I had a hard time sleeping this morning. I can't say last night as I was up doing more research on this surgery and was practicing with Uprooted until 11 p.m. However, this didn't keep me from falling asleep.
The problem once I fell asleep was that I kept having dreams where I had already gotten my braces! I'd get so excited that I kept waking up! And, each time, I had to tell myself, "Dude, calm down. It's coming. Today is just an appointment for x-rays. The final consultation appointment is coming up on Thursday, be excited for that!"
I'll update this post with what happens in about an hour when I get home. I'm going to a dental x-ray clinic that's down the street from Dr. Graham's office and in the same parking lot as the local branch of my bank. I'm not entirely sure of what type of x-rays I'll be getting, but I'm pretty sure I'll be having a panorex (panoramic view) of my jaw done, as well as P.A. (periapical) x-rays so Dr. Graham can see the entire root structure of each tooth and what he'll have to deal with as far as me being a patient. Personally, I hope it's a full-mouth series of P.A. x-rays as this is going to cost me $140 out of my own pocket!
More to come when I return.
Okay, back and getting ready for school. Tonight's the first night of Intermediate Spanish.
Not only was this a full-mouth series like I thought, it was more. After I checked in, the technician brought me in to the room. I put my stuff that I had with me on a counter, then was sat in a chair.
The first thing that I did was I had my picture taken for a profile shot, then a head shot. I was then given plastic devices to hold my lips away from my teeth so that my bite could be photographed up close. He also took photos of my occlusal surfaces, which I could have done without. I wasn't too keen with having a 3" x 5" mirror placed in my mouth, but I dealt with it. After the photos were taken, I was taken to the other side of the 10' x 15' room. There, I had my panorex x-ray taken.
What this x-ray does is give a panoramic view of all of the teeth and the jaws and any work that's currently in place. While useful, this x-ray is not the most reliable as the image is distorted since the machines travels all the way around the head 270 degrees. I was used to dealing with this x-ray from my days in the Navy. Fortunately, everything at this lab is done digitally so I didn't have to wait 5-10 minutes for the film to be developed.
The next x-ray I had taken was a full profile of my head, or lateral cephalometric x-ray. The only thing I didn't like about this was the calipers placed in my ears to hold my head steady while the machine was working. If you've seen the film "Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan," you'll know what I'm talking about. This is only a minor complaint as I got to see this picture just after it was taken.
I've seen this same x-ray in web searches for underbite surgery for what's labeled "extreme underbite," and most of the ones I've seen are not as severe as mine. Most patients that I've seen this x-ray of have their 2nd mandibular molars overlapping about halfway with their 1st maxillary molars. I don't have this problem - my 2nd mandibular molars meet up directly with my 1st maxillary molars. My maxillary teeth could not even be seen on the scan as they're too far below the mandibular teeth. In comparison with some of the pictures that I've seen, I have to wonder if my underbite really has gotten worse with age. Hopefully, I'll find out soon.
After the cephalometric analysis was completed, I then had 2 occlusal x-rays taken. These take picutres of the actual biting surfaces of the teeth and show how the roots and other teeth match up. One is taken from the top and one from the bottom. After these shots, I then had a full P.A. series taken - all 14 of them. Fortunately, only one of them had to be retaken. I could feel the thing moving right when the technician walked away from me to take the picture.
My next appointment is coming on Thursday. This will be my final orthodontic consultation, then it's full speed ahead once I've paid 10% of the total cost for the orthodontic treatment which looks like it will be 20 months total - well, at least the payments will be for that length of time. Tune back in on Thursday evening after shabu shabu dinner with one of the siblings.
Ever onward...
Showing posts with label braces. Show all posts
Showing posts with label braces. Show all posts
Monday, February 1, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Anticipation
A little over 12 hours to go and I've been feeling pretty antsy all week about wanting to get this thing started. Part of the reason is that I know that in most cases, insurance won't cover this surgery as they view it to be cosmetic. I hope that doesn't happen to me. After all, this surgery can cost upwards of $35,000!
