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 orthognatic surgery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label orthognatic surgery. Show all posts
Monday, February 1, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Consultation
The muscles in my tempromandibular joint area are sore from smiling so much today. A recap:
I was awoken at 4:23 a.m. with an overriding urge to urinate that was simply not going to go away. As much as I tried to ignore it and go to sleep, I decided to just get up and go. Of course, since I spent so much time trying to get rid of the feeling in the first place, my body had revolted and said, "Guess what, Asshole!? You're staying up!" So, I went and relieved myself and had some breakfast.
Surfed the web and listened to tunes until 8:30 or so, then hit the gym to do some cardio for about 25 minutes. Did some light chest work on the weight machines then headed home to take my shower and catch the bus to the orthodontist's office.
I walked into the office and was greeted with wood paneling along all the walls. The front desk was to my left, so I checked in. The usual information was requested for my insurance. I didn't have my card, but I gave them my name, date of birth and Social Security number so they could contact Delta Dental to get my benefits information while they had me fill out my medical history information.
I turned in my information and waited on the carpeted bench. Meanwhile, numerous patients were in an out of the lobby and operatory. Within half an hour, I was guided into a room with wallpaper that looked like clouds on a blue sky and sat in a dental chair with what looked like a 1980's-era fuzzy seat cover. Up above me and to my right in one corner of the room were porcelain seagulls. I did notice that the operatory where patients were being seen was the ocean. I also saw several assistants working. Dr. Graham came in and said, "So, this is what we do on semi-rainy days." He didn't even introduce himself! That's fine with me, though. It's pretty obvious who my appointment was with, so he didn't even have to introduce himself.
Looking over my medical history, he also saw my occupation and we discussed areas of my job with the Highway Patrol. This went on for a few minutes, then he took a look at my teeth.
In addition to discussing certain problems, notably the absence of tooth #6 and the problem it presents since it's impacted in front of my other teeth, we discussed treatment and he said that he could help me out, with the surgeon or possibly not. My personal preference is to work with the surgeon in order to correct this problem once and for all and get the teeth set up for the surgery since he works in cooperation with the oral surgeon to get this set up. Dr. Graham also mentioned that to me that he could have me set up for this surgery even faster than I thought, giving an estimation of 6 months to a year before I had my surgery! This was an even shorter time than I had previously been quoted when I was in the Navy, where the minimum time I would have to wait for the surgery was 18 months. He then advised me that he would have me in for a final consultation where we would discuss the treatment plan after I had my x-rays taken. The front desk assistant then came in and gave me a breakdown on the costs before and after what will be paid for by Delta Dental Insurance.
My total fee payment for the braces comes to $3,961, with my insurance benefit covering $1,000 of the braces. This leaves me with a balance of $2,961 with $461 dollars due on my banding appointment. The rest will be spread out over 20 payments at $125 a month. I also have to go get x-rays done for the orthodontic survey and Delta covers half of that, leaving me with a payment of $140.
My appointment is scheduled for Monday, February 1st at 9 a.m. and my final consultation appointment is scheduled for February 4th at noon.
And so, it begins...
I was awoken at 4:23 a.m. with an overriding urge to urinate that was simply not going to go away. As much as I tried to ignore it and go to sleep, I decided to just get up and go. Of course, since I spent so much time trying to get rid of the feeling in the first place, my body had revolted and said, "Guess what, Asshole!? You're staying up!" So, I went and relieved myself and had some breakfast.
Surfed the web and listened to tunes until 8:30 or so, then hit the gym to do some cardio for about 25 minutes. Did some light chest work on the weight machines then headed home to take my shower and catch the bus to the orthodontist's office.
I walked into the office and was greeted with wood paneling along all the walls. The front desk was to my left, so I checked in. The usual information was requested for my insurance. I didn't have my card, but I gave them my name, date of birth and Social Security number so they could contact Delta Dental to get my benefits information while they had me fill out my medical history information.
I turned in my information and waited on the carpeted bench. Meanwhile, numerous patients were in an out of the lobby and operatory. Within half an hour, I was guided into a room with wallpaper that looked like clouds on a blue sky and sat in a dental chair with what looked like a 1980's-era fuzzy seat cover. Up above me and to my right in one corner of the room were porcelain seagulls. I did notice that the operatory where patients were being seen was the ocean. I also saw several assistants working. Dr. Graham came in and said, "So, this is what we do on semi-rainy days." He didn't even introduce himself! That's fine with me, though. It's pretty obvious who my appointment was with, so he didn't even have to introduce himself.
Looking over my medical history, he also saw my occupation and we discussed areas of my job with the Highway Patrol. This went on for a few minutes, then he took a look at my teeth.
In addition to discussing certain problems, notably the absence of tooth #6 and the problem it presents since it's impacted in front of my other teeth, we discussed treatment and he said that he could help me out, with the surgeon or possibly not. My personal preference is to work with the surgeon in order to correct this problem once and for all and get the teeth set up for the surgery since he works in cooperation with the oral surgeon to get this set up. Dr. Graham also mentioned that to me that he could have me set up for this surgery even faster than I thought, giving an estimation of 6 months to a year before I had my surgery! This was an even shorter time than I had previously been quoted when I was in the Navy, where the minimum time I would have to wait for the surgery was 18 months. He then advised me that he would have me in for a final consultation where we would discuss the treatment plan after I had my x-rays taken. The front desk assistant then came in and gave me a breakdown on the costs before and after what will be paid for by Delta Dental Insurance.
My total fee payment for the braces comes to $3,961, with my insurance benefit covering $1,000 of the braces. This leaves me with a balance of $2,961 with $461 dollars due on my banding appointment. The rest will be spread out over 20 payments at $125 a month. I also have to go get x-rays done for the orthodontic survey and Delta covers half of that, leaving me with a payment of $140.
My appointment is scheduled for Monday, February 1st at 9 a.m. and my final consultation appointment is scheduled for February 4th at noon.
And so, it begins...
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].)
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