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aisforava

Underbite, trying to get started!

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aisforava
, 05-26-2010 at 08:08 AM (283 Views)
I'm a 21 year old student living in Melbourne and I have an underbite. I thought I'd join this forum so I could get some advice and tips. And hopefully get a chance to pick the brain of someone who's gone through this before me, or someone who's going through the same thing.

So far I've had a consultation with the orthodontist. That went well, though that was my first time so I wouldn't know what's good and not good as far as consultations go.

I'm psychologically Jewish (jks) so one of my top concerns is the COST.

I have health insurance, and they're going to pay out $750 per year for orthodontic work. So if someone else in Melbourne/Australia is with another health fund who pays more, please please please let me know.

Anyway, I have an underbite, and a crossbite (which is when the middle of your front teeth don't match each other, I think My top jaw is small so my teeth are crowded, and of course the underbite. And 2 of my molars are crooked or something like that.

At the consultation the ortho looked at my teeth and xrays etc. Before I went to the consultation I thought/was hoping that I had the option of fixing my underbite with braces. Turns out I don't because my body has tried to correct the bite, my top teeth have grown out of my face (does that make sense?) and my bottom teeth have grown into my mouth. But I still have an underbite So that "gives the ortho little room to move". So if I were to get just braces to fix my bite, it would make my face even more concave.

Because my top jaw is narrow, I'll need to have an expander, though he's not sure if its going to work because I'm 21. But I had my period later (I know, he asked lol) so there's a chance it might work. He'll know within 2 weeks of having it installed whether or not its working. If that doesn't work I'll have to have surgery to expand my top palate. I'm not sure how that'll work.

I'll have braces put on of course (for about 2 years) and he only works with self ligating braces, but he's going to see if I'm a candidate for SureSmile. That's going to make my time in braces shorter apparently. The braces will make my bite "worse before it gets better". Sigh.

So the costs...

The consulation was $620. I got a discount and that came down to $370, I'll be out of pocket about $50. But the entire braces experience will cost $9930 that's with suresmile and the expander, and retainers etc. Is that too much?

And the consulation took about 2 1/2 hours. I've been online looking for orthodontists around Melbourne, so if you'd like to recommend one I'd appreciate it.

That's about it I think...
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  1. Sunny's Avatar
    Hi and welcome to this forum and here's to your consults going well and you finding the best person to treat you.

    Suresmile is a system a few ortho's use to get a computer program to design the bends in the archwire. They charge quite a bit more for this service and although they say it will take less time, this hasn't been proven by research. A skilled ortho will know how to make these bends without using a computer and the results will be the same.

    At 21 it's not likely the expander will work, but here's hoping in your case it does. You need to find out how much it will cost to have your palate broken and whether your health insurance covers any of the surgery and what rules it has around this type of surgery. You need to do this before beginning treatment, as it would be tragic to find out after treatment has begun that you no longer qualify due to their conditions.

    A crossbite means that some teeth (usually on the sides) close across the others and one jaw will have teeth that close outside the others.

    I started my treatment with an underbite (dental not skelatal) and two crossbites. These have been fixed by using braces only. My underbite didn't need surgery due to it being dental. You need to check with your following consults as to whether your underbite is dental or a result of your bones not growing correctly. Dental means no surgery, but bone problems mean surgery to correct the bite. Surgery is very expensive and not all insurance companies cover this and the portion covered varies. So make sure you're certain of this, the cost and your insurance companies policy before you begin treatment.

    This can seem a bit overwhelming at the beginning, but if you research well and are prepared to have multiply consults, you will find that your treatment will go more smoothly, as you know what you have to pay for and what your results should be.

    Good luck!