jaw surgery

[Teigyr]

Ladybug, welcome to the club!!! It might depend on how much your insurance pays. Mine (which is lower jaw only) is $3,000-something WITH insurance (total cost is $12,000-something) but cash is $6,000-something. I found that amazing. My insurance, which is a PPO, approved it.

Good luck! Regarding the recovery, I don't know. I've heard 2 weeks ought to do it but maybe it depends on how much work has to be done. I'm still trying to fight the fact I will need a caretaker!

Jane

[ladybug]

Thanks Jane. I actually don't have insurance, and that price is so high!! I don't know how I'm going to do it... I've already spent 6k on braces, and 7k on other work before I even got braces, root canals, crowns, and oral surgery to extract wisdom teeth. I just don't know...maybe I can live with the 8mm overjet...

[crstal g]

Hi Joey
I already had that surgery. It has been 4 months and I have absolutely no complaints. I was banded shut for 4 weeks and then looser bands for two weeks after that, during which I could eat soft foods. After 8 weeks I was almost back to eating most foods with no pain or discomfort. At this point there is still no feeling in my chin but I feel a difference every week. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

[joey]

thanks for that i will probs have loads of questions for you so stick around!!! so yours with without any hitches? i do hope mine does too im so scared! what was it like waking up for sugery were you in liads of pain how did you communicate with people? are you back to work and how long were you in hosp for? x

[crstal g]

Absolutely no problems! When I woke up I had a bit of pain but it only lasted for about four hours then there was no pain at all, but I figure if there would have been feeling in my lower jaw there would have been pain. At first people did not understand me and I had to write things down, but once the swelling went down a bit (after about 3 days) I talked slower for people to understand me. I found I was not having to repeat myself as much as I thought I would. I was hospitalized for two days. My surgery was early Wednesday morning and I asked to be released Friday evening. The time off work was originally four weeks but due to staffing issues I had to go back after three. I am cashier and I was on cash with my jaw still banded shut for that last week, so that should give you an idea at how well I could talk and be understood. You should have seen the looks I got from folks and the many questions too.

[redwine]

I'm also having lower jaw surgery (in December)and am also excited and veerrry nervous. The surgery will probably be on the 17th and I'm planning to take two weeks off from work. I was able to go back pretty quickly after SARPE and hope that it will be much the same for lower jaw. For those who have had both, which recovery was longest (except for numbness)? It took me forever to be able to chew, so I've gotten pretty used to eating mush. And going to work looking swollen, bruised etc. is just something we joke about here in the office. However, no photos were allowed! My jaw is to be moved forward by about 10mm which I think is about average. So what do I have to look forward to surgery/recovery-wise? I'm sure that at the end I'll see the smile I've always wanted!
BTW, I was quite numb for quite awhile after the SARPE. Oddly, I'd get a very sharp pain for about two seconds in part of my face and within 24 hours I had feeling back in that same part! Maybe the nerves reconnecting? I think I had full feeling back within about four months or so.

[theman]

If your insurance pays for the surgery, do it. ASAP. Your increased attractiveness will give you a big confidence boost that makes your personality shine more than it does now (at least, this is my experience). It's really a fantastic thing.