Reading over my benefits package with Blue Shield, I see that orthognathic surgery is covered "when it is medically necessary to correct skeletal deformity. Certain services, such as implants and orthodontia are not covered." I know that orthodontia is not covered by medical insurance. Personally, I don't see any reason why they wouldn't cover this surgery.
Sadly, Delta Dental only covers $1,000 for orthodontics, but the price for that is somewhat reasonable in comparison to the rest of the surgery. I can manage the price for braces with payments. I have read, however, that dental insurance companies cover the cost of braces in extreme cases of orthognathic surgery. This makes me wonder if I qualify.
The other reason I'm feeling antsy is because I've been wanting to get this done for a long time. I know this may seem odd because I know there is a lot of pain associated with orthodontic appliances (braces), but I'm looking forward to it. The braces, not the pain. I'm crazy, not a masochist.
Thus far, I've been thinking over the procedure and making predictions about what will have to happen before this whole thing can be started with braces. I'm predicting that I will have to see an oral surgeon prior to getting the braces to have teeth #2, #11, #15, #22, and #27 removed prior to getting braces. Teeth #22 and #27 will probably be removed in order to make room to straighten and align my lower incisors (lower front teeth). Teeth #2 and #15 (the upper 2nd molars) may have to be removed. There's nothing wrong with the teeth themselves with the exception being that there's nothing to keep them from descending since there are no molars on the bottom to stop them. Tooth #11 (the left lateral incisor or canine tooth) may be removed for symmetry as tooth #6 is impacted (the tooth rests below the gumline, in my case at a nearly 30 degree angle).
I'm also wondering how it is that the orthodontist can correct my midline (the space between the front teeth) deviation as the midline of the maxilla is deviated a few millimeters to my right in comparison to my mandible. I think the whole thing was caused by tooth #11 growing in and pushing the other teeth over to my right.
Well, all of this is great fodder for a blog for tomorrow. I'll update you all on what I find out. Wish me luck! =)
In the meantime, I recommend these links for you to watch. These videos were made by a girl in Australia who had this surgery done about 10 months ago, starting from 1 week pre-op to 3 weeks post surgery and then after having her braces removed. Check them out.
http://www.youtube.com/user/Morgz1992#p/a/u/2/Dv9fgYUQ19w
http://www.youtube.com/user/Morgz1992#p/a/u/1/NGguq6h_LNc
http://www.youtube.com/user/Morgz1992#p/a/u/0/abliimiRTls
(Note: when counting the teeth, start from your right side and count the upper teeth all the way to your left [#1-16]. For the bottom teeth, start on your left side and count to your right [#17-32].)
Reading over my benefits package with Blue Shield, I see that orthognathic surgery is covered "when it is medically necessary to correct skeletal deformity. Certain services, such as implants and orthodontia are not covered." I know that orthodontia is not covered by medical insurance. Personally, I don't see any reason why they wouldn't cover this surgery.
Sadly, Delta Dental only covers $1,000 for orthodontics, but the price for that is somewhat reasonable in comparison to the rest of the surgery. I can manage the price for braces with payments. I have read, however, that dental insurance companies cover the cost of braces in extreme cases of orthognathic surgery. This makes me wonder if I qualify.
The other reason I'm feeling antsy is because I've been wanting to get this done for a long time. I know this may seem odd because I know there is a lot of pain associated with orthodontic appliances (braces), but I'm looking forward to it. The braces, not the pain. I'm crazy, not a masochist.
Thus far, I've been thinking over the procedure and making predictions about what will have to happen before this whole thing can be started with braces. I'm predicting that I will have to see an oral surgeon prior to getting the braces to have teeth #2, #11, #15, #22, and #27 removed prior to getting braces. Teeth #22 and #27 will probably be removed in order to make room to straighten and align my lower incisors (lower front teeth). Teeth #2 and #15 (the upper 2nd molars) may have to be removed. There's nothing wrong with the teeth themselves with the exception being that there's nothing to keep them from descending since there are no molars on the bottom to stop them. Tooth #11 (the left lateral incisor or canine tooth) may be removed for symmetry as tooth #6 is impacted (the tooth rests below the gumline, in my case at a nearly 30 degree angle).
