Jaw Surgery in Canada

[armack]

Hi,

I'll be in Montreal some time in September this year to work and most probably settle down in the future.
I am 32 year-old asian male, and single. My visa would be temporary Resident + Work permit (as i have already employer there). I would have both private Health and Life Insurances.

Now my questions are mostly regarding the COSTS. Since I "may" not be covered by the Government's MEDICARE, I am interested to know the expected Expenses (from doctor down to hospital bills). If you don't know anything in Montreal, then anywhere else such as Ottawa and Toronto. If possible, the known good surgeons in town

If "in case" i may be entitled to a Government's Fund, how long would i wait prior to the Surgery itself? I heard it takes too long and the Government itself will choose your Surgeon. Is this true?

Please post your reply if you know anything about the topic. This is very important to me.

Cheers.

[I love my teeth]

I was in BC, and had private insurance, I would have had to pay out of pocket.....approx $20-25k....I was hoping to get reimbursed by my insurance. When I became surgery ready, the wait list 6+ months. After debating what to do for almost 8 weeks, my ortho and I decided I should go down to the US, Seattle to see someone there. I could have had surgery 3 weeks later. But waited and planned it out,ect.

Without provincial health care, costs are really not different from the us. But if you are a resident there, you may qualify? We were only there temporarily (3 year assignment) so, I never bothered to look into it. Best of luck!

[armack]

hi, thanks for that response.

As soon as i arrive there i will apply for Permanent Residency. I hope that i will be entitled to Medicare, but is it true the Government choose who your Surgeon will be? or anyone else, know about this?

And why you waited for 6 months if you spent that money from your pocket?

thank you..

[I love my teeth]

No, I was referred to a surgeon who my ortho worked with. It is true,however, there are few surgeons, and they get limited OR time, so there is a wait list. They didn't care that i was paying out if pocket, everyone waits! Best of luck.

[Olive]

Hi Armack.

I can only answer part of your question- if you are covered by government medicare, then your hospital stay, anasthesia, etc. will be covered. You will just have to pay a surgeon's fee. My surgeon is Dr. Chehade (I haven't had the surgery yet but he seems pretty well regarded and experienced, check out his website here- http://www.montrealmaxillofacial.com/). His fees are about $3000 and they cover the appointments with him in his private office, which include x-rays, molds, etc. That would maybe be covered by private insurance if you had good insurance.

If you don't have medicare, I have no idea what it would cost in total, or how likely it is that private insurance would cover it.

You can absolutely choose your surgeon. Mine was recommended by my ortho, he's one of the surgeons they usually work with, which is convenient for everyone because they're in communication regularly. But I'm sure if I wanted a different surgeon I could have called up his or her office and made an appointment for a consultation.

Good luck with everything!

[armack]

Hi Olive,

thank you. is this surgeon using some kind of 3d technology for viewing predicted results?

regarding the "waiting" should Medicare cover my surgery, what is the reason? and how long is the wait do you think it will take for yourself? I got answer to this, but maybe it depends on each province.. your answer would be very helpful since i will live in Quebec or Montreal to be exact.

about Medicare, have you heard of any foreigner who works in Canada who recieved Medicare coverage ?
I will get my work permit and temporary resident's visa probably by next week , then i fly to Montreal.
My plan is to settle down in Canada, so i will apply for permanent residency as soon as arrive.

by the way, have you heard of Fast/Rapid Orthodontics in your area? Wilckodontics? this is the newest technique for orthodontics, will take about 3-6 months to complete.

thanks again.

[Olive]

Hi again,

I don't think I know any immigrants or foreign workers well enough to know anything about their insurance situation.. sorry!

My surgeon did a 2D digital imaging free for me, he has 3D ones but I think they cost more money.

I'm not sure what you're talking about re: "waiting." My surgery will be in early 2012, which will be properly timed in terms of where I am in my orthodontic treatment. Most jaw surgery is done in the middle of orthodontic treatment so there is ample time for planning. On the other hand, if you needed to get in fast, I'm not sure how long the wait would be, I would guess it could be up to a few months.

Not sure about fast orthodontics... I didn't shop around much for my ortho, just went with one who was recommended by a friend (got good reviews online too, and I liked her a lot when I met her).

Hope this helps.

[Linnie]

I think that you should read the laws about immigration very carefully before making any plans about medical treatments. Canada is indeed a very generous country, but puts the needs of its citizens first. Also, the waiting times are long, even for the citizens. Orthodontics is a private industry, hence expensive, and in order to be covered by a private dental insurance plan, you need to work for an employer that offers one. To find a jaw surgeon, you have to be referred to one by a dentist or an orthodontist.

[armack]

Hi Olive,

I'm now in Montreal actually since nov 5 2011.

I want to know how are you doing, and if you have done your surgery already.

The name of your doctor is Antoine Chehade?

Please let me know, i really need to get started as soon as possible.

Thank you Very Much.

By the way, Montreal has very friendly people, and the place is beautiful