Did you get OS consult before or after braces?

Message

#1 Post by **marycotter5678** » Tue Apr 07, 2009 8:07 pm

I am already over a month into braces and I have not seen the OS yet because i dont have insurance.
I have an underbite and my orthodontist says she may be able to fix it without surgery, but if I have insurance (which I expect within 3-4 months) I'd rather have the surgery and have it fixed for good and not worry about it reverting back. A week before I got my braces I tol her i rather have surgery and i tol her my insurance situation.. she gave me a referal to an OS an says I have to have a consultation with him sometime in the next 6 months.
But yesterday uring my adjustment she didnt mention anything about surgery and at the end of my adjustment I was talkign to her about other stuff and she mentioned that she will eventually have to flare my top teeth out (meaning she is planning on fixing my underbite without surgery.. has she forgotten i rather go with surgery).. I didnt say anythign but now I am afraid that she is goign through to fix it nonsurgically and i dont want that... am i worrying for nothign since its only like 1-2 months of my braces and I have crooked teeth too??

#2 Post by **changes09** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 8:28 am

I saw the OS before I got braces. My OS told my Ortho how he wanted my teeth moved exactly. I say that you should remind your Ortho again that you would rather have surgery. But just becuase she is flairing out your teeth does not mean that she has forgotton. My bottom teeth were flared in to compensate for my underbit and my top teeth were flared out. And I have had braces on for 5 months now and i notcied that my top teeth are more flaired in and my bottom teeth are more flaired out.
But like I said just remind her. And ask her for your OS's number so that you can make your own appt. And most times the OS consult's are free. Bring a copy of your dental and ortho records for him/her also.
How many mm's is you runderbite?

#3 Post by **Emaciated** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 9:32 am

I didn't meet with my surgeon until about a month into braces either, although my ortho and I both knew I was a surgery case from the start.

You're in a tricky spot. Because even if you have insurance in a few months, there's still a big if whether they'll cover the surgery. People with solid insurance plans are denied coverage all the time. (Me being one of those people). Nonetheless, I wouldn't go into ortho treatment while still on the fence as to what strategy you're taking, unless your ortho doesn't see it as an issue. If it were me I'd probably take the gamble and commit to the surgery before knowing whether I was covered or not and just have a back-up plan if I don't have coverage, like getting a loan or something to cover the surgery. I don't think that's the most practical approach for a lot of people but its what I did and luckily I was eventually able to convince my insurance to cover it before I had a surgery date.

I would just hate to think of you sitting in braces for a year en route for an ortho fix, and then getting full coverage for surgery and having to re-adjust all those teeth for an additional year or something that you would've otherwise not had to endure.

I can't imagine that the teeth are moved to the same place for an ortho fix as a surgery fix. My bite was so horribly bad right before I had surgery that there is no way the ortho would've been moving those teeth in a similar fashion to correct me via ortho treatment. I was likely a different case than you though so who knows.

#4 Post by **Thathrill** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 11:47 am

I met with my ortho first in february. had braces put on in may. My ortho asked me to meet with the OS shortly after that. I met with the OS with braces on in July. My ortho wanted everyone on the same page at the same time.