Melissa's Blog

Done!!

2010-03-11T21:28:00.005-07:00

I feel so awful for not posting any updates; I have been getting comments and emails wondering where I disappeared to since getting my braces off!!

Well... I've gone to living a normal life!! One that doesn't revolve around obsessing over my face, my teeth, my surgery, my appearance... and it's awesome!

I have waited years for the day when I could say that it's over, and it finally is!!

And it was worth every minute!

Thanks to everyone for supporting me; I never would have started this journey without the inspiration from my fellow bloggers!

Excited!

2010-02-16T02:37:00.001-07:00

My braces come off in seven hours!! Woo hoo! I should probably be sleeping, but something tells me that won't be happening much tonight...

I'll post pics tomorrow!!! :) YAAAAY

debracing date!

2010-01-31T18:02:00.002-07:00

I have a date!!!

The braces come off February 16th.

So excited!

I've been doing well; it's so amazing to be able to take bites with my front teeth. Still have quite a bit of numbness on the left side of my chin/lip, though. blah.

Hello!

2009-12-28T04:22:00.005-07:00

Hi everyone.

Hope Christmas was excellent for all of you... I was so spoiled it isn't funny ;)

Had an ortho appointment on the 18th, and I was all fitted up with tons of annoying rubberbands. I'm supposed to wear them 24/7, but it's too difficult to talk to wear them at work... so I've mostly been wearing them at night. My bite feels just about perfect, and my midlines are lining up beautifully. I've just got one issue left: one of my front teeth is a bit crooked, so I'm doubling up on the bands every once in awhile in the front to try and move that baby back into place where it should be. My next appointment is January 25... I'm hoping so badly that that is the day that I've been looking forward to... yep, that's right: the debracing.

I have another post-op surgeon appointment on the 29th. OH, that reminds me. I was under the impression that Kaiser would not be paying the $2000 assistant surgeon's fee, which was the fee that I had to get a loan out for to pay the doctor before my surgery. But get this: Kaiser DID approve it, and they sent a check for $7500 to my surgeon's office. What!! They overpaid by $5500! So the office sent the check back (darn it, haha) and asked for them to resend the correct amount of $2000, which we're still waiting for. They were ridiculously slow, but I am SO THANKFUL that they paid for EVERYTHING. I am one lucky girl. So my advice based on my experience is... GO WITH KAISER!

Have a wonderful New Year!

All banded up, yuck. See my crooked front tooth? Argh!

On Christmas!

contrast

2009-12-08T03:29:00.005-07:00

when i get my braces taken off i'm gonna do more pics like this, but i was messing around and came up with a contrast pic... i can definately tell the difference, even though it's from a slightly different angle...

Ortho appointment tomorrow... hopefully my last adjustment. WOO HOO!

3 months post-op

2009-11-13T04:26:00.003-07:00

Hi! Hope everyone is doing fantastic.

I had an appointment with my surgeon a couple of weeks ago... not due again until December.

This week I had an ortho appointment, and Dr. Arango said to give him one more adjustment and then I'm done. YAY! That means.. dare I say it.. January?! Awesome! Some tiny little thought in the back of my head was hoping for lovely white teeth in time for Christmas... but yeah, that was asking too much.

They took off the buttons on the inside of my teeth, too! I wasn't expecting that, and it was AWESOME. I had them on for a year and a half! I have to wear one band on each side right now to get all my teeth to sit together more tightly, and it's a pain. Each band is in the shape of a box, and I have to take them off to eat. It's hard to get them back on the front of my braces, too. Boo.

I still feel swollen sometimes, and the scar tissue bugs me. Every once in awhile my jaw will get sore, but I have about 60% feeling back on the left chin area and 75% on the right.

Take care, til next time...

Ortho Appointment

2009-10-04T16:10:00.003-06:00

Hi, all.

I had my first post-op orthodontist appointment last Tuesday. Everyone in the office was so excited for me, and they all came over to see my results. I don't have "very much longer" in braces, according to the assistant who changed my wires. Yay!! Just some fine tuning left. And I only have to wear one band. Double yay!!

I also wanted to mention that Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash Cleansing Cloths are awesome!! They cleared up my skin in just a couple days, and they feel great. Check them out at this site!!

My smile still looks a little weird, but as I get more feeling back in my chin, it gets better.

Take care, everyone!!

Day 38

2009-09-17T21:25:00.005-06:00

I've been so busy the past couple of weeks!

I started back to work on Wednesday, and it went a lot more smoothly than I thought it would. I still feel like my lip looks incredibly silly when I talk.

My chin area is SO BROKEN OUT! It's awful! I have never had so many pimples on my face at one time. Anyone else have issues with this? I think it might be from touching it so often (hey, it's very interesting not being able to feel your lip and chin).

I had my IVC filter (the little umbrella-shaped thing that was placed in my chest to catch any blood clots that might try to go up into my lungs) removed on Tuesday. Everyone from interventional radiology remembered me, and even asked me how my farmville was doing (HAHAHAHA). The only issue I had with the whole thing was that the nurse couldn't use my arms for the IV (since they were so messed up from the first hospital visit a month ago), so she had to use my hand. Apparently I have tiny veins in my hands, though, and she couldn't get the IV in right. Owwie.

Other than that, I'm doing well. I like my courses this semester. This weekend is the Fallen Firefighters Memorial, so I get to make lots of money and then go hang out downtown with my boyfriend, my friends, and a billion dudes in kilts. Ha.

I was supposed to have my first post-op ortho appointment tomorrow, but they called and asked if I could come in next friday instead because Dr. Arango had a family emergency. bummer!

Only two pics today (since I'm so pimplified).

Here's me now... still a little swollen:

Here's where they took my filter out through my neck. Yeah. Sick.

1 Month Post-op

2009-09-11T14:17:00.003-06:00

Today marks a month since my jaw surgery, yay!

Bad news first, to get it out of the way:

Apparently, while I was in the hospital, my teeth moved around a lot. Since I don't have an appointment to see my ortho until next Friday, my surgeon put some rubberbands back in my mouth to try and correct the movement. Bummer!

Good news:

I'm feeling a LOT better. The only thing that is annoying to me now is the numbness. It's a constant tingling in my chin and lower lip. I've started snapping at people when they tell me I have food on my face ("I KNOW! I CANT FEEL IT!"), and putting on lipstick is a joke. I have a tiny bit of feeling back in the lower right part of my bottom lip, but other than that... still totally numb, baby.

