~ I met my target and can now open my mouth 41mm ( I was nervous about that one)
~ Over the next month and a half, I will be back to eating everything
~ My bones are healed but will be much stronger after a couple more months
~ I can wakeboard again!!! (As long as I don't do any tricks that would risk a face-plant)
~ the residual swelling in my left jaw and both cheeks can last up to another year ( but its not that noticeable so I don't mind)
Here are some pics including a few new profile shots. After today, I will just post about once a month until I get my braces off, then I will do 1 last post at my 1 yr. post op.
Congratulations, so happy for you. I very much wish to be where you are at, but so happy for you. My progress has been delayed by a few months again. I just wanted to ask you, I think you said you got some coverage with your insurance, can you tell me anything about that? Did your dentist or oral surgeon write a letter saying why it wasn't cosmetic only? I am worried about when they do finally submit it for pre-approval since my insurance is not being so great about other things. thank you. thanks again for posting all this, it is really helpful to those of us going through it, and I feel pretty alone with this right now.
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteI first met with an oral surgeon who specializes in orthognathic surgery. He does about 150 of these a year so he knows what he's doing and how to submit it to insurance. So you will need to schedule a consultation and then he will put together a pre-determination package with his diagnosis, treatment plan and evidence to back it up that it is a skeletal deformity and not cosmetic. If you ask, the doc can mark it as a "Rush" order so insurance will do it within a week or so instead of a month or more. The doc will usually get notified before you do if it was approved, insurance sends you a letter in the mail. What city are you in? I can ask my surgeon if he has a recommendation for you.
So happy this is helping!
Meg
Thanks, Meg for replying. I am sure you are helping others too, they just are following silently.:) I have an oral surgeon, he is also a plastic surgeon, which I think is good. He took out my four wisdom teeth three years ago when I started this. He only takes two kinds of insurance, so if I am covered at all I will have to be reimbursed. My dentist today told me he met an oral surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic. ( I am in Cleveland, OH.) I am thinking of trying to get any appointment with him though it may take awhile because maybe I could get financial assistance through the Cleveland Clinic. You have to have a treatment plan to see a financial counselor there though. I hate to start over and I paid the consulation fee of $240 for my current oral surgeon, but his surgery fee is $15240 and that will take me some time to pay off over the course of a few years. That does not include the hospital bill either. I don't know much about getting insurance to comply. With my last job, the oral surgeon sent in for approval and the insurance sent it back immediately, denied. They said it just a matter of a code they use to submit it and they can't do anything else. I am in the dark. I really wish I had your insurance!! You are lucky to have this done at your age, I am 41, I wish I could have had it done earlier. thanks again.
ReplyDelete