My Jaw surgery went perfectly!!! All Done!!!

[mike5824]

I just had my $35,000 Underbite surgery done for free. I was responsible for paying for the hospital stay after surgery and for my Braces but still haven’t gotten 1 bill yet.

I had the Upper jaw moved forward & the Lower jaw moved back to fix a bad underbite after I wore the braces for about 2 years to first align the teeth better.


I always had a bad smile especially if I smiled big so I asked Orthodontists and they all told me I NEED surgery to get braces.
BRACES = $5,000+
SURGERY = $35,000+
So I prayed for about 4-5 years while thinking God would provide the $40,000. Then my wisdom teeth needed to be pulled and the Oral surgeon who did it asked me if I ever considered surgery for my Underbite and told me that his brother, also an Oral Surgeon, does those surgeries for free because it would be done in front of students so they can learn how its done and he has done lots of those surgeries and specializes in them. But I needed to talk to him and then get braces on until my teeth were straight. So I put braces on in 1 week from Drs. Selky & Reily in Grayslake, IL, USA.

When my teeth were straight I met with the surgeon and we set a surgery date and, as I am typing this, its been 4 months after surgery. I have no numbeness or any complications. I get my braces off in 2 weeks and then I’m all done.

ALL I CAN REALLY SAY IS THAT IT WAS REALLY WORTH THE INCONVENIENCE!

[Sunny]

Great that you've had jaw surgery and it's been so successful. It's amazing you haven't got any numbness after upper and lower jaw movement. It's fantastic news for you, but to be expected at this stage for most people.

Congrats on your teeth going naked in two weeks!

[Janesays]

that is great news! i cant belive it can cost that much... I though it was something around 10,000 per jaw max.

What a deal you got! I have had my teeth cleaned and such by student doctors at the local university for a fraction of the price.. i recommend it also.

[Punkin]

I'm so happy things worked out for you - here's to a great smile

[mariahfromchicago]

Glad that the surgery went well. Good luck for the rest of your treatment

[Zoso]

Great to hear that everything has gone so well for you, Mike - not long now until you can reap the rewards of your treatment.

Sunny - I don't think you should underplay the risks of orthognathic surgery - for example, various studies have shown rates of long-term (1 - 2 years post-op) sensory disturbance following BSSO of anywhere up to 85%. And some patients unfortunately do experience some unpleasant sensations during the course of the nerve healing. And, even though permanent numbness is less common in upper jaw procedures, they come with their own posse of side-effects, including something like a 1% chance of non-union. Of course, I don't mean to be overly dramatic and try to scare people, especially havin emerged unscathed from my own orthognathic surgery, but I just think it's a bit irresponsible to downplay the risks too much. It would not be good to go into somethng like this without a proper appreciation of both teh risks and the benefits.

[Sunny]

Originally Posted by Zoso

Sunny - I don't think you should underplay the risks of orthognathic surgery ...

... I have no idea what you're referring to.

[Zoso]

Originally Posted by Sunny

... I have no idea what you're referring to.

You said, and I quote:

Originally Posted by Sunny

It's amazing you haven't got any numbness after upper and lower jaw movement. It's fantastic news for you, but to be expected at this stage for most people.

I feel that to say so is to downplay the risks, given that, as I mentioned above, studies show that long-term (1 and even 2 years post-op, and longer) paresthesia is seen in anything up to 85% of patients. I do believe that the rates will vary from one OMS to another, but however you slice it, this is definitey at odds with the statement you made.

[Sunny]

You've misunderstood my post, as I suspected.

I'm amazed that there was no numbness, as for most patients it's expected at this stage, for some of the reasons you've highlighted.

[Zoso]

Ah then perhaps just a little more care in phraseology, to ensure you make your message plain - be terrible to mislead people, even if inadvertantly.

[sinefinehabitarevolo]

Originally Posted by mike5824

I just had my $35,000 Underbite surgery done for free. I was responsible for paying for the hospital stay after surgery and for my Braces but still haven’t gotten 1 bill yet.

I had the Upper jaw moved forward & the Lower jaw moved back to fix a bad underbite after I wore the braces for about 2 years to first align the teeth better.


I always had a bad smile especially if I smiled big so I asked Orthodontists and they all told me I NEED surgery to get braces.
BRACES = $5,000+
SURGERY = $35,000+
So I prayed for about 4-5 years while thinking God would provide the $40,000. Then my wisdom teeth needed to be pulled and the Oral surgeon who did it asked me if I ever considered surgery for my Underbite and told me that his brother, also an Oral Surgeon, does those surgeries for free because it would be done in front of students so they can learn how its done and he has done lots of those surgeries and specializes in them. But I needed to talk to him and then get braces on until my teeth were straight. So I put braces on in 1 week from Drs. Selky & Reily in Grayslake, IL, USA.

When my teeth were straight I met with the surgeon and we set a surgery date and, as I am typing this, its been 4 months after surgery. I have no numbeness or any complications. I get my braces off in 2 weeks and then I’m all done.

ALL I CAN REALLY SAY IS THAT IT WAS REALLY WORTH THE INCONVENIENCE!

How did you get the surgery for free?!?!?! That is so great!!! But could you tell me more about what happened? I am also getting the surgery next year. But I'm worried about the cost.

[Janesays]

I imagine you were able to get insurance to cover it...?

[Zoso]

Sounds like a teaching hospital based on the surgery being free, but not the hospital stay. This said, in my own case, my surgeon's fees were less than a third of the total that was billed (with over $20k in bills coming from the hospital and anesthesiologist - mostly the hospital) so just getting the OS to provide his services for free does not necessarily mean that the whole deal will be inexpensive.

If you are uninsured, but looking to do this, there are still some options that can curtail costs. A small number of oral surgeons have actually made arrangements with the facilities where they operate so that they can offer an extremely cut-rate "package" deal to uninsured patients. Then there is the option of going overseas. Of course, I'd recommend doing a lot of research before embarking on the latter, to ensure that you're not going to end up with problems as a result. But I do know a couple of people both of whom have used the same surgeon in Costa Rica - their cases have been managed with consummate professionalism by a very skilled OMS, and it's looking like theirs were decisions well made.