I am still a little bit swollen.. but everyday it gets better.

Every once in awhile the incision on my right side hurts, but it has healed nicely.

Yay!!

X-Rays

2009-09-03T23:22:00.004-06:00

Taking out and setting up a scanner sounds lame right now, so I just took pics of my x-rays. You get the idea. My teeth line up so beautifully now!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

BEFORE:

AFTER

weight!!

2009-09-03T22:32:00.003-06:00

Yo, thought I would mention a good thing:

I've lost twelve pounds! Yaaaaaaay! My pants fit again!

pics

2009-08-31T06:24:00.002-06:00

k, so here are some pics, taken 18 days post-op.

An Update

2009-08-27T12:34:00.002-06:00

Hey all.

Sorry for the lack of updates; I have had a rough week.

Last week I started having really bad pains in my left leg, and by Friday I couldn't even walk on it; it was all purple and swollen. So Nathan took me to the emergency room and they told me I had a clot from my ankle to the middle of my stomach. I was so scared... I thought I was going to die!

They performed this surgery on me where they go in through the back of my calf and put a catheter in, and the catheter runs through my leg, along with "clot-busting" medicine, and disperses the clot. They also put this little filter that is shaped like an umbrella in through my neck and placed it right below my heart so that no other clots can travel up into my lungs, heart, or brain. I get that taken out in three weeks.

So I'm on an anti-coagulant for six months and I have to give myself shots twice a day for a few days.

Apparently I have May-Thurner syndrome, which is where the main artery that lies on top of the vein to my left leg compresses the vein and doesn't allow blood to escape my leg. So they implanted this tiny little stent tube thing that will hold the vein open and allow the blood to flow. They said that being immobile after my jaw surgery, having the syndrome, and taking birth control pills all contributed to the clot.

I just got out of the hospital about an hour ago, and I am so glad to be out!!! At one point I had three IVs in me and I was just laying there sobbing... it was awful.

I have to wear these goofy stockings, I'm limping around, my arms hurt, my neck hurts, my stomach hurts, my hands hurt from needles, plus my jaw is still kinda swollen and sore.

The swelling has gone down tremendously in my jaw, though. I didn't look in the mirror for five days and when I finally was able to get up and go to the bathroom, I was so surprised at what I saw! My teeth have been sore; I think I've been clenching at night :( I couldn't go to my second follow up appointment with my surgeon because I was in the hospital, so I have to call and make a new one today.. or maybe tomorrow.. I'm so tired!

Well, I have to email my instructors (I've missed a week of school) before I run out of energy... I will post pictures in the next couple of days when I get some strength back.

Hope everyone is doing well!!

Day 8- Balloon Head!

2009-08-18T19:49:00.002-06:00

Hey hey hey.

So today was my first post-op appointment, and Dr. Vetter said everything looks perfect! yay! We compared xrays from before and after the surgery, and it's so crazy to see my top teeth in front of my bottom teeth. My jaw looks way shorter, too.

He took all the rubberbands off, but he said if I want them back on I can come back in. At first it felt like my jaw was just hanging there, but now the muscles are getting used to it. Today I had mashed potatoes, and they were soooo goooood.

We got back from the doctor and I was exhausted.. had to take a nap.

My mom said I look more swollen today than yesterday... going in the wrong direction! School starts on Monday; I hope I can go!

Pics later.

DAY 5 - More swollen?

2009-08-15T22:07:00.002-06:00

I think I'm more swollen today than I was yesterday, and my neck is all yellow. It also looks like I'm stuffing tennis balls in my cheeks!!

Today all I could think about was a McDonald's cheeseburger. Wah!

I slept most of the day, and then my mom came over and made me "dinner." A shower felt great today, too. I hope this balloon face doesn't last too much longer.

DAY 4 - Swelling

2009-08-14T22:36:00.005-06:00

Well, I'm happy to report that the swelling looks like it's going down just a tad--or at least not getting any worse. I had a bit more energy today, too, and I am amazingly not sick of Boost yet :)

It's so weird to have a 100% numb bottom lip and chin!

Here is a pic from this morning (about 12 hours ago).. oh, and I'm not saluting, just holding my glasses up, haha:

And these two are from tonight... it looks better to me than it did this morning. ..Maybe it's that I'm getting used to it, though.

swollen

2009-08-13T03:27:00.003-06:00

Arrrrgh, my face and neck are so swollen.. it's so freakin' uncomfortable! There is so much pressure... Im glad I just had bottom jaw surgery and not top. I couldn't imagine having cold symptoms too...

k, i'm a baby. ow.

2009-08-12T17:54:00.002-06:00

Also, I want to thank my mommy and boyfriend for taking care of me. My mom bought me all kinds of stuff and has been reloading my ice pack all day. ...And it's her birthday, too!! Yay for moms.

for steph

2009-08-12T17:50:00.002-06:00

Thanks so much for the zip n squeeze bags, Stephanie. They have really come in handy today. You're a lifesaver!

I'm so swollen!!

Post-op Pics

2009-08-12T10:46:00.004-06:00

Here are some pics from the night before my surgery:

And after:

DAY 2 - Can't Sleep

2009-08-12T05:00:00.006-06:00

Hi, everyone!!

Going into day 2 after surgery, and feeling/looking incredibly swollen. It's so funny how much my face can expand. I have no feeling in my chin and bottom lip, but my tongue is all tingly and coming back to life.

The surgery went very well! I arrived at the surgery center yesterday morning at 6:45, filled out some paperwork and was taken into the surgery waiting area. Had my blood pressure measured, an IV put in (ugh), peed in a cup and changed into my lovely hospital gown. At around 7:30 I was wheeled into the surgery room, and there were like six nurses in there, all of whom were very funny and friendly. They put stockings and warm blankets on me. My anesthesiologist was awesome, and before I knew it one of the nurses was asking me a question I couldn't answer because I was drifting off to sleep...

And then the next thing I remember I was waking up, and the lights seemed so bright to me. I wasn't in any pain, but I could definitely "feel" the numbness in my face. I had been wheeled into the post-operative area, and there was a nurse there who was making sure I was comfortable. Apparently Dr. Vetter was there (i don't remember that) and he told me I had been trying to smile when they were first waking me up, hahaha. Another thing I could feel with my weirdo tongue was my teeth... the bottom ones were behind the top ones, something I've never felt in all my life!! It was awesome.

