered on my insurance until october 2012. My mom has the money to get this done and I just can't help but to think that it is totally worth it(cost vs my quality of life after) The cost is nothing compared to that. I know this, but my problem is gonna be convincing her. And also..would i be able to get braces and have jaw surgery done in less than 13 months? I know i'll have to wear braces after jaw surgery but would i still be covered on the braces after my insurance is up? if they were paid for before ..if u know what i mean? PS I just had a septoplasty
to try and correct my breathing..I think my jaw position caused it to be a failure.

[Super Smile]

IMHO, I think you should get it done now, and here are the reasons I say this:

1) You have insurance now that will cover a large portion of the expense. This may or may not be the case later on down the road.

2) Problems with jaw misalignment may not develop until you are in your 30s or 40s or 50s. At which point damage may have all ready been done to your teeth (such as grinding them down).

3) The earlier you get it done - the longer you get to enjoy the results.

If the money is an issue, maybe you can work out a repayment plan with your mother.

As far as getting your surgery within 13 months - it all depends on what you need. That is something you would have to talk to your ortho about. But I think it's a reasonable timeline. And I think they can sometimes move the teeth a little faster than what they do - if they know they are on a timeline, I think they will do whatever they can to ensure you are ready before your insurance runs out. After all, without the insurance you can’t get the work done and they lose your business.

Good luck with everything.

[aAndw0909]

Hey, thanks super smile for the input. I agree totally!

[streo]

As somebody who is getting this done MUCH later on in life, I have to attest to the argument of preserving your teeth. My upper rear molars are worn out quite a bit and I'm probably going to have to get them capped at some point in the future.

[DRG]

Also, the healing process is usually easier/quicker if you are younger. If you are ever going to go for it, you'd be best to do it now rather than later. Why suffer through another five or ten years of an open bite if you don't have to? I put the surgery off for ten years and wish that I would have taken care of things a long time ago.

FWIW, I too had an open bite and cross-bite. I had surgery about ten months after I started orthodontic treatment...and I believe that timeframe could have been accelerated somewhat if I had pushed. As far as your insurance goes, perhaps the ortho could be paid in full before your treatment is finished, which could last beyond Oct 2012 (but who cares if it's already paid for?).

Good luck,
DRG

[ladyjenie]

I agree with Super Smile, some great key points to keep in mind.

Please discuss your concerns with your Mom and get her opinions first. Who knows, she may not ask for a dime of repayment.

No need to suffer with this pain any longer and postponing will only create more problems with your bite and bone structures.

Your OS may request the co-insurance balance be paid up front before your surgery date. This will be something you need to discuss with him at your first consult.

If the OS and Orthodontist agree the time frame is acceptable and doable they will work as a team, along with your dentist, to coordinate what needs to be in place before your scheduled surgery date.

I would suggest putting a tentative agenda to pen and documenting conversations with each person involved including your insurance company so you will know what steps are completed and what needs attention. Maybe your Mom will agree to help out on this, too, as it can be quite challenging but is part of the process.

I do not feel comfortable going in to this type surgery without a 2nd opinion and if you have a good OS (s)he would be quite comfortable with your doing just that. Just my opinion, though.

I am a paper geek and make notes to make more notes but I found out there are many obstacles in getting from Point A to Point B and my notes helped a lot.

Good Luck!