Has anyone here had jaw surgery recently?

[Truscifi]

Did insurance cover it?

Did they have to wire the jaw shut?

 

We were told today that Brotherman will likely need it to correct an underbite in the next few years. He is almost 13 and was about to get braces, but when the orthodontist did all the measurements he decided to refer to an oral surgeon instead. They are saying they will observe until he is mostly done growing, and aim for doing the surgery when he is at least 16. 

 

I had corrective jaw surgery/facial reconstruction when I was 13. My jaws were wired shut for 6 weeks, and that was definitely the worst part for me.  I know we won't really be able to get details until we are much closer to time, but I don't want to paint a worse picture than necessary based on outdated info. I also remember it being a big fight with the insurance company to get the surgery covered. I'm hoping that is easier with the current insurance regulations.

 

Ugh. Stupid genes. I had so hoped he wouldn't have to deal with this.  :sad:

[Truscifi]

So...no one?

[Scarlett]

Jaw surgery. I had a friend 20 Years ago who had to have her jaw bone cute....it was brutal. I stil remember her writing on a chalk board "what the hell was I thinking'

[Truscifi]

Apparently the fact that this particular condition runs in my family doesn't make it common. 

 

I was hoping to find someone who had the surgery in the past 5 years or less to tell me what, if anything, has changed.

[Caraway]

Mine was 10 years ago, but my jaw was not wired shut.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Tammi K]

My daughter is facing it in the next year or two.  She's currently 18 but they will defer surgery until there is no evidence of growth for 12 months.  She will wear braces for about 12 months prior to surgery. We've been told that they will move her teeth into the correct 'after surgery' position well before the surgical procedure.

 

During the surgery they will separate (break) her jaws ( upper and lower) and fasten them beck together with plates and screws resulting in everything being in the right place.   We were also told that she would be on a liquid diet progressing to a very soft diet over the first 6 weeks BUT that the jaw would not be wired shut.  Her ortho said they are finding the best benefits are found when the jaw is free to move.

 

So, while it hasn't happened yet, that is what we were told to expect.

 

 

[East Coast Sue]

My dd13 has an underbite and crossbite despite years of orthodontic treatment from 6-10 yrs old. We've been advised to wait for all growth to stop before we decide about the surgery. We have no family history of this issue so it has me stumped on where it came from. My dd will be at least 18-20 yrs old before we can move forward with surgery and I think she'll have to decide for herself. I will not be pressuring her to have the surgery, and I don't know if we can even afford to pay for it. She does wear a night guard to prevent her teeth from chipping since her bite is far from perfect.

[Truscifi]

My daughter is facing it in the next year or two.  She's currently 18 but they will defer surgery until there is no evidence of growth for 12 months.  She will wear braces for about 12 months prior to surgery. We've been told that they will move her teeth into the correct 'after surgery' position well before the surgical procedure.

 

During the surgery they will separate (break) her jaws ( upper and lower) and fasten them beck together with plates and screws resulting in everything being in the right place.   We were also told that she would be on a liquid diet progressing to a very soft diet over the first 6 weeks BUT that the jaw would not be wired shut.  Her ortho said they are finding the best benefits are found when the jaw is free to move.

 

So, while it hasn't happened yet, that is what we were told to expect.

 

This sounds similar to what we are looking at, except that they don't want to wait as long and they aren't sure if the jaw will be wired shut. Maybe due to the severity? I will definitely be asking about the benefits of doing it earlier vs later. I know mine was done earlier than normal because of some pretty severe complications with headaches and TMJ. Brotherman does have headaches a lot, so that may be related.

 

My surgery also involved removing bone from the lower jaw and putting a bone graft into the upper jaw, but so far they aren't talking about anything like that for Brotherman. 

[CindyH in NC]

n/m

 

Edited September 6, 2016 by CindyH in NC

[CindyH in NC]

Forgot to add that my daughter's teeth were nearly perfectly straight - as were mine - but she wore braces for a year or so prior to surgery to correct the lean that her teeht had developed to compensate for her bite.  She continued with the braces for another year or so after surgery to perfect her bite.  Since she was experiencing jaw pain and her chewing was affected - her back molars didn't meet properly  - we decided that surgery as a teen would be much easier on her than having to have it fixed in college or as an adult starting out on her own if the TMJ progressed. 

[bethben]

My daughter who is 9 has an underbite from a cleft. Have hey talked about a reverse head gear? There is also a procedure where they can place metal plates on the upper and lower jaw with hooks in them and then use rubber bands to pull the upper jaw forward. Jaw surgery should be a last resort for an underbite.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ondreeuh]

My 15 yr old is having the jaw osteotomy surgery next year to correct a small lower jaw and overbite. He just had his wisdom teeth out, and he starts the braces process this month. He will have braces for about 12 months before they do the surgery, and keep them on for a few months afterwards.

 

A friend's daughter just had the surgery a couple of years ago, and she was on liquids only for several weeks. She had rubber bands holding her jaw in place (easy to cut the bands if there is an emergency). Her surgery was covered by medical insurance and my son's has been approved as of now (will have to be reapproved next year when they do it, but since they approved it now for medical necessity, I am counting on it).