I had put my anti-nausea patch behind the ear the night before, and I never did nor haven't yet felt one inkling that I may throw up, which is honestly what I was terrified of!! The nurse helped me put on my fentanyl patch, and a few minutes later I was wheeled into my little room/curtained off area. I had multiple nurses and doctors peek in as they were walking by and tell me how happy I was going to be for getting this surgery, and that I had such a great attitude. Yay.

My mom and boyfriend were let in to see me, and at this time I was not really swollen at all. I wore a humidified oxygen mask the entire time I was there, and it felt good on my sore throat.

So glad I bought a dry erase board.. my mom laughed when I first told her I was buying one, but I'm pretty sure she found it useful when she couldn't figure out what the hell I was trying to grunt/mumble/say. I asked for the time when she came in, and it was only ten! My surgery only lasted two hours.

The nurse came over and told me that if I continued to do that wonderfully then I could go home at two! I was so excited, as the IV and oxygen mask and pulse reader thing were making it incredibly difficult to sleep. I dozed off probably half a dozen times, but each time I woke up I was in a little more pain. I told the nurse at around noon that my pain was at about a 4, and they gave me morphine three times (which didn't seem to work right until the last dose). The nurse helped me get dressed around 1:45, and I was home and sitting in my couch recliner by 2:30.

All in all, I am very happy with the surgical center and Dr. Vetter. Everyone was so nice and helpful, and it doesn't hurt that they were telling me how beautiful my results are.

Swelling increased dramatically throughout the day and night, and I had to take a bunch of naps. I had two chocolate Boosts and some protein water, and I think I might have another breakfast Boost here in a bit. Just now when I woke up I felt like my bottom lip was taking over my face... I honestly look like the nutty professor!!

They gave me three ice packs, and I've been filling them with ice constantly because it feels great on my chin. Today I will start my antibiotics.

I'm soooo happy right now. I can't really tell too much about my results because I'm so swollen, but not having an underbite anymore is such a wonderful feeling. I finally have a normal bite!! I am banded shut pretty loosely, and I can open my mouth more than I thought I'd be able to (enough to get a pill through, most definitely).

Hoping my zip n squeeze bags will get here today from Stephanie, whom I am incredibly grateful toward. Thanks, girl!!! :)

Here ya go, day 2 pics:

I can't feel when I drip stuff on my chin. Wah!

Starting to bruise...

2009-08-11T17:19:00.003-06:00

I'm home! I had my surgery at 7:30 and was home by 2:30! I didn't even have to spend the night. I'm so swollen!! More info later.

My mom wants me to mention that I look like Fat Bastard. HAHAHAHAHA And my boyfriend thinks I look like the nutty professor.

ahhh!

2009-08-11T03:05:00.001-06:00

My surgery is in three hours and I can't sleep!! I'm so nervous!!!

Zip-N-Squeeze... !!!

2009-08-06T20:13:00.004-06:00

So, I ordered two bags and a cool jaw wrap from Zip-N-Squeeze on July 24th. Surgery is coming up, and I still haven't received them. One phone number they have listed has a full mailbox, and the other number that is listed through Paypal is out of order. I sent them an email only to be emailed back with an automated response from the server saying that the account is not accepting new emails "due to inactivity."

$30 bucks down the drain, or what?

pre-op appointment

2009-08-05T23:10:00.005-06:00

I had my pre-op appointment on monday... nothing spectacular.

I had my xrays and molds taken. dr. vetter came in and went over the surgery (which put my mom more at ease). He gave me four prescriptions, including a mouth rinse, amoxycillin, an anti-nausea patch and a pain medication patch. I think it's interesting that I was given patches... they're supposed to last for 2-3 days.

He also told me that I might not have to stay overnight. Sweet.

I called the surgery center, and my co-pay is only $150!! I thought it would be five hundred. YAY!

I work a double tomorrow, Friday night, and Saturday night... and then surgery on Tuesday. I get my surgery lug hooky things on Friday afternoon at my ortho's office.

It's coming up so fast, and I'm excited!

Money money money

2009-07-29T00:06:00.004-06:00

After a few embarrassing phone calls to family members and a couple of crying sessions, I asked my boyfriend's mom if she would co-sign on a loan to help cover my $2500 in costs, which are due at my History and Physical appointment on August 3rd. YAAAAY! She was really nice about it... she's great!!

I went into my orthodontist's office yesterday and explained that I am having my surgery on August 11th and that I sure hope I'm ready for surgery because I haven't been into the orthodontist's office since March and my bottom teeth have shifted a little bit. She was only able to squeeze me in for an appointment on August 7th, which I'm a little worried about, being that it's only four days before the surgery.

I also found out yesterday who my assistant surgeon is... Dr. William McMunn, who lives in Denver. Yeah, I so googled him.

I totally ordered a couple zip-n-squeeze bags and the cool jaw wrap (zipnsqueeze.com)... I'm hoping (more like praying) that stuff will be here in time. I also ordered The Sims 3 to help ease the pain :)

I'm having a bit of a dilemma with school. My surgery is August 11th, and school starts August 24th. Ummm. Yeah. I'm probably not going to make it the first week. I guess I'll have to send all my professors emails and hope that I won't miss too much the first week. I'm hoping (again, more like praying) I'll be able to go by the second week of school, which will be 3 weeks post-op. Anyone have any insight (besides "you are stupid for scheduling surgery right before school," haha)?

On a more personal note, I am kind of proud of myself for getting this far all by myself. It's been really hard, being that I had no idea braces and surgery were really plausible back when I stumbled over kristen's blog a couple of years ago. I had some bad experiences in the beginning... it seemed like no one wanted to help me, and I felt completely lost and hopeless many times. I am so lucky that insurance covered my braces and (seriously, out of sheer luck) surgery, and I hope that this is all worth it in the end. Thank you to everyone for being so supportive and helpful. Had I not found all of your blogs, I probably never would have gotten this far. much love, much love.

