The beginning

Where do I start? I will try to summarize what's been happening to get me to consider jaw surgery...
I have been living (unhappily) with my teeth/bite for a long time! I am 42, with 3 teens that are in various stages of their own orthodontic work:) we had put their needs first since they are in the rapid growth stage of their teen years and would benefit the most from treatment right now...anyway...

*had braces as a teen for 3 or 4 years for large overjet (measured recently at 10-10.5mm-yikes!)
*teeth shifted after braces, even before I got the retainer, used the retainer for years after
*have had 5 crowns placed, 11 teeth with composite bonding on the front surfaces to provide better cosmetic appearance due to poor enamel
*had to have a crown replaced recently that caused my bite to be off on the left side causing aches and pains in my jaw, especially when I first woke up in the morning (grinding or clenching possibly)
*had the crown ground down to adjust the bite after need for root canal was ruled out/jaw is feeling better
*decided to consult with orthodontist (again-last consult was 5 years ago!) to see what could be done with bite before continuing with more needed cosmetic dentistry
* new dentist replaced 2 large fillings, filled several cavities, sealed 4 molars, adjusted the thickness of some of the composite bonded teeth (in preparation for possible orthodontia)

So, in the process of getting the fillings, etc taken care of very recently, my first orthodontic consultation back in August, was with the same office I visited 5 years ago.  I was hoping they would tell me there were new options to fix my bite.  No such luck. I was told the same thing again-surgery or possibly remove a couple top teeth to make room to move my front teeth back. Another OD said that removing teeth would be a terrible idea as it would ruin my profile even more. My bottom jaw, as her  x-rays showed, is too far back/too small and she also recommended jaw surgery to bring my bottom jaw forward to close the 10 mm overjet that I have.  I was also very thorough in getting two more OD's opinions and they all said basically the same thing. Surgery is the only option to fix my bite. It would be on the bottom jaw and possibly the top, depending on what the rest of the records/molds show.

The one thing that I thought 5 years ago after I had the OD consult was that this would be a cosmetic procedure and I knew that insurance would not cover that type of thing, so I thought it was completely out of the question due to financial reasons.  But the same OD this time said that it is a functional issue, not cosmetic (even though the cosmetics would be improved once my bite was improved) therefore, may be covered under my medical insurance. REALLY??? Now I was interested and the research began!!  Wow, have I learned a lot! It's somewhat overwhelming!! I have since had one surgical consultation with another scheduled next Friday, the 26th. I am really looking forward to that one, as their office was recommended by the OD I am choosing.  The other dr. I saw on Monday does not do very many procedures per year (15-20 cases in their office of 3 surgeons) The other Dr. is with a teaching hospital and their office called to schedule with me once they got my information from the OD consult. I had to get insurance pre-authorization for them since they are out of network though, but that is done and I am anxious to go meet that surgeon.  (Sorry, I am really rambling!) My OD said that they send almost all of their surgical cases to this particular hospital and they do about a case a week. I will just have to be very careful with insurance information, referrals, pre-authorizations, etc. every step of the way to make sure things are covered.  I am anxious to find out if it will be proven medically necessary for insurance purposes and then I can move forward with the braces. I decided that if it's not covered, I will not do it and won't even bother with braces as they would straighten my teeth slightly, but not correct the overjet at all really. (teeth aren't that crooked, jaws just don't meet properly) I don't need to spend 6,500 for hardly any improvement! So I will go for the whole thing! I will update after my next appointment unless I hear before then from insurance about the other consult I had on Monday.  Wish me luck!!