Day 5: last consultation before braces

Today was my last consultative appointment before my braces are put on. As expected, I will need to have 4 teeth extracted. This will be done next Wednesday and then my braces will bring out on the next week on Friday. Of course the extraction is 200-400 a tooth and 600 for the anesthesia, half of which is due at the time of the extraction. Bills keep adding up so my boyfriend (whom I live with) and I will be breaking our lease and moving. Our options are either I get an internship at a funeral home where they pay for our housing, or we will be moving in with my boyfriend's mother. Believe me, I'm SUPER excited about these options :/. We have to do what we have to do and there are no other options so this is it. Hopefully we will be rent-free by the end of october. I will keep you updated on my oral and financial situation. Oh and my bday is tomorrow. Happy 25!

Update on ortho appointment

My lovely work would not give me time off to go to my consultation on the 4th of october so I have changed my appointment to the 27th of September because I already have the day off. I will let everyone know what I find out next week.

Letter to my insurance

Attached is part of the letter that my surgeon sent to my insurance company to see if they will pay for any of my surgery. It outlines my reasons for needed surgery and what must be done. It states 12mm overbite but the orthodontist stated it is 13mm.

Surgeon website

Here is the web link for the surgeon who will be taking care of my upper and lower jaws. The site gives a little more insight into the process and procedures.

http://www.nwoms.com/oral-surgery/corrective-jaw-surgery.html

Day 4: orthodontic visit

Today I had my second orthodontic appointment. They took a bunch of xrays, pictures of my teeth and mouth, impressions of my teeth, measurements of my mouth, and a wax bite imprint. In total I paid $185, half was taken off because I had xrays taken at my dentist and surgeons office and they didn't think it was fair to charge me again (agreed).

All of what was done today will be looked at by my team and in 4 weeks I will go in for my sit down discussion of the two year plan. That date is 10/4 and the set date of getting my braces on is 10/11. I am unsure if I will be able to keep my 10/11 date because I don't know if I have the finances to pay for my braces yet. This is something I want to discuss with my orthodontist on the 4th.

I am still taking donations through my gofundme campaign. Thanks to all those whom have already donated! Look for more updates to come!

Next Steps

Hi all. I realize my orthodontic consultation post was very short and not very informative. I was in a very sour mood and I apologize. The orthodontist next needs to take impressions of my teeth and take some xrays. Once these are taken they will make molds of my teeth so that the orthodontist and the surgeon can work together on the best course of action and what they both need to do with my mouth. The appointment for all of this will be done this Friday (9/13). I will then have to wait 4 weeks and meet with the orthodontist again. We will talk about the absolute final decision on the braces (estimated time, what type I will get on, what they are going to do to move my teeth) and whether I will need to have my four teeth extraction before we begin with the braces.

That is about all I know at the moment. I need to have a down payment ready in order to get the braces. I have gotten my first donation on gofundme.com which is super awesome! I know that everyone is super broke right now but any donation that you can make (even a dollar) is totally helpful to me at this point.

Thank you for all of you support!

Feeling depressed

How I am feeling lately about the financial obligation of my needed surgery!

Day 3: orthodontic consultation

Earlier today I had my orthodontic consultation. The women I talked to before my consult were hilarious. We talked about my choice to go to mortuary school, how my eyes might need some placenta, and of course med and dental history. I met the orthodontist and told him about my horrible previous experiences and he gave me his opinion. He thinks I will be in braces for 18 months before the surgery and 6-8 months after the surgery. This is what I anticipated. He also stated that I will likely need 4 teeth extracted as well due to over crowding. Really, nothing at ortho consult was surprising to me. I did have a huge mental breakdown because I have no idea how I can pay for this. The ortho wants $1680 down and $210 a month. I am a full time student and only work part time. I cannot afford this and my fundraising site has gained no money. People have been verbally supportive, which don't get me wrong, is great but I need financial support. I am up to do almost ANYTHING to help fund my surgery and orthodontics. If anyone can donate or has suggestions please let me know. I am not sure I can handle many more nights of crying over this.

Headaches and Jaw Pain

Good morning! I slept in late today and I'm still just moping around. I have horrible jaw pain and a headache today. I have headaches every day but today the jaw pain with it is terrible. I am going to go around to local businesses and pass out my gofundme flyers. So far, no donations which is bumming me out but I am still hopeful! Here is my cheery morning face!

Operation Help Me Get My Surgery: Gofundme.com

Hello all my party people! It's Friday and I don't know about you but I have had one hell of a day! Have a drink, life will get better. On the up and up, I have been shown the bright light of what is gofundme.com. Fabulous, fabulous idea. Basically, anyone and everyone can fund my surgery. I know, it's awesome right?