Also, if anyone is interested, here are my orthognathic surgery fees, right off the paper Dr. Vetter's office gave me:

Initial Consultation: $175.00
Progress Checks with Dr. Vetter (per visit): $50.00
History and Physical Appointment (models, photos, facebow, wax bite and records): $130.00
Surgical Fee (includes Dr. Vetter's fee, 3 months of follow-up care and post-operative radiographs): $7,650.00
Assistant Surgeon's Fee: $1,912.50
A new face and newfound confidence: priceless k, i added that

These are just Dr. Vetter's fees; I know that I have a $400 co-pay at the facility where I'm having the surgery, and insurance is paying their facility and anesthesia fees.

Again, I am only being required to pay the assistant surgeon's fee, my current account balance (from my consultation), and my history and physical fee up front. They kindly waived the up front Surgical Fee for me because I whined and cried and stomped my feet a lot (not really, but I told them I couldn't afford that craziness).

So, that's where I'm at. ;)

a surgery date

2009-07-24T00:19:00.003-06:00

...and now that we've started moving, everything is happening so fast.

I have a freakin' surgery date!! August 11th is the big day.

I had a week or two of major problems, though. Kim (financial coordinator) told me that Dr. Vetter requires payment up front, before the insurance company pays out (apparently they don't have a contract with Kaiser so they can pretty much do whatever they want). Grand total: $10,000, plus my $400 copay for the facility. Um, hello?

So I applied with Care Credit using my mom and my aunt and was denied (of course). I went to Dr. Vetter's office and told Kim that there is no way I can pay 10,000 bucks up front... it's just not something that is possible!

A couple of days later I met with Kim and she told me that Dr. Vetter agreed to let me have the surgery before paying... something they "have never done before." However, I still have to pay the assistant surgeon's fee of $2000 plus my current bill and the cost of my x-rays and molds, which comes out to $2500. WAAAAY better than ten grand. I'm really happy that they did this for me. Hopefully I can find a way to get a loan for a couple thousand before August 3rd, when I go in for molds and the money is due.

Another thing: I was on the phone with Kaiser seeing if there was any way the insurance company could pay out BEFORE the surgery, and the lady told me something very interesting. She said that usually, insurance claims are sent to Kaiser, and they are reviewed by Kaiser's staff and then sent to an oral surgeon for a final decision. But for some reason, my case was never sent to an oral surgeon for approval or denial, it was just approved without any further review. She said she's not sure what happened and my surgery probably would have been denied had it gone to the oral surgeon... but now that they've approved it, they're still going to pay for it. The only thing is that she suggested I don't try and go to a different surgeon who doesn't require me to pay up front. Why? Because that surgeon would have to submit a new claim, meaning it would go to an oral surgeon for review and "most likely be denied."

So, you can see my dilemma, here. I have to stay with Dr. Vetter or risk losing my insurance coverage. I really like him, though, and everyone at his office is very helpful.

Now I just need 2500 bucks. :)

ohhh annnd I HAVE to remember to go in to my orthodontist's office on Monday and let them know I have a surgery date. Back in March (or whenever it was) Dr. Arango told me there was nothing else he could do and that I was ready for surgery, and to just let him know when I had a date. So I haven't been in there for an adjustment in four months! Not good.. I was supposed to go in last month, at the latest. My bottom teeth are looking a little crooked...

Yay for a date, though!

pics

2009-07-10T17:02:00.004-06:00

i haven't done a braces pic post in quite awhile... not much has changed.

here's a side view. still stickin' out! :)

the news

2009-07-10T16:31:00.007-06:00

so, today i got the news that i've been waiting for.

my surgery claim has been approved by kaiser permanente.

i got the voicemail this afternoon and i started crying! my surgery and facility fee are approved. my work recently switched from cigna (yuck) to kaiser, and so i submitted a new claim through my surgeon's office last week. some research i did online made it seem like kaiser was way more likely to approve orthognathic surgeries than a lot of other companies. i am so thankful that we got new insurance.

kim at dr. vetter's office told me to call on monday so that we can start taking the next steps. i haven't been to my orthodontist's office since march--he told me to wait to make another appointment until i knew what was going on with my surgery.

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!! i actually jumped up and down earlier. hahaha.

my mom got an akita, and we all decided on the japanese name Hana. She's so cute. Here are the two of us, pic taken yesterday.

again, thank you everyone for all your helpful comments. I'm finally moving forward!

a year and a half in braces...

2009-04-22T00:25:00.004-06:00

hey all.

thanks for your comments... i'm still alive!

i am fully recovered from having my wisdom teeth taken out. I was so worried about having dry socket, but everything went really well! Also, I'd never been put under before--or had an IV--and I must say, it wasn't so bad. i felt pretty good when i woke up :)

the past couple of months have been tremendously irritating on the braces/surgery front.

i still owe a couple hundred dollars to dr. vetter's office. money has been very tight lately, and my boyfriend recently lost his job. i'm struggling to pay my rent, let alone pay off my surgeon consultation from last october.

last week i went in to dr. vetter's office to make a payment (finally) on my account, and i asked the financial coordinator lady what i should do next. she said since they hadn't spoken with me in a couple of months, they hadn't yet faxed my application for surgery coverage to the insurance company (cigna). she did it that day, and they asked for more proof that i need the surgery by last friday. she sent in xrays and whatever else they requested, but i got a letter today that says that cigna has denied my request. to be honest, i was expecting it, but now i'm not sure what i should do.

to make matters worse, the financial coordinator at dr. vetter's office told me that capital one financing, who works with the office to finance patients, has discontinued offering medical loans. they are trying to find another company to work with.

soo... is anyone else paying for this surgery out of pocket? it looks like that is what is going to happen with me (if someone will finance me!!). I'm just wondering if there's anything else i can do, besides appeal to the insurance company. hold a freaking bake sale?

i also had a dentist appointment last week, and it was so painful! the dentist flossed my teeth and her hands were covered in blood when she was done. and i try and floss regularly, too!

i want my surgery now, please!

/end frustration rant

gameplan

2009-02-12T00:34:00.003-07:00

I have an appointment to get all four of my wisdom teeth out on Tuesday 2/17.

After that, I will be calling the insurance company to argue with them about not wanting to cover basic x-rays with dr. vetter. after all, he IS on their oral surgeons list!

Hopefully, I'll get some answers, and I can get the outstanding bill I have with Dr. Vetter's office paid off. Then, I'm calling them and seeing what I should do next. As awful as it sounds, I have been considering just paying full price for my surgery--I really like Dr. Vetter, and there are no oral surgeons in this city covered by Cigna, apparently. BOO.

