Anyone have a child go through jaw surgery for orthodontics??

[disneysnowflake]

My 13 yo is getting braces.
He had a consultation.
As soon as the orthodontist looking in DS's mouth he claimed his jaw wasn't lined right.
He'd need a palate spreader, then jaw surgery, then braces.

The ortho said that DS's top and bottom teeth aren't sitting directly on top of each other. He said that will be a huge problem later in life. My top and bottom front teeth don't sit directly on top of each other, and I'm fine, but he's the specialist.

The ortho wants to set up a consultation between himself and a surgeon. There is a $400 consultation fee for the meeting between the 2 of them, then there is a $95 fee for me to get the results from the ortho.

I was told DS should have braces on by Christmas, but the ortho says he probably won't get braces on until next late Fall. The palate spreader takes 6 months, then the jaw surgery, then healing time, then braces.

I have no idea how much surgery will be. Our insurance doesn't cover it, but if the consultation between ortho and surgeon is $400 I could just imagine. It's not even face to face. They'll fax info to the surgeon and speak over the phone. I'm looking at probably $15,000 for the surgery if not more.

Has your child had to have jaw surgery to correct his alignment so the front top and bottom teeth hit perfectly?

I'm just not sure what to expect. Today's initial new patient visit cost me $150.

 

[mrsmom]

My dd 12 , Has a small bottom jaw due to a birth defect, it's not bad now but she had a palete expander for 6 months and had teeth pulled and now has had braces on since March and she will have a jaw distraction when she is 15-16 yrs old. I would get a second opinion.
Kim

 

[Frantasmic]

That seems extreme for a child whose face and skeleton are still growing. If it is what I think it is, it involves breaking their jaw, wiring it together for the fit, and then having it wired for 6-8 weeks until it heals.

I would only consider that for severe ortho/facial skeletal problems.

 

[camreesmom]

Sounds painful. DS14 had to have the palate spreader also and I had never heard of it before then. I thought it was bad when DD10 had to have 8, yes 8, teeth pulled because her mouth is so little there isn't even room for the braces! Good luck to you........I think I would go for a 2nd opinion also.

 

[Narnian_Princess]

My orthodontist told me that I had to get a Herbst appliance and if that didn't work, jaw surgery. (Fortunately for me the Herbst has worked.) IMO, if it isn't seriously, seriously affecting anything, DON'T DO IT! Perfection is NOT worth such major surgery. I would never have even considered the surgery for myself, even to achieve the perfect smile. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and as long as the people he loves think he's fine, he's fine.

 

[marybet]

Get a 2nd opinion before you see the surgeon. Peace of mind and will probably save you a lot of money and your son a lot of pain.

 

[mrsmom]

My ortho and ENT and plastic surgeon told me that my dd's jaw bones has to be done growing before they do surgery around 15-17 . Please call a local childrens hospital and ask to speak to an orthodontist . My dd goes to cincinnati childrens for all her ortho and other stuff. What they are telling you doesn't sound right and it will cost up to 20,000 just for the distraction.and the surgery is major and can cause nerve damage too. that's why i haven't decided if my dd will have it or not. Good luck!
Kim

 

[chris1gill]

That's crazy... What you are describing is underbite I think, as opposed to an overbite.. We have a child that has one of each type! Anyhow, with our daughter they put her in a chin cup for a few years... but she was younger and her jaw was still (is still) forming...

Did they discuss this as an option with you? It's too early for surgery IMHO...

 

[almacdonald]

Sounds exactly like what my orthodontist suggested for me. I suggested he find another course of treatment because there was no way he was breaking any bones or cutting anything. Get a 2nd opinion.

 

[diznygirl]

I had double jaw surgery to correct my bite as an adult. Screws were put in to fix the jaws in their new positions, and I was lucky enough not to be wired. I did have about 13-15 very very tiny rubber bands keeping my jaw shut for about 3 weeks. The recovery was very difficult.

And now my bite is still off and they would love to get me into surgery again.

Orthodontists are perfectionists, and perfection doesn't exist. Get a second opinion. And try to decide what it is YOU want to accomplish with braces for your child.

 

[TTFN]

My DD (now 22) had jaw surgery her the summer between her junior and senior year of high school The ortho had tried other treatments as she grew, but her underbite warranted surgery. She wanted it for appearance reasons, but needed it to correct her bite. The ortho didn't (wouldn't) send us to a surgeon until DD stopped growing. She would get measured several times a year, and when the numbers stopped changing for a certain period of time we set the surgery. Insurance approved the surgery. Recovery was not fun, and she was a bit swollen still in her senior pictures.

 

[CathrynRose]

They wanted this for me - I said no way. They went with the palette extender and that worked just fine. My teeth look great.

They want it for my youngest - I said no and am looking for another ortho, cuz I aint budging.

 

[TheGottis]

I had the surgery done when I was 16 (between my jr and sr years of HS). I do not regret it for one minute. Mine was due to TMJ and the horrible headaches that accompanied it. 20 years later, my teeth and bite are perfect (I am told by many that I am a rarity that it worked so well.) I too have screws in my jaw, 2 teeny tiny scars on my face (only seen when I am tan), but the inside of my mouth is 'interesting'. That is where the scarring is.