Here is my link: http://www.gofundme.com/cassijaws

There are fun little prizes for donating certain amounts (besides feeling absolutely awesome for helping a poor soul in need).

Info on My Surgeries!

Here is some information about both my surgeries in case you're a nerd like me and really want to know as much as you can!
Also, if you are thinking of getting this surgery DO NOT WATCH A YOUTUBE VIDEO ON IT! Seriously, blood and guts do not bother me at all (I am going to be a mortician) but it was too much for me when I know that mouth could be mine. Ignorance is truly bliss in this scenario.

http://www.maxfac.com/facial/jaw.html :has info on both procedures. 

Day 2: Surgical Consultation, part 2

After being slapped in the face with reality, I asked the woman how people pay for this. She explained that she will send in the information to my insurance to see how much they will pay for, otherwise, I have to pay. You can either save money (I am going back to school and only working part-time), find someone to pay for it (like who, Oprah?), or take out a loan (as if I don't have a million dollars in loans already). I walked out, still hopeful, but a little deflated. I really have no idea how I am going to pay for the surgery at this point but, I know that I need to have it done. The surgeon gave me the number of an orthodontist that I got in touch with today and made my consultative appointment with (on 9/10). I need to have braces on to align my teeth to where they need to be for the surgery. The surgeon estimated I would need braces for a year to 18 months. At this point, I am totally up for the 18 month plan. This will allow me time to finish school, get my career started, and save some money up for the surgery. I won't know how long the braces will need to be on until the 10th but right now, I think the longer the better. So excited to have braces again! As if 7 years was not enough...

How I feel about braces (again) and about $30,000 in surgery:

Day 2: Surgical Consultation, part 1

September 3rd: This was the day of my surgical consultation. I went in with a very open mind. The whole consultation took about an hour and a half and cost me $225. The doctor was one of the nicest men I have ever met. He asked me a bunch of questions about my background, both dental and life-wise, he looked at my jaw and teeth, took some x-rays, and then explained to me what he thinks is my best course of action.
According to the doctor I need to have both my upper and lower jaw surgically altered. The procedures are called Maxillary Lefort 1 osteotomy (1-3 pieces) and Bilateral mandibular sagittal split osteotomy. Basically, they are going to rip apart my entire mouth. YAY! I straight up told the doctor I was scared shitless. I've done my homework. I know what this process entails and I know it is no walk in the park. I am going to hate my life for a few months but in the long run, my life will be so much better than it is now. I will be able to eat, drink, breath, and feel normal.
When I walked up to the receptionist at the end of my appointment, I felt like I was walking on clouds. I was amped up about the surgery, I was a motherf-cking phoenix who would be reborn from the ashes! And then I got the paperwork outlining the cost. OK, I knew that it was surgery and that it was going to be expensive. Jesus, Lord have mercy, I was not ready for the reality of the situation. The upper jaw (the Maxillary one) will cost $13,000, my lower jaw will be $10,400 and the surgical splint will be $2000. You do the math. That is a sh-t ton of money.

Day 1: Back Story and Dentist Referral

Hi everyone! My name is Cassandra but people call me Cassi. When I was 12 years old I was put into braces. After 7 painstaking years, I told the orthodontist to take my braces off at the tender age of 18. I was about to graduate from high school and go to college, the last thing I wanted was to be the "brace face" girl. The orthodontist agreed and then told me, "you know, braces really didn't work for you. If you really want to look better, you need to get your jaw broken." To that I said f-ck you and left the office. I was happy. My teeth were straight (well, straighter than I was used to 7 years ago) and my smile was pearly white.
Then came college and boys and drinking and well, who had time to wear their retainers? By the time I was a senior in college my teeth were a hot mess. My bottom teeth were majorly crowded, my overbite was still horrible, and my top teeth were starting to jet out again. I kept thinking, my teeth aren't that bad. Every time I went to the dentist someone had to bring up jaw surgery and, let me tell you, I was not having it. No way, no how. I don't think you could have paid me to get surgery at that point. Fast forward to where I am now. I am 25 years old and I teach preschool in Illinois. I have to talk all day long and smile the whole day. I get headaches daily, cannot chew food properly, have restricted air flow, and have a very unflattering side profile. I finally broke down and decided that it was seriously time to consider my options.
I made a dentist appointment at a fabulous place here in Arlington Heights. I felt so comfortable and the dentist was easy to talk to. I told him about my problems and explained my history. He took one look at me and said, "