On another note, the oral surgeon who is removing my wisdom teeth (yep, the same guy who told me two years ago that he didn't recommend jaw surgery and then blew me off when I tried to schedule another appointment with him), who obviously forgot me from before, told me that he thinks I'm going to be thrilled with the results of my orthognathic surgery, and that it will be good for me. umm, okay??? Whatever.

Time is wasting away!

new years

2009-01-02T23:54:00.003-07:00

I realize it's been a very long time, but nothing has really happened. Like most other people, I have been becoming more and more broke the past couple of months, and as of now I can barely pay my bills. I still need to have my wisdom teeth removed, but have no money to pay for it. Only then can my journey continue... believe me, every extra, seemingly wasted day with braces only makes me more and more frustrated. Hope you're all doing well. Happy New Years...

Until next time!

lots and lots of things

2008-10-17T00:50:00.005-06:00

Hi, everyone!

Well, quite a few significant things have happened since I last wrote. I met with a surgeon--Dr. James Vetter--last week for a consultation. After a few x-rays, Dr. Vetter sat me down and we talked for about an hour. At first he mentioned that just by looking at me and my x-rays, he thought that my top jaw needed surgery, not the bottom, because it looked deficient enough to not be supporting my cheeks and top lip very well. I must have made a funny face, because he said "Why, were you thinking the bottom?"... and I explained my entire life story to him. After taking a look at my jaws and teeth/bite a little closer, he said that if my bottom jaw is the one that is bothering me so much, he can set it back instead of bringing the top jaw forward. He said that he did not want to do both jaws, as that would be too much unnecessary surgery.

I feel a little confused; no one has really mentioned that my top jaw may only be the jaw that needs surgery. I've always been so conscious of and blamed all my worries on my bottom jaw, so it was odd to have Dr. Vetter mention only the top one. However, after examining my face, he decided that he will only perform surgery on the bottom.

Theeeen came the bad news.

Dr. Vetter said that I need my two bottom wisdom teeth removed, and that he doesn't perform the surgery until after the teeth have been out for six months.

Soooo, that would mean that if I get them out now, my surgery would be tentatively scheduled for MAY. Arrrgh! Unfortunately, the teeth are impacted, and the surgeon's office quoted me $400 for their removal. I'm seeing if Perfect Teeth will do it cheaper, but Dr. Vetter said he didn't know if Perfect Teeth would put me under, which he recommended.

Then came the quote. The surgery and doctor's fees come out to about $10,000, not including hospital fees. The lady at the office said that it will probably end up costing another $10,000 for the hospital stay and anesthesiologist and all that, which comes up to a grand total of about $20,000. She wants to begin doing the insurance paperwork three months before my surgery. She also mentioned that I should not get my hopes up for Cigna to pay a dime of my surgery costs. Oh, please, please be wrong.

I had a dentist appointment on Tuesday, and my dentist and another doctor there said that Dr. Vetter is an excellent surgeon and that he is a perfectionist. So.. that's good! I'm totally disgusting and this was the FIRST time I've gotten my teeth cleaned since getting braces a year ago (I know, I know!), and it really wasn't as bad as I'd thought. After reprimanding me, the dentist looked at my teeth, sat back, and said he'd never seen braces so clean! So HA! I'm sure it helped that I went a little crazy with my toothbrush in the shower before my appointment, ha ha ha.

I had an orthodontist appointment yesterday morning, and I noticed a letter in my file from Dr. Vetter to my ortho. In it, he mentioned that he wants to do a lower jaw setback, and he asked if it would be possible for Dr. Arango to "tip out" my top front teeth in order to offer more support for my upper lip. Dr. Arango reminded me that we still had to close up this gap in my bottom teeth before I could have surgery... I'm assuming that will be taken care of within six months. I have a purple chain on now, and my teeth are sore! Yippee!

I'll post pics later... I had some ready to go and then realized that there was a chunk of food in my teeth in all the pictures. Whoops! I'm also going to email Dr. Vetter and ask him to send me copies of my x-rays, so that I can post them up here!

Take care! And if anyone has any comments or suggestions, I'd be more than happy to hear them, and thanks ahead of time! :)

oh snap, that gap

2008-09-18T00:42:00.002-06:00

i had my adjustment on tuesday, and there isn't anything too exciting to report.

I had my chain changed (bluuue!) and today the teeth around my gap are sore, yay! dr. arango didn't even mention the surgery... in fact, he was on the phone while he was checking my teeth.

next appointment is october something or other.

sigh.

rescheduled

2008-09-02T01:50:00.004-06:00

...I tried to post an entry a couple of days ago, but blogger decided it would have none of that, and so I angrily abandoned it for awhile.

I was pretty sick during the week of my last scheduled appointment, so I had to reschedule. My next adjustment is September 16. My front bottom teeth have moved only slightly, and there is no way the gap will be closed by my next ortho visit.

Other than that, nothing really new going on. I'm thinking about my surgery more (if that's possible), and I would love to have a date to be able to write on my calendar and circle with a big red pen.

happy labor day!!

die, gap

2008-08-19T22:37:00.001-06:00

i would just like to express my frustrations:

the gap has not moved in a month.

grr.

pics

2008-08-06T22:13:00.003-06:00

this stubborn gap isn't closing at all! i don't see how it will be better in three weeks. RAH!

Ortho visit... red chain!

2008-07-24T14:55:00.002-06:00

Thanks to everyone for their input on my tooth/gum pain. It has subsided for now, and I'm silly and haven't made a dentist appointment yet. But I so will!

I had my latest adjustment this past Tuesday, and it is the first adjustment in which my teeth haven't been sore afterward. I had my old, silver powerchain replaced with a fancy red one; which, oddly enough, seems less noticeable than the silver one. Go figure.

I still have this annoying gap in my bottom teeth, but Dr. Arango says it's closing. "It just takes awhile," he told me. Argh! My next appointment is August 22, and that is when we're supposed to look at surgeons. I hope this pesky gap is closed by then. Already, though, I can't fit my tongue all the way in it, like I could a few days ago.

I saw some pictures a few days ago of myself from the side... my bottom lip sticks out so much! It looks like someone punched me. I'm really hoping to have my surgery in December, after this next semester is over. Hoping, hoping...

Take care!

ouch!

