May 13, 2016 Orthodontic Consultation
When I met my Hygienist Kelly and Orthodontist Dr. Kirk, I was feeling pretty enthusiastic. If they would have given me more time, I would have talked their ears off. Perhaps it's because I've never personally known someone with as severe a problem as myself. Most people I know have fairly normal, symmetrical and functional faces, and pretty functional mouths. Having someone to listen to me and nod when I talk about my frustrations is an immense relief. Like I said, I wish I could have gone on and on about what having this jaw has really been like. I think I've leave the ranting for my blog though, that's what it's here for :)
Dr. Kirk examined my mouth and Kelly recorded the measurements of my underbite (3mm) and cross bite (also 3). She then took photos of my face, both smiling and not smiling, as well as profiles of my right and left sides. She also took pictures of the inside of my mouth to get a clear idea of the orientation of my teeth.
She briefly went over the approximate cost and length of treatment. It would be around $6000 for the braces, and more for the surgical fees, however the surgery itself would be covered by OHIP (our provincial health insurance coverage). My insurance plan at work will pay $1500 towards orthodontic treatment, so I would be out of pocket for the rest. As far as the time commitment, I would be in braces for about a year, then have surgery, and likely be in braces another six months, for a total of 18 months. Sounds like a plan.
After my appointment I looked up some videos and blogs of people who've had braces and orthognathic surgery done for their underbites. One video in particular had me in tears.
Dr. Kirk examined my mouth and Kelly recorded the measurements of my underbite (3mm) and cross bite (also 3). She then took photos of my face, both smiling and not smiling, as well as profiles of my right and left sides. She also took pictures of the inside of my mouth to get a clear idea of the orientation of my teeth.
She briefly went over the approximate cost and length of treatment. It would be around $6000 for the braces, and more for the surgical fees, however the surgery itself would be covered by OHIP (our provincial health insurance coverage). My insurance plan at work will pay $1500 towards orthodontic treatment, so I would be out of pocket for the rest. As far as the time commitment, I would be in braces for about a year, then have surgery, and likely be in braces another six months, for a total of 18 months. Sounds like a plan.
After my appointment I looked up some videos and blogs of people who've had braces and orthognathic surgery done for their underbites. One video in particular had me in tears.
You can find Corinne's blog here: http://jawsurgery-journey.blogspot.ca/ However it's been a while since she's posted because she's well past having braces and jaw surgery.
The part about having difficulty speaking, eating, breathing and having sinus issues...that resonated with me. I didn't even bring that stuff up with my orthodontist because I had no idea it was related. I stumble over my words, sometimes things sound lispy and my tongue often feels too big for my mouth. Every now and then my sinuses are just so painful, seemingly for no reason at all. And have you ever seen me take a clean bite of a salami sandwich? Nope, because that's never happened. I need to sleep with my mouth open because otherwise I feel like I'll choke. It will all sound trivial to other people but until you live it, you don't know how frustrating it is.
So when I watched Corinne's video, I bawled. I paused the video and just sat there and cried. I cried with relief and joy, and I cried for the sad realization that I have been living with this stupid jaw for years when I could have fixed this by now.
I'm heading in the right direction though. Despite all the scary "3 days after surgery" photos I've seen, I'm 100% committed to doing this. Dr. Kirk says I'll literally breath better too :)
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