Feeling lost on braces and jaw surgery in Toronto

[whatidontlike]

Hi, I'm currently 18 living in Toronto, and in the recent years I've realised I had an underbite my whole life. I've always had pretty messed up teeth, they're misaligned, and I also have a feeling that my bite isn't that great either. I've gone to an orthodontist who first told me I'd need braces and also jaw surgery to correct my underbite. After being told this, I've been starting to be really conscious about how my profile looks, how I speak, and my smile. I also have a jaw that clicks a lot, and if I don't constantly move it side to side, it kinda locks up and clicks loudly, causing me a lot of pain and discomfort. This just really bothers me and is really affecting me mentally and emotionally.

I was wondering if there was anybody else residing in Ontario with the same situation, and what their costs were. I know it'd be pretty different for everybody, but I'd like a small idea to look forward to. What were your costs for the braces and surgery before considering any insurance benefits? Also how long were you in braces before and after the surgery?

It's hard because nobody I know has the same problem and don't truly understand, I'm just looking for some people to relate to and some hope.

[jaime]

Hey there whatidontlike!

Sorry to hear you're having a rough time trying to figure out what to do.

I had my braces done in a small city in southwestern Ontario (where I used to live). My braces were about $6200, which included the x-rays, all appointments, and one retainer.

I had a class II bite and a narrow palate, so I went to London for a surgery consultation. The consultation was ~$100 which was not covered by my dental insurance. The first surgery, surgically-assisted rapid palatal expansion, was covered by OHIP. I had to get my wisdom teeth out at the same time and OHIP will not cover anaesthesia for that, so it was about $100 (this was 2013, mind you) plus whatever the actual wisdom tooth removal cost was (it was pricey, though). In 2015, I got double jaw surgery and sliding genioplasty in London. Again, the surgeries were covered by OHIP but there was a "surgeon's workup fee" which was not covered by OHIP or dental insurance. My surgeon charges $800 but that price is FAR lower than other Canadian surgeons, according to what I've seen on this board.

You can see my signature for a timeline. We had problems getting my bite correct after surgery; it isn't normal to have braces so long after surgery. I was told my braces would be off 6-12 months after surgery.

You may be interested to know there is an orthodontist in Toronto who regularly posts in the Metal Mouth forum.

His profile: http://www.archwired.com/phpbb2/memberl ... le&u=12599
His website: http://www.mcosmiles.com/

Feel free to ask any other questions and I can try to help! There are not many Canadians on this board, even fewer Ontarians, but they pop up every now and then.

[whatidontlike]

Hey Jaime,

Thanks for the reply and I loved reading your inspiring blog. Did you ever feel super conscious or experience any anxiety because of your teeth? I hate it when I'm doing something unrelated like sitting at my desk at work, or even being out with friends and just zoning out, thinking about how my jaw is. It's even worse when I try to speak and I end up messing up all my words because I'm trying not to show my underbite.

It's interesting how you had surgery first and then braces, when I went to my dentist, I was told I would need braces first and then surgery. I don't think I would mind the braces anymore as long as I have this goal of fixing my underbite in mind, as it just consumes my day.

So looking at your costs, it would seem the bulk of the costs would be for the braces. Do you have any idea how they're priced? Like by severity and time? Also, do you think a surgery to fix my underbite would be covered by OHIP? I think it'd have to be either a lower or double jaw surgery. I guess I would like to have a very rough ballpark estimate to tell my parents.

For that surgeon's fee, what other numbers have you seen thrown around?

[Caitrm]

I'm in Ontario as well and just had my surgery in Ottawa. My out of pocket costs for the surgery were $600 and my dental insurance covered $250 of that.

[whatidontlike]

Hi Caitrm,

Thanks for sharing! That doesn't seem that bad actually, was the cost the reason why you out to Ottawa for the surgery? Also did you have braces?

[jaime]

Hey Jaime,

Thanks for the reply and I loved reading your inspiring blog. Did you ever feel super conscious or experience any anxiety because of your teeth? I hate it when I'm doing something unrelated like sitting at my desk at work, or even being out with friends and just zoning out, thinking about how my jaw is. It's even worse when I try to speak and I end up messing up all my words because I'm trying not to show my underbite.