2008-07-12T01:21:00.004-06:00

I've been having a lot of pain in the gum area between two of my top teeth since I had the power chain put on. The area has been really sensitive to hot and cold, and tonight the pain started to shoot upwards into my face, and I can't really drink anything without feeling like someone just ran her fingernails down a chalkboard. To make it worse, I tried flossing between the two teeth and blood started pouring out of the irritated gum. There doesn't seem to be any food or anything stuck up there... I'm really worried. Unfortunately it's the weekend and I can't call a dentist until Monday.. Owwie, it hurts!! What could it be?!

ligs

2008-06-14T14:29:00.004-06:00

i had my latest ortho. appointment yesterday, and lookie what I got:

and, uh, yeah.. they hurt! i'm pretty excited about that awful gap closing up, though!

my next appointment is july 22.. a month shorter than usual! dr. arango said that we can start looking at surgeons the appointment after that. I so just had butterflies in my stomach when I typed that!

nathan and i went to florida last week for his step sister's graduation. i loved the humidity and the heat, and the beach was awesome! of course there were lots of pictures that were taken, and i tried very hard not to shy away from the camera, but.. let's just say i can't wait until i can have a big old toothy smile for every picture!

gappy gap gap

2008-05-15T04:25:00.002-06:00

thanks for everyone's input on clenching/grinding... glad to know I'm not the only one!

this gap is getting craaazaaay; people at work are calling me madonna :)

grinding?

2008-05-04T15:26:00.002-06:00

Lately (since I've stopped wearing the elastics) I've been waking up at night to find myself grinding my teeth together. I don't know if my mouth just got used to the elastics holding my jaws together at night, or if my teeth fitting together differently now is causing me to grind. Has anyone else had a problem with this? I'm afraid I'm going to mess something up in there!

metal mouth

2008-04-19T21:01:00.002-06:00

metal mouth!

today i was irritated when I couldn't cut a really long spaghetti noodle with my front teeth. someday, someday...

quick update

2008-04-19T04:43:00.010-06:00

i'm pretty sure Shontell has the right idea with the black and white picture thing: my teeth are all white in grayscale instead of sort-of yellow and weird looking! yay!

let's make a game of it. who can find the food in my braces? it's like where's waldo! ... sick!

bye bye, crossbite.

2008-04-16T19:57:00.003-06:00

I had my ortho appointment on Monday. Yay, yay, yay: no more elastics!! They did leave the buttons on, though, just in case my teeth start moving back to where they were. But I whined to the girl about them and she put pretty, tiny pink bands on them so they don't scratch my tongue. Weirdly enough, I kind of miss the bands holding my mouth closed; now I have to do it myself!! :)

I had a smaller wire put on top and a bigger one put on the bottom. The gap in my front bottom teeth is getting smaller and smaller...

I would post pics, but quite frankly, I just ate and there is food in my teeth. Ew!

Dr. Arango said we can probably start talking about surgery by my next appointment, and that my teeth are doing everything they're supposed to be doing. that's good enough, I guess.

OHHH and I was silly enough to allow my dentist appointment for a cleaning to be scheduled the day after my ortho adjustment, and I had to cancel it because my freakin' teeth were killing me. Duh! I should have realized that before. I pictured them digging in my gums and scraping my sore teeth, and I'm pretty sure there would have been some tears involved. No thanks.

Next appointment: June 13th.

sick!

2008-04-08T15:57:00.003-06:00

blah, called off work today, and i'm feeling terrible!

i decided to post some pics of my bite without elastics; in all my other posted pics they're still on. i feel like my teeth fit together differently every day, yet i'm not sure if the elastics are doing what they're supposed to do. let's hope they are; i'm so tired of them!

my next appointment is this monday, woo hoo! i plan on bringing up my surgery, since it's been six months that i've had the braces and dr. arango hasn't mentioned surgery at all. i hope he hasn't forgotten, ha ha hoo. i'd like to know where i stand. i've been obsessed with surgery websites these past few weeks; at this point i can't even imagine having a surgery date!

oh yeah... we got a tv too! :) it's lovely.

Gaps, Gaps, Gaps

2008-03-20T02:45:00.004-06:00

So now I have two gaps, and my bite seems to be way off-kilter. Yikes! My teeth are getting a little discolored, too.. I swear I brush a lot! :) Happy late St. Patricks Day, everyone!

braces, what braces?

2008-02-29T00:28:00.004-07:00

i have a gap between my front bottom teeth now, it's so cool! and i have one or two different teeth hurt every day.

not much to report besides that... my birthday is in two months from today, though!

happy leap day!

this is my "braces, what braces?" smile. :)

Blah!

2008-02-10T14:50:00.000-07:00

I. Hate. Rubberbands.

Thank you.

the third visit

2008-02-07T23:55:00.000-07:00

today i had my third visit at the orthodontist's office. i wasn't sure what would be happening today, and i was hoping it would just be time for new wires.

alas, i was wrong.

dr. arango said that my crossbite looked pretty bad and that he wanted to put in some rubberbands. Boo! so they were installed, and i have four bands on the right side of my mouth and two on the left. plus new wires. ow!

dr. arango mentioned that there is also a surgery to correct the bite that would run around $10,000, but that he thought rubberbands do a fine job too and are obviously cheaper.

it's a little weird not being able to open my mouth very wide, but i'm already used to how they feel. the only thing is eating... i have to take them out to do that, which is hard to do at work (i'm usually just grabbing something here and there and popping it into my mouth).

also, the assistant asked if i wanted colored or clear rubberbands, and i chose clear. i think i'd feel super dorky with colored ones!! :)

pics:

my tongue looks like a slimy weird creature, but you can see the rubberbands!

look how open my bite is now!!

3 Months!

2008-01-21T14:33:00.000-07:00

Here is my bite, three months in:

Happy 2008!

2008-01-16T22:25:00.000-07:00

Today I realized that my braces have been on for almost three months! Part of me feels like they've been on forever--I guess that means I've officially gotten used to them. I had a lovely holiday and this weekend I'm going skiing and staying the night in a swanky hotel(okay, that's not true, it's a Hampton Inn) with my boyfriend. The more days I take off, the less I want to work! School starts next Tuesday...already!

All of my back teeth are touching now, and my bite is more even and closed. I can't believe this is happening so fast! I'll dig out my camera later and post some pics to prove it.

