It's been a little more than a few months since I last posted, and I have made some progress with the hopes to correct my past orthodontic treatment. All I can say is f#%k my old orthodontist, because it's going to cost a lot of money to fix his handiwork. I sincerely hope he's no longer practicing.
I found a surgeon that I feel comfortable with, and although I am still cautiously optimistic about the whole process, I really hope I can continue moving forward. The part that is really scaring me is the price. I am very grateful that I will not need braces for longer than a few months, so that is one less expense that I will have to worry about long-term. The surgeon said I will have some kind of braces fixed to my teeth a few weeks before and after the procedures, but that's it. This is only because my old orthodontist was able to get my bite/teeth into a workable position while camouflaging the skeletal deformities I was developing. He treated me for 11 years, so I believe his drawn-out treatment plan, the years-long use of high-pull headgear/braces, and the 4 adult teeth I had extracted at a young age are the reasons for my issues now.
For the surgeon's fees alone I was quoted almost $20,000 for a BSSO, Lefort 1, and a genioplasty. I will have to pay the full price of the genioplasty, but they were posing that the other two might be somewhat covered by my insurance. I am not as optimistic, and I'm expecting that have to pay that total out of pocket. The next immediate step for me is having a CT scan so the surgeon can take a better look at my soft tissue and airway.
I've been saving for a while and feel confident that I can cover the majority of the surgeon's fee on my own, but I start feeling anxious when I think about all of the other fees that haven't been accounted for yet. The OR room costs (I've read quotes of $60+ p/minute), anesthesiologist, over-night inpatient care, and probably even more fees that I don't even know about yet. Even if my insurance denies the cost of the surgeries, can they deny coverage of the care I'd need in the hospital? Is there a chance I'd have to pay all of these expenses out of pocket? My surgeon will perform the operation at a hospital that is in-network, but I don't know if that matters.
I should be hearing back from the surgeon's office this week about what my insurance will be able to handle, but until then I'm just over-thinking and freaking out! I know my case is pretty unusual, so I don't know if anyone out there has been through something similar.
Thanks for reading through all this, I appreciate any insight you guys would have!