I'm also wondering how it is that the orthodontist can correct my midline (the space between the front teeth) deviation as the midline of the maxilla is deviated a few millimeters to my right in comparison to my mandible. I think the whole thing was caused by tooth #11 growing in and pushing the other teeth over to my right.
Well, all of this is great fodder for a blog for tomorrow. I'll update you all on what I find out. Wish me luck! =)
In the meantime, I recommend these links for you to watch. These videos were made by a girl in Australia who had this surgery done about 10 months ago, starting from 1 week pre-op to 3 weeks post surgery and then after having her braces removed. Check them out.
http://www.youtube.com/user/Morgz1992#p/a/u/2/Dv9fgYUQ19w
http://www.youtube.com/user/Morgz1992#p/a/u/1/NGguq6h_LNc
http://www.youtube.com/user/Morgz1992#p/a/u/0/abliimiRTls
(Note: when counting the teeth, start from your right side and count the upper teeth all the way to your left [#1-16]. For the bottom teeth, start on your left side and count to your right [#17-32].)
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Preparation For Surgery
In less than 2 weeks, I will be heading into the oral surgeon's office for a consultation to have another congenital defect corrected. (The first correction was the deviated septum.) For those that don't know what I'm referring to, it's my underbite.
The technical name for this facial skeletal deformity is known medically as mandibular prognathism. This is where the lower jaw (the mandible) extends out farther than the upper jaw (the maxilla). In my case, when I last had it measured, my jaw extends out 8 mm. This measurement was taken when I was 17 for my first ever visit to a dentist when I was in Basic Training in the US Navy. It's possible that my underbite may have progressed even further as I was still growing all the way up until the age of 26.
I also have several crossbites (an abnormal relation of one or more teeth of one arch to the opposing tooth or teeth of the other arch, caused by deviation of tooth position or abnormal jaw position.), overjets (increased projection of the upper teeth in front of the lower teeth, usually measured parallel to the occlusal plane. Also called horizontal overlap), general tooth crowding (you can figure this out for yourself) and a malocclusion (a reversal of the normal relationship of the mandibular and maxillary teeth, with lateral displacement of opposing teeth–i.e. a poor bite).
The result for me is that rather than all of my teeth matching up as they are supposed to, I currently only have 4 major contact points in my mouth where my teeth come together. This is a problem when it comes to eating - I have to eat closer to the corner of my mouth in order to tear food apart when not using utensils like knives as my upper and lower front teeth don't match up.
This also affects my appearance. Many people think that I'm mad about something since my jaw is "jutting out." It's not uncommon for one of my female co-workers to constantly ask me, "What's wrong?" when in fact, there is nothing wrong. It also resulted in the highlight of my first visit Dr. Kheim Tran. She is the dentist who referred me to the surgeon. After discussing the surgery procedures I had been advised of back when I was in the USN as a Dental Assistant (DT-8707) and what I could expect as far as follow up and whatnot, she stated, "When they do that, then you'll be handsome."
What I can look forward to, based on what I was told back in the late 80's/early 90's is about 18 months of orthodontic appliances (braces) prior to the surgery, as well as about a year or so of braces after the surgery. The surgery itself will possibly involve incisions in the mandible and moving it back, as well as removing the maxilla and replacing it further forward, lower and possibly to the side. This could result in screws, pins or other metal items in my mouth which could make going into the airport a lot of fun.
Also, from what I've been studying, the old technique of wiring a patient's jaw shut after the surgery has been phased out in most cases. Instead, they're now using strong rubber bands to help keep the jaw set rather than wires, which was the older way of doing this type of surgery. The rubber bands are much easier to remove in the case of vomiting, as opposed to carrying wire cutters in case such a thing should happen. Also, with the recent introduction of rigid internal fixation (plates and screws) for this surgery, much of the immobilization of the jaw has been eliminated so that the mouth is kept closed for only a few days, versus several weeks.