It's interesting how you had surgery first and then braces, when I went to my dentist, I was told I would need braces first and then surgery. I don't think I would mind the braces anymore as long as I have this goal of fixing my underbite in mind, as it just consumes my day.

So looking at your costs, it would seem the bulk of the costs would be for the braces. Do you have any idea how they're priced? Like by severity and time? Also, do you think a surgery to fix my underbite would be covered by OHIP? I think it'd have to be either a lower or double jaw surgery. I guess I would like to have a very rough ballpark estimate to tell my parents.

For that surgeon's fee, what other numbers have you seen thrown around?

Thank you for the kind words about my blog!

I only had the SARPE surgery without braces (it doesn't require elastics or splints afterwards). Once I was healed from that, the braces went on for a year before the double jaw surgery.

Even though my teeth were pretty bad, I was never super self-conscious about them. I guess I didn't think they were that bad, or that it was that important in the grand scheme of things. I'm quite a bit older than you so I'm removed from the pressures of school and that sort of thing, but I can almost guarantee you 100% that people don't notice or care about your jaw and they think you look fine. The vast majority of people know nothing about jaw surgery or what your jaw/face is "supposed" to look like.

If a surgeon believes you require the surgery, OHIP will cover it no problem. It sounds like you should talk to your parents and schedule some ortho consultations. Mind you, they might not all say you need surgery. Go for a few and pick one that feels the most comfortable to you and your parents.

I'm not entirely sure how braces are priced when it comes down to each individual person. My sister got braces at the same time as me and I believe hers were the same price. She had braces for 13 months, I had them for 30!

[whatidontlike]

Ah okay, I understand now, you had to do more than one surgery, ouch!

Yeah, I'm in a program where I'll constantly either be in school or at work, and I guess you're right about others not really paying attention to my looks. It only bugs me because of how much I focus on it, and even if somebody thinks something is off, they probably won't know what it is.

It's very hard to find a suitable ortho for my living situation, but we've found one that opens on Saturdays and hopefully we come back with a price that isn't too outrageous, as I'm also going to be juggling tuition at the same time.

Another question, how did you find your surgeon? Was it through your ortho and had you looked at other surgeons before choosing?

[jaime]

If you get the surgery, you'll need to take at least two weeks off school or work, FYI. More if you work a labour intensive job. Just something to keep in mind.

My orthodontist only works the one surgeon so I only got the one surgical consultation. I was comfortable only getting one consultation because the surgeon I went with does about 8 of them every month, plus he holds a bunch of senior/executive positions at UWO in their school of dentistry.

[Caitrm]

Hi Caitrm,

Thanks for sharing! That doesn't seem that bad actually, was the cost the reason why you out to Ottawa for the surgery? Also did you have braces?

I live just outside Ottawa, so my surgeon and orthodontist are there I've had braces for a year now, and those cost about $7000. My insurance covered $2500 of them. I have self litigating ceramics, but there are definitely less expensive options out there!

[Metalmouth33]

Surgery isn't the only option, you can always just leave it as is.
Look around and you'll see that some people have issues post surgery. Some have complications and some simply don't like the changes to their appearance. Some find it a blessing. Do your research to know if a surgery is right for you. Because you 'appear' like someone eligible for a surgery, some surgeons may find it hard to give you an unbiased recommendation.

It's possible you would like your appearance even less after the surgery.

Personally, I miss my underbite. It really wasn't that bad at all. Around the same age as you I started to notice it and I felt the same. Now, looking back at pictures of myself I don't see anything bad about it at all. And thinking back to my experiences with people while I had it, no one except a couple jerks saw anything bad about it either.

[whatidontlike]

Thanks for all the replies.

I finally managed to get a consultation at an orthodontist, and I was quoted at around $6000 for the braces, and the dentist gave me a rough estimate at $4000-5000 on top of that for the surgery itself, which most of it has already been covered by OHIP. So now I'm basically trying to figure out how I'm going to get $10,000 while also juggling tuition, and having to deal with braces for over 2 years. I'm very much into the idea of getting this surgery but getting there will be a long journey.