 

I'm obviously not happy he will be going through it, but I am looking forward to the end results. His jaw is clearly underdeveloped, and it is affecting his teeth.

[ondreeuh]

My daughter is facing it in the next year or two. She's currently 18 but they will defer surgery until there is no evidence of growth for 12 months. She will wear braces for about 12 months prior to surgery. We've been told that they will move her teeth into the correct 'after surgery' position well before the surgical procedure.

 

During the surgery they will separate (break) her jaws ( upper and lower) and fasten them beck together with plates and screws resulting in everything being in the right place. We were also told that she would be on a liquid diet progressing to a very soft diet over the first 6 weeks BUT that the jaw would not be wired shut. Her ortho said they are finding the best benefits are found when the jaw is free to move.

 

So, while it hasn't happened yet, that is what we were told to expect.

Tammi, are you in Anchorage? If so, who is the surgeon? We are seeing Nordstrom.

[Truscifi]

My 15 yr old is having the jaw osteotomy surgery next year to correct a small lower jaw and overbite. He just had his wisdom teeth out, and he starts the braces process this month. He will have braces for about 12 months before they do the surgery, and keep them on for a few months afterwards.

 

A friend's daughter just had the surgery a couple of years ago, and she was on liquids only for several weeks. She had rubber bands holding her jaw in place (easy to cut the bands if there is an emergency). Her surgery was covered by medical insurance and my son's has been approved as of now (will have to be reapproved next year when they do it, but since they approved it now for medical necessity, I am counting on it).

 

I'm obviously not happy he will be going through it, but I am looking forward to the end results. His jaw is clearly underdeveloped, and it is affecting his teeth.

What was the process for getting it approved as medically necessary? Was it just based on the surgeon's recommendation?

[Truscifi]

My daughter who is 9 has an underbite from a cleft. Have hey talked about a reverse head gear? There is also a procedure where they can place metal plates on the upper and lower jaw with hooks in them and then use rubber bands to pull the upper jaw forward. Jaw surgery should be a last resort for an underbite.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Head gear hasn't been brought up, but he has already had a palate expander and braces and retainer, trying to stay ahead of it. The orthodontist feels the underbite is getting too severe for him to manage it at this point.

[ondreeuh]

What was the process for getting it approved as medically necessary? Was it just based on the surgeon's recommendation?

 

It was actually the orthodontist who submitted it. I assume they included the report from the surgeon too, maybe x-rays? I just know that the orthodontist office called me and told me it had been approved for 30 days. She laughed and said she has told them over and over that they have a long process, but since they approved it now they would have a hard time denying it later (or at least we would have a very strong appeal).

 

[PeterPan]

You might get a 2nd or 3rd opinion.  My dd is on track for that surgery, but I finally concluded it didn't make a lot of sense to do it until she was done growing.  We're doing the braces now to get the teeth in position, but then we'll wait a couple years (past 19) and then do it.  I think for guys they want longer, because guys can grow till 21.  I've of them having to redo the surgery again later, and I just can't fathom.  :(

[ondreeuh]

You might get a 2nd or 3rd opinion.  My dd is on track for that surgery, but I finally concluded it didn't make a lot of sense to do it until she was done growing.  We're doing the braces now to get the teeth in position, but then we'll wait a couple years (past 19) and then do it.  I think for guys they want longer, because guys can grow till 21.  I've of them having to redo the surgery again later, and I just can't fathom.   :(

 

In my son's case, I think they looked at the damage it was doing to his teeth now, as well as his growth pattern. He is about 5'10" and probably won't get much taller. We're a family of early bloomers.

 

[GoodGrief]

My 12 year old has the opposite problem, an underdeveloped lower jaw. She's in braces right now, and they want to do jaw surgery at age 18. An orthodontist recommended a similar surgery for me post-braces back in the day, but my dad declined. I always wished I had it done, to be honest. It's a little tight when I close my mouth because of the lower jaw pulling back.

 

Insurance won't be an issue for us in the facility where we would have it done. I'm not sure if our primary insurance (military) would cover it or not.

[Truscifi]

In my son's case, I think they looked at the damage it was doing to his teeth now, as well as his growth pattern. He is about 5'10" and probably won't get much taller. We're a family of early bloomers.

 

This is what the orthodontist was talking about with Brotherman. Even with already having had the early intervention to try to correct his bite, his teeth are still being damaged because of the underbite. And a crossbite as well I think. And based on genetics and growth pattern, it will get worse as he grows.

[Jann in TX]

My oldest had jaw surgery 10 years ago for an underdeveloped lower jaw.  She had braces a few months before and a few months after (mainly to hold the rubber bands as her teeth were straight).  They used pins to hold her jaw in place with rubber bands for support/positioning.  The first week was tough-- she will no longer eat mashed potatoes --her once favorite side dish! 

 

It was a huge insurance battle-- but in the end they covered it.  Her bite was so off that her back teeth did not meet and this presented a choking hazard.  She also had sever TMJ and sleep apnea because of the bite issue (Her school performance dramatically improved after the surgery).

 

Basically you have to prove that the surgery is not for cosmetic reasons in order for insurance to cover it-- make sure your Dr submits a strong case the FIRST time!

[Jann in TX]

double post

Edited September 7, 2016 by Jann in TX