I also get to look forward to finding out what kind of orthodontic appliances I will be getting and seeing how much of the cost of that will be covered under insurance. In my studies, I've found that $1,000 is covered in most cases; however, in severe cases of malocclusion, the entire cost is covered under dental insurance. From what I've read, things like Invisalign, which a co-worker of mine is going for this year, and colored braces are not an option for cases such as mine.
The actual surgery itself is not covered under my dental plan, but it is covered under my medical insurance. This, I think, is very odd, but hey.
All in all, if it helps my appearance, that's fine. I'm doing this, though, so I can eat properly. However, all of the surgical information is still up in the air as I've not actually had my first visit with the surgeon to find out what is in store. I will update you on this once I actually find out what I can expect in the coming months.
Sources:
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/crossbite
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/overjet
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/malocclusion+of+teeth
The technical name for this facial skeletal deformity is known medically as mandibular prognathism. This is where the lower jaw (the mandible) extends out farther than the upper jaw (the maxilla). In my case, when I last had it measured, my jaw extends out 8 mm. This measurement was taken when I was 17 for my first ever visit to a dentist when I was in Basic Training in the US Navy. It's possible that my underbite may have progressed even further as I was still growing all the way up until the age of 26.
I also have several crossbites (an abnormal relation of one or more teeth of one arch to the opposing tooth or teeth of the other arch, caused by deviation of tooth position or abnormal jaw position.), overjets (increased projection of the upper teeth in front of the lower teeth, usually measured parallel to the occlusal plane. Also called horizontal overlap), general tooth crowding (you can figure this out for yourself) and a malocclusion (a reversal of the normal relationship of the mandibular and maxillary teeth, with lateral displacement of opposing teeth–i.e. a poor bite).
The result for me is that rather than all of my teeth matching up as they are supposed to, I currently only have 4 major contact points in my mouth where my teeth come together. This is a problem when it comes to eating - I have to eat closer to the corner of my mouth in order to tear food apart when not using utensils like knives as my upper and lower front teeth don't match up.
This also affects my appearance. Many people think that I'm mad about something since my jaw is "jutting out." It's not uncommon for one of my female co-workers to constantly ask me, "What's wrong?" when in fact, there is nothing wrong. It also resulted in the highlight of my first visit Dr. Kheim Tran. She is the dentist who referred me to the surgeon. After discussing the surgery procedures I had been advised of back when I was in the USN as a Dental Assistant (DT-8707) and what I could expect as far as follow up and whatnot, she stated, "When they do that, then you'll be handsome."
What I can look forward to, based on what I was told back in the late 80's/early 90's is about 18 months of orthodontic appliances (braces) prior to the surgery, as well as about a year or so of braces after the surgery. The surgery itself will possibly involve incisions in the mandible and moving it back, as well as removing the maxilla and replacing it further forward, lower and possibly to the side. This could result in screws, pins or other metal items in my mouth which could make going into the airport a lot of fun.
Also, from what I've been studying, the old technique of wiring a patient's jaw shut after the surgery has been phased out in most cases. Instead, they're now using strong rubber bands to help keep the jaw set rather than wires, which was the older way of doing this type of surgery. The rubber bands are much easier to remove in the case of vomiting, as opposed to carrying wire cutters in case such a thing should happen. Also, with the recent introduction of rigid internal fixation (plates and screws) for this surgery, much of the immobilization of the jaw has been eliminated so that the mouth is kept closed for only a few days, versus several weeks.
I also get to look forward to finding out what kind of orthodontic appliances I will be getting and seeing how much of the cost of that will be covered under insurance. In my studies, I've found that $1,000 is covered in most cases; however, in severe cases of malocclusion, the entire cost is covered under dental insurance. From what I've read, things like Invisalign, which a co-worker of mine is going for this year, and colored braces are not an option for cases such as mine.
The actual surgery itself is not covered under my dental plan, but it is covered under my medical insurance. This, I think, is very odd, but hey.
All in all, if it helps my appearance, that's fine. I'm doing this, though, so I can eat properly. However, all of the surgical information is still up in the air as I've not actually had my first visit with the surgeon to find out what is in store. I will update you on this once I actually find out what I can expect in the coming months.
Sources:
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/crossbite
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/overjet
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/malocclusion+of+teeth
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