I need orthognatic sugery and can't afford the sugery here in the US where else might be an option to go?

Question

To move my lower jaw forward 4mm will cost me $15,300 in sugeon fees and $10,000 in hospital sugery fees i am at a loss. I have had my braces on for almost 3 years now and am just now being told I need this sugery. I am a full time student going into the dentistry field, hence I need this done. Insurance won't pay because they say it's pre-existing so I'm looking for more options. I am very scared to go abroad but am willing to consider the most credited, reputable, experienced Dr. I can find. I know here there is American Board Certified Dr.'s, but what kind of accredited Dr.'s would I look for in maybe Mexico? Any info or referals would help.
Thanks,
Misty

Answer 1

Why do you NEED this surgery? What does becoming a dental student have to do with it? Is this compromising your health?

Jeez, I'd rather see you start dental school and then go offer yourself up to the oral surgery department as a guinea pig. Wait until your junior year, so you know a few of the surgeons. I'd rather have them do the procedure with residents assisting - or vice versa - than go to some other country for the surgery. You might get it close to free under these circumstances.

Don't get me wrong... Any non-third world country can have surgeons providing excellent care. The only question I would ask is, how in the world are you going to find out which surgeon in any foreign country is right for you? It's hard enough for people to find a good dentist in their own neighborhood where they can get recommendations from friends and co-workers. What are you going to do if you have trouble with your surgery six months after you return to the states?

Answer 2

you recognize, i'd nicely be prejudiced; yet, if someone needs to shed extra pounds, then they ought to devour a lot less. that is glaring; yet resisted with the help of our society that's gluttonous and overweight. It has change right into a popular to anticipate some different person or some thing except ourselves to "fix" what ails us. i'm confident that if someone has extremely given it a "finished court docket press" attempt to shed extra pounds over many years and has failed that there should be a fashion to get that man or woman right into a condition the position they don't seem to be actually killing themselves with being overweight.....for that reason, the gastric stapling or bypass surgical procedures, which have become so huge-spread. also, there probably are charity communities and institutions which could help someone pay for such surgical procedures. i'd verify with my medical companies and word if there are some economic incentives that would nicely be used to assist offset the fee of this kind of technique. If not then i'd, if severly overweight, positioned some money aside each month and make a down fee on the surgical treatment and then pay for it on a month-to-month foundation until eventually I had the invoice paid in finished, no matter if it took 10 years.

Answer 3

Moots04 has the best suggestion than all the rest. None is going to contribute even a dime if you have to spend $25K for the kind of surgery you are looking for if you get it done here. Do not hesitate to travel abroad if you use your prudence to search for oral surgeons with their training in US or Europe. It may cost you $5-7K in countries like Mexico, Singapore, India or Thailand. Make internet search there for affordable orthognathic jaw surgery dentistry.

Answer 4

Dear Misty,

I empathize with the need to move your lower jaw forward. The fact that surgery is being entertained tells me that your appearance is very important to you. Having a good jaw profile does make a tremendous difference in your appearance, no doubt about it.

Several famous, beautiful women have strong jaws: Jessica Simpson, Angelina Jolie, and Minnie Driver to name a few. But many gorgeous female stars also have less than prominent lower jaws: Sophia Coppola, Rene Zellweger, Kirsten Dunst, the Olsen twins, and Tyra Banks. Many men have retrognathia, too...it's harder to spot because they tend to grow beards in a subconscious effort to cover it up. Paul Giamatti, Ron Rifkin and Anthony Edwards come to mind.

The problem with doing surgery in Mexico isn't the Mexican surgeons, who are increasingly US trained. It's the Mexican tort system. Americans have very few rights in Mexico, and the legal system is consistently stacked against you. If something, God forbid, goes wrong, you are out in the cold, legally.

My advice is to wait if you can. I have never heard of an emergency orthognathic surgery. The dentistry field is high paying, so you'll hopefully be able to save up. Don't worry, there are *lot* of people in our field with less than ideal teeth, and less than ideal jaw relationships. It's personality that counts in my book. Most of my patients love my assistant for how nice and gentle she is, not the straightness of her teeth or Angle's Class I relationship of her jaws.

Once you've been in the field for a few years, you'll hopefully have a good relationship with an oral surgeon's office nearby who might be able to give you a break on his/her fees. If the surgery is necessary for functional reasons, then make sure you do it right. If the surgery is for cosmetic reasons, consider lower cost alternatives such as chin implants.

Finally, a friendly face, warm personality and a beaming smile make up for a lot...watch Ugly Betty if you haven't already; it's one of my favorite shows.

I wish you the best in your upcoming dental career,

Answer 5

If you select a school with a good surgical program, I should think you could get the surgery at a much reduced cost. Many teaching hospitals have programs that offer procedures at lower cost if you agree to allow the students to observe your surgery, for instance.

Check these websites.
http://www.craniofacialcenter.com/book/summary/summary3.htm

Answer 6

I had this exact surgery done when I was 18. (It is well worth it) I also had insurance try to deny it, however, the doctor wrote them stating that if this surgery was not done it would cause more damage as I got older. See if there is anything that can be done to fight your insurance on this....I think it would be best to have it done in the states. This is a pretty intense surgery!

Answer 7

I would look into the cost of having the surgery done in Canada.

Answer 8

I'd check Canada first myself.