DrBlur's story

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#46 Post by **DrBlur** » Thu Jun 17, 2010 5:55 am

Today I have my first cleaning since being braced...kind of nervous, only because I got re-wired 2 weeks ago and some teeth are still tender, so the scraping/cleaning at the dentist worries me...

#47 Post by **DrBlur** » Fri Jun 18, 2010 4:54 am

Cleaning went really well, I was nervous over nothing...

I am supposed to hear from the oral surgeon today about what's the hold-up with my stupid insurance...fingers crossed!

#48 Post by **gokix** » Sun Jun 20, 2010 5:38 pm

Hey Blur! Glad the cleaning went well. And yeah, got my fingers crossed here for you too, dude!

#49 Post by **DrBlur** » Tue Jun 22, 2010 4:02 am

^hey there, thanks!

Actually I heard on Friday that my insurance WILL cover my surgery now...I have to pay a small co-pay and they pick up the rest...so that's good news!
Now I am waiting for the surgeon's office to call me back just to schedule it...FINALLY it seems like things are moving along (at least surgery-wise...the braces have been working their magic for over 2 months now, I can't believe it, time flies!)

#50 Post by **DrBlur** » Wed Jun 23, 2010 4:26 am

More confusion...haha, it wouldn't be my situation without it...

So my orthodontist had told me weeks ago that as soon as I got a surgery date from the oral surgeon's office, to call him and they could squeeze me in whenever to put my expander back in prior to surgery. So I get a call yesterday afternoon from the surgeon (I was expecting one, they told me they'd call to schedule the operation)...only they told me they are waiting to hear back from my ortho about when I'll be ready! I told her the ORTHO said to schedule first and then they can put the expander in, but they want to hear from them...

So ridiculous (not on my ortho's part, on the part of the surgeon's office!)...ah, well...

#51 Post by **BracketRacket** » Thu Jun 24, 2010 8:37 am

Great news! Hopefully the last bit of confusion will be settled soon and you can get the show on the road!

#52 Post by **DrBlur** » Fri Jun 25, 2010 8:58 am

I sure hope so! Supposedly the surgeon's office is supposed to call me today regarding scheduling...I'll believe it when I see it

I just want to get the show on the road, it's been 3 months since my consultation!

#53 Post by **DrBlur** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 5:43 am

So yesterday I accidentally popped a bracket off while brushing my teeth at work...what fun. I was able to get in to see the orthodontist as the last appointment and he cemented a new one on and fixed it right up. Also, he is joining me in getting increasingly frustrated at the snail's pace the oral surgeon's office is working at...he called them as soon as my appointment was done so I hope to FINALLY have them schedule my SARPE surgery soon. The crappy thing is, once it's scheduled I need spacers put back in for two weeks before then can reinstall my expander...so at the EARLIEST I'm looking at late July for the surgery. This whole thing is frigging up my summer so bad...I haven't used ANY of my vacation time from work since I'm saving half of it (a week) for the surgery and would LIKE to do something with my family with the other week...PLUS my brother's wedding is in early September so I'd like to at least not be puffy-faced and bloody for that....

What a nightmare (solely from the oral surgeon...my orthodontist and the experience with braces have been excellent so far)...

#54 Post by **DrBlur** » Wed Jul 07, 2010 4:03 am

And the nightmare continues...I called the oral surgeon rather indignantly saying I was tired of all of this foot dragging and I just wanted to schedule the bloody operation. They said they'd call me back, and they did 10 minutes later. The lady said she just got off the phone with my ortho (showing that she lied saying she'd talked to them last week when my ortho had said he hadn't heard anything in months) and that they (the ortho) said I wasn't ready yet. I explained to her I SAW THE ORTHO LAST WEEK and he told me to SCHEDULE FIRST 3 weeks out and then he'd put in the spacers and expander. I said this very nicely to her and she said rudely "well you're wrong, they said you're not ready and they'll call you." I was steaming at this point.

So my ortho's office called me 15 minutes later and scheduled me for next week (when I had an adjustment scheduled anyway) for spacers, and then 3 weeks later, expander (August 6!). They told me the oral surgeon told me AFTER all this to call them to schedule. I have no problems with my ortho, they've been nothing but great and are just as aggravated as me with the oral surgeon. Of course the oral surgeon is not going to have a time for my surgery right after August 6, so I'm probably looking at late August/September for a procedure that should have been done in May. The surgeon himself is a great guy and comes highly rated, I like him a lot, but his office staff is total sesame.

And all in all this whole experience has totally flower up my summer...I haven't planned ANY vacation with my family because of this, and now it's going to mess with my brother's wedding, which is the FIRST weekend in September...I'm either going to have a mouth full of metal and sound funny when I talk, or I'm going to have a puffy swollen face...lovely...

Pardon my French is the swearing offends anyone, but I am so incredibly angry at this point...

#55 Post by **BracketRacket** » Mon Jul 12, 2010 5:20 pm

Sorry for the all the issues...
Unless you can get it done in early August, can you wait until after the wedding? That'd be my suggestion -- I know the surgery threw me for more of a loop than I was expecting, and I'd hate for an occasion to be ruined for you. Of course I had a few "blips" and many people are just fine a lot sooner, but just in case.
Good luck!

#56 Post by **alimommy1** » Mon Jul 12, 2010 10:56 pm

Argh! I don't know why the two offices cannot coordinate between themselves without having to make you do it. Given that the offices are local, I'd have half a mind to drive down there and then call up my ortho while I was at the surgeon's office and hand them the phone lol. I don't do 'steaming' very well without exploding.

I wonder if maybe you can get in toward the middle of Aug and then you'll have a couple weeks to heal... good luck either way, if all else fails maybe you can schedule it the week after the wedding.

#57 Post by **DrBlur** » Tue Jul 13, 2010 5:42 am

@alimommy, yes the two offices are literally a 6 minute drive from each other...

...the update right now is that on this Friday I am getting a new wire on the bottom and getting spacers put back in on top. Then in 3 weeks, I'm getting the expander back, and THEN I'm to schedule the surgery. I think I am going to wait until after my brother's wedding to have it done, that way there's no chance I'll be bothered by it, and I'll be able to at least enjoy the food

Still, what a pain!!!

#58 Post by **DrBlur** » Wed Jul 14, 2010 4:11 am

Oral surgeon called me yesterday out of the blue and they scheduled it all (finally!). So, surgery is Sept 14, pre-op consult is Sept 7, and I have to have a physical on Aug 26 (I was due for my yearly one anyway this month) so all of these dates work out perfectly!

#59 Post by **Steph in Sac** » Wed Jul 14, 2010 7:26 am

Congratulations and best of luck!!

#60 Post by **DrBlur** » Mon Jul 19, 2010 7:43 am

Thanks!

So to update, on Friday (3 days ago) I went to the ortho and got a new lower wire...in addition, I had two teeth that were unbracketed on the bottom (my bicuspids/premolars), one on each side, that they bracketed and wired. All I have to say is, oh my God do my lower teeth hurt, especially the two newly bracketed. They feel super loose (looser than even any of my other teeth did when I first got braces) and are very painful, to the point I cannot bite down on them. I also got 4 spacers put in on each side up top, to prepare me for my expander...these also hurt, as the gaps from before have closed up, AND I'm now wired and bracketed up top, so the front teeth are very sore now.

This is overall the most pain I've had since the first week I had the braces back in April, but I'm at least used to it, so my diet now consists of soft foods and Advil and it's OK...