Re: overwhelmed... need some basic info....

[Guest guest]

,

Welcome to " our " world. :-) I can't answer all of your questions, but I'll try

to help you on as many as I can.

First let's start with the age thing. LOL! I had never had any orthodontic

work before either and when I got my braces, I was 41 years old! My children

and the kids I work with all thought it was great. My Fweetie said they made me

look like I was 12 years old. LOL! Whenever I got my bands changed, I would

pick the colors to match whatever I was going to wear to church that Sunday.

LOL!

I got my braces on 5 July 02, had upper and lower surgery on 30 Oct 03, and I'm

supposed to be getting my braces off this summer. My outside appearance has not

really changed drastically, but my bite has. I no longer have the long jaw and

my bite is absolutely beautiful. :-) Before, I had a terrible underbite on one

side and an overbite on the other side - kind of like a figure 8 and not much

top lip. My teeth are almost perfect now and my lips are full. (Grinning)

As for looking normal...what is normal? LOL! It took about 6 weeks before I

really began to look semi-normal (some looked fine after only 2 weeks). I'm

almost 15 weeks post op and I only have a very small amount of swelling that's

only noticeable to family, friends and my docs. You can look on site 2 - I have

progression photos under " Smooches aka etta " .

Unfortunately, I can't help you with the insurance question. My Fweetie is

military and I had my surgery done in a military hospital...everything was

covered - except the braces...that was out of pocket.

Even with the long jaw and messed-up teeth, I still liked my outward appearance;

however, now that the swelling has just about gone, I really do like my new look

much better with no complaints at all. I'm really looking forward to my

" release " date.

Hope this helps.

Smooches

overwhelmed... need some basic

info....

Hi everyone,

I'm so glad to have found this group. It's great to hear stories

and advice from normal folks who have " been there. " I just found

out a month ago, that in addition to 16 months of braces, I will

need upper and lower jaw surgery (la forte I, and bilateral sagital

split) to get my bite in line and correct my jaw problems. I have

to say, I was a little horrified (especially since I'm 28 and have

never had orthodontic work.) I've researched online, in addition to

talking to my docs, but the medical literature and terminology is

nothing short of daunting.

I guess my main concerns are: How drastically my appearance will

change with both upper and lower jaw surgery? Is this much worse

than just getting one or the other? How soon after the op. do you

look and feel normal? Also, I'm extremely concerned with the

insurance coverage. I've heard conflicting things about coverage,

and the Blue Cross rep. I spoke to on the phone was of little help,

only stating, " Yes, that is definitely a gray area. " I don't relish

the idea of having braces on for so long . . . especially at my

age. Have any of you gotten your braces removed sooner than the

projected time? Please feel free to answer any portion of this

rambling response you can. ANY info. or advice is GREATLY

appreciated. In the mean time, I will be reviewing the message

boards.. I've been finding helpful advice already! Thanks in

advance.....

from MN

[Guest guest]

I'll just bet the insurance lady wants you to believe " this is a gray

area. "

Be adamant, assuming that it's true, that this is medically

necessary, a repair of a skeletal deformity, and should be covered,

unless you have some reason to believe that it's excluded in some way.

They'd pay for a fix if you discovered that one leg was shorter than

the other, I'll bet! This is a similar problem, except that one jaw

is shorter than it should be. Or longer. And think how much the mouth

is involved in many, many aspects of life. Eating, talking,

breathing, digestion, sleeping -- on and on.

Cammie

> Hi everyone,

>

> I'm so glad to have found this group. It's great to hear stories

> and advice from normal folks who have " been there. " I just found

> out a month ago, that in addition to 16 months of braces, I will

> need upper and lower jaw surgery (la forte I, and bilateral sagital

> split) to get my bite in line and correct my jaw problems. I have

> to say, I was a little horrified (especially since I'm 28 and have

> never had orthodontic work.) I've researched online, in addition

to

> talking to my docs, but the medical literature and terminology is

> nothing short of daunting.

>

> I guess my main concerns are: How drastically my appearance will

> change with both upper and lower jaw surgery? Is this much worse

> than just getting one or the other? How soon after the op. do you

> look and feel normal? Also, I'm extremely concerned with the

> insurance coverage. I've heard conflicting things about coverage,

> and the Blue Cross rep. I spoke to on the phone was of little help,

> only stating, " Yes, that is definitely a gray area. " I don't

relish

> the idea of having braces on for so long . . . especially at my

> age. Have any of you gotten your braces removed sooner than the

> projected time? Please feel free to answer any portion of this

> rambling response you can. ANY info. or advice is GREATLY

> appreciated. In the mean time, I will be reviewing the message

> boards.. I've been finding helpful advice already! Thanks in

> advance.....

>

> from MN