One thing I almost forgot...the other day I was playing around with the wire on my back tooth with my tongue and it came out!! I felt all my teeth shift a little at being let loose, but I was able to stick the wire back into the bracket. Should I go to the orthodontist? Did I loosen everything up? It doesn't really feel different. At this point I'm planning on waiting until my next appointment, February 7, to go in.

britton recently asked when my surgery is... and I wish I had an answer to that! My ortho said that we'd worry about it more when the time was closer.. however, I do want to have a little more information than that, so I plan to ask him some more questions at my next appointment.

Thanks again to everyone for comments and support! I appreciate it! I'd write more, but braces have just become a part of my life now, and that part of my life is pretty boring. :) I still daydream about when it's all done, though...

:)

First Bracket--- See ya!

2007-12-06T22:54:00.000-07:00

So two days ago my boyfriend brought me Chinese food at work (sweet, I know). Just as I was taking a bite of a scrumptious little wonton, my first bracket came off (front bottom tooth, right side). I was waiting for it to happen!

Dr. Arango's office was able to squeeze me in this morning to repair it, and they took the top and bottom wires off and put new ones on. Before, the wires didn't extend back to the very last teeth on the top and bottom of my mouth; today that changed! Now I'm all wired up, every last tooth (except my wisdom teeth, which I was lectured about again today--"Get those out of there, girl!")!

The tension is back...tomorrow it will hurt... Yay! :(

Since I had to come in early, they extended my next appointment to the 7th of February. I hope no more brackets fall off in the meantime.

Here are some pictures...everything looks the same to me. I know, I know, it's only been six weeks ;)

On a side note, the number one thing I've heard since getting braces on is "Why do you have braces? Your teeth are straight!" I've gotten tired of explaining the surgery, so now I just smile and say, "Fine tuning!"

Also, I can't believe how many people used to have braces. Almost everyone I work with had them when they were younger; it's crazy! People have been whipping out their permanent retainers, their lip scars from poky brackets and wires...things that I didn't even know existed just by looking at them...And it makes me feel better! :)

My new bite

2007-10-31T15:40:00.001-06:00

When I bite down now, all of my front teeth no longer touch. It's so weird, all of my teeth touched before. Is this the crossbite being corrected? Boo!

Another Before Picture

2007-10-31T02:32:00.001-06:00

I found this picture of my boyfriend and i from a couple of months ago... it's a good "before" photo!

Halloween

2007-10-31T02:24:00.000-06:00

Dressed up as Red Riding Hood for Halloween.

When I see myself in pictures with other women, I can really notice some differences. The whole lower area of my face is so much... bigger. And there's no indentation from my cheeks to the bottom of my chin.

Tension...

2007-10-31T01:38:00.000-06:00

Okay, so there really isn't much pain now so much as I just feel the urge to gnaw on things constantly! All that tension in my mouth is awkward; I keep sucking my teeth in to relieve it. As goofy as it is, I bought a teething toy for babies the other day, and it's so nice!

I've been trying to smile more now and be more confident with the braces... tonight at work a guest told me that I need to be more confident, and "embrace the braces.. no pun intended." har har har.

And the best part: i can eat more foods now! yay! ...and this isn't even bad--i'm going to be so bummed when my jaw is wired shut. :)

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Ow, ow, ow

2007-10-28T16:26:00.000-06:00

I've made it to the third day, and I'm a total baby!

Coupled with the wisdom tooth pain, my teeth are really bugging me! I've only really been able to suck the flavor out of solid foods, or just barely nibble on them until they're soft and small enough to swallow.

I'm starting to get used to the feeling of having them in, although everytime I sit down to eat my brain wants to automatically reach in and take the braces off before putting food in my mouth. Putting lipstick on is hard too--I can't rub my lips together without a lot of effort.

I was very worried about being made fun of at work, but everyone was pretty grown up about it. I guess it's just me not being able to let go of being made fun of for my jaw in grade school.

I went to a Halloween party last night and got a few pictures, I'll post them when I find the cord to my camera.

On another note, getting food stuck in these babies is a real pain! :) Also, my cheeks are getting destroyed! I've used the wax a few times, but I brush my teeth so much that I keep accidentally brushing the wax right off.

Shontell asked a couple posts back if I have a surgery date yet. My orthodontist told me that we would worry about that a little further down the road, when I was closer to being ready for surgery. Is this a good idea? He said that he has a few surgeons that he has worked with in the past for me to consider.

Thank you to everyone who leaves comments and links me; I appreciate everything!

They're so on

2007-10-26T16:06:00.000-06:00

This is from the 26th--I haven't had internet!

Well, it's done!

I was worried that they'd have to postpone the appointment--I have massive, painful swelling going on in the right side of my mouth due to a wisdom tooth that decided to start breaking through my gums a couple of days ago. Dr. Arango (ortho) told me to ask the dentist if I should have the wisdoms out when I went in for my cleaning about a week ago, and the dentist said he wanted to call Dr. Arango to discuss it…but that never happened. Sooo, I had to endure those huge plastic pieces that held my mouth open as they dug right into my inflamed gums. Ow.

After eating lots of popcorn and gooey candy yesterday, I figured I was ready for my appointment this morning to be banded. Other than the pain of my wisdom tooth, getting the braces on was only slightly uncomfortable. I wasn’t really sure what the ortho. assistant was doing in my mouth for awhile, and I couldn’t really ask J When she told me to go brush my teeth and come back to put the wires in, I couldn’t keep my hands out of my mouth! The braces are so foreign and big!! I feel like I can barely hold my lips over my teeth, and I’m even having trouble speaking clearly. I’ve been so focused on researching the surgery that I haven’t really looked into or thought much about the braces. I forgot that the brackets and everything would be crooked at first and then straighten themselves out, so that’s a little weird to look at in the mirror!
I cried when I got home and saw my reflection; the braces make my face stick out even more! I always felt like having nice teeth drew people’s eyes away from my jaw, and now the braces draw more attention to it. I can’t wait until this is all finished!
I haven’t tried to eat anything yet, except for a yogurt. Will it be hard to chew?
Also, I just realized that I can’t bite my nails anymore…I can no longer grip them between my teeth! So long to that bad habit! J
My next appointment is January 10th. Will the brackets have straightened out by then?

Anyway, now for pictures…
I apologize for the bad quality, I was taking these in the bathroom with my camera phone (I swear I’m not that pale in real life, haha!). I’ll have better pictures someday when I buy batteries for my digital camera.
Okay, here are the pics from this morning, before I had the braces put on:

And then after:

And up close:

And that's that! Now off to watch the World Series!

Brace Face?

2007-10-18T15:21:00.000-06:00

I have a little over a week until the braces, and I'm so nervous!

I find myself staring at the couple of girls in my classes who have them, and this feeling of dread washes over me every time. Two years of braces? Two years? At this point that seems like a lifetime. I'll have braces on my 21st birthday!

I keep running my tongue over my teeth... so smooth! So white! So straight!

I'm having a hard time convincing myself that it's worth it right now...

woo!

2007-09-04T01:42:00.000-06:00

okay, I have the most exciting news so far in my blog's history!!

My braces are going on October 26th.

Yay!

I made an appointment with Dr. Arango (arangoorthodontics.com) and everything went really well! He was very helpful and informative, and he really took a lot of worry off my shoulders. He told me to try not to worry about finding a surgeon and everything for the moment, and that I should focus on the braces part for the time being. He said that when the time comes he'll give me a list of surgeons that he's worked with before and help me try and work things out with Cigna.

He uses something called the Damon system, which looks pretty cool. Does anyone know anything about this?

Unfortunately, the braces will cost me 240 dollars a month for 12 months. I'm paying 2400 of the total 5000 dollar bill.

I was so happy to finally get this started I almost cried.

They did x-rays and molds...It was weird to see my x-rays on the computer screen (I've never seen them before). It made it "real", so to speak, to see my jaw positioned so incorrectly on the computer. It makes me wonder what happened...why did my face grow like this? Why did my top jaw develop so narrowly? Questions to ponder...

Anyway, yay! I'm going to look silly with braces, though...

:)

no, really, time flies

2007-08-24T15:32:00.000-06:00

sooo after all this time i finally made an appointment with an orthodontist listed by cigna's website for next thursday! yaaay! the receptionist told me to have 200 dollars when i come to pay for the molds and xrays, which they'll do for 50% off if i do it the same day as the consultation. i'm excited, but a little nervous. i'm a bit upset with myself for taking so much time to finally get things started, but the problems i had with the last orthodontist really deterred me! my face is all i can think about lately. it might all just be in my head, but i feel like my jaw is getting worse! i feel as if just in the last year my upper teeth have receded more behind my lower teeth. they don't fit together at all anymore, and my jaw hurts all the time. it hurts the most when i yawn and try to hold my mouth closed with my teeth together. i'm ready for this to be fixed!! no more "hey, you look like jay leno!" :(

time flies!

2007-05-09T16:51:00.000-06:00

sooo, lalala. i realize it's been awhile, I was really just pretty much hopeless after getting the run-around from so many people.

However...drum roll...

my work is switching dental insurance, and going with cigna now! so cigna will be my insurance for dental and medical, instead of just medical. there are many more orthodontists under cigna's policy than aetna's where I live, so hopefully this will make things a little easier! I really don't like the ortho I was going to.

hopefully i'll get the ball rolling again soon! :)

setback

2007-02-28T11:05:00.000-07:00

sooo, after going to have x-rays done this morning, i received a call from the orthodontist's office. apparently i can't see the oral surgeon there because he "won't be the one performing the surgery" and the information i need to send to the insurance company is from my regular general practice doctor... i'm a little confused.

and i did a search on cigna's website for oral surgeons in the network...and apparently there are none. i'm not quite sure what to do next; the orthodontist's office hasn't been as helpful as i'd hoped.

x-rays and surgeon appts.

2007-02-26T23:15:00.000-07:00

so two mondays later... :) :)

i went back to the orthodontist, Cigna insurance policy on "jaw surgery" in hand, to see what's next. the receptionist gave me a referral to go get x-rays on wednesday, and then set up an appointment to see the oral surgeon on friday. i'll ask him to write me a letter! fingers crossed... thanks for all the comments, everyone! they're very helpful and inspiring, even if i waited so long to get started.

options

2007-02-11T03:23:00.000-07:00

so on monday i'm making the call to my insurance company to see what my options are. hopefully... i'll have some options. i feel a little better since last week's ortho visit. time to get to work!! :)

a little background

2007-02-07T23:21:00.000-07:00

i've started this blog to track my progress.

since i was in sixth grade, i've been made fun of for my prominent, less-than-perfect lower jaw. i never really thought of it as a serious problem until i recently went in for my six month check-up with my dentist.

"wow, melissa, we need to get you to an orthodontist. unfortunately, your lower jaw has overdeveloped and you have a pretty bad crossbite. you'll probably need a combination of braces and surgery to fix this. oh, but you're a beautiful girl."

... What?? It's funny how i just now remember that little compliment he threw in there at the end of his speech. i suppose that's how it's been my whole life---i can only remember the "hey, jay leno"s and the "hey, chief chin"s and never the "oh my, you're so beautiful"s.

it's like i can feel my lower jaw down there, mocking me, showing itself off to the world. lately it's been hurting a lot too... it just won't let me forget it's there!!

today i had my ortho appointment, and i started crying. i pulled my hair back into a ponytail (which i hate doing, as it shows off my long profile) and let this man stare and poke at the part of myself that i've tried to hide my whole life. he told me that i don't need braces; i have "perfect teeth."

i just need surgery.

and just as soon as it had started, my appointment was over. after all, what else was there to discuss? i can't afford surgery, and according to the orthodontist, i have a "slim chance" of getting my insurance company to cover the costs (30,000 dollars plus???). I'm a little confused because our dental insurance is through Aetna, while medical is through Cigna. After looking at both insurance policies regarding orthognathic surgery online, it looks like Aetna offers more flexibility where this type of surgery is concerned. the ortho assistant told me to be a "squeaky wheel", because insurance companies hate people who continue to write and call and cause a fuss.

so all night i've been looking at surgery before and afters, and i can't even count the number of times i've started crying. when i look in the mirror, all i can see is my imperfect face. when my jaw pops and moves out of place and hurts all i can think about is my imperfect face. when i see a person with a beautiful jaw line, all i think of is my imperfect face. when i wear turtlenecks, when i smile, when i wear my hair up, when i'm in a photograph, when i eat, when i talk, when a person looks at me from the side...

all i can think is "hey, jay leno. ha. hah. ha."