The pain level was high and recovery was long (June thru August) and I pushed the limit many times in what I did. I was wired for a week, banned (small bands held top teeth to bottom) for a month. I had to basically learn to chew all over again. There were no sports for me or anything that had even the slightest chance of contact for a good 2 years after.

In my case, the ortho had me in braces and straightened before the surgery, the braces were kept on thru the surgery and after, as they needed to assure that the alignment was perfect.

However, 13 seems awfully young to want to do it. Has he stopped growing? What's to say that they align and then he goes thru another growth spurt then what?

Although I am no expert and I can only draw on what I experienced, I would definitely seek a 2nd opinion...

 

[disneysnowflake]

Thanks for the advice.

I wish I lived near a major city.

My son is 13 and nowhere near done growing.

Everything I read on the internet makes this surgery sound painful.

My DS has nothing wrong with the way he looks. He just needs his teeth straightened.

 

[CheshireVal]

I had a palate extender and braces as a teenager, but my teeth still aren't perfectly straight (this is what I gotfor not wearing my retainer all the time )

I've been to two orthodontists since to see about getting my teeth fixed, and they've both recommended jaw surgery. I said 'no thanks' and left.

My bite and my teeth aren't perfect, but they're really not bad either. And they haven't caused me any problems.

 

[kimber79]

Please get a second opinion!

That does not sound right to me that they want to do this BEFORE they even put braces on him?? I had jaw surgery ~ I was freaked out when my ortho told me for the complete fix he wanted to do this ~ but I found it to not be as bad as I expected it to be. I had my braces on for a little over 2 years BEFORE the surgery to get my teeth in alignment ~ then had the surgery ~ then had braces on for about a year after the surgery. They no longer *wire* your mouth shut ~ instead they use heavy rubberbands to keep your jaw mostly *stuck shut*....you have to be on a soft food (or pretty darn close to only liquid's!) for 6-8 weeks while you heal....the best part of this for me was the weight loss!! If I had to, I would do it again 100 times over....BUT....would not have my still growing 13 year old go through this. In fact my son has seen my ortho for a couple evaluations and my ortho would not even put braces on my son until ALL his baby teeth were gone, and he was close to done growing.

I know you already have $150 tied up in consultation fees ~ but again ~ PLEASE get a second opinion, something just doesn't sound right with what he is telling you.

**edited to add.....when I met with the oral surgeon ~ it was part of my ortho ~ I didn't have to pay him $400 (or any amount for that matter!) for a consultation and then pay another $95 to get the results. All I paid for (well my insurance paid!) was the surgery.

 

[SillyMe]

That is major surgery. The pain, the recovery, weight loss. My ortho wanted me to have it done. I did alot of research and said no way, no how. So he gave me a second option of having the surgically assisted rapid palate expansion. I'm going for a 2nd opinion after the new year.

If you want to research it, just google "orthognathic surgery". You'll find a ton of articles and forums.

ETA: Did they quote you $15,000 for the surgery? I had a quote of $10-$20k just for the palate expansion surgery. From the research I've done, my understanding is without insurance, other jaw surgeries can cost up to $40-$50k.

 

[kimber79]

ETA: Did they quote you $15,000 for the surgery? I had a quote of $10-$20k just for the palate expansion surgery. From the research I've done, my understanding is without insurance, other jaw surgeries can cost up to $40-$50k.

I don't remember the mile long technical name of the surgery I had ~ but they broke my lower jaw and moved it forward. The cost for this was $10 - $12k, and I had it done in Sept. 99! This was the cost for the surgery alone ~ that did not include the price of the braces.

 

[christineann]

My son is 21 and will have orthognathic surgery right after he graduates in May. He has just gotten braces for the 3rd time and will have them through the surgery and for a while afterward. The left side of his lower jaw grew more than the right side, so he is "off center" and his bite is off. He has begun to have some TMJ problems and even bites the inside of his cheek sometimes when he is eating. The problem is not that obvious by looking at him, but he could lose his teeth because of it when he gets older. His orthodontist and oral surgeon are working closely together and told us today that they think that surgery on the lower jaw only may be enough Our health insurance specifically excludes the surgery, which will cost approximately $15,000 if it's done outpatient plus the $3200 already paid for the braces in August.

He plans to go to police academy as soon as the oral surgeon gives him the go ahead, which they say will be about 3 weeks after the surgery. (His mama may make him wait a week or so longer!) The oral surgeon has done this same surgery on two guys we know and is highly recommended. It's going to be tough, but my son is ready to get it over with. He is going to look like a real tough cop with his braces!

 

[LisaB]

I had the surgery done between my junior and senior year. My bite was so bad that your could stick three fingers in it. Putting that aside it was all worth it I truly believed that my face would be deformed by age 21. My surgeron was one of the tops and Tufts had asked to teach when he was just starting out. When I had my wisdom teeth taken out I started bleeding after about 5 days not normal. He said to my Mom Judi if anything like this happens again please call my home and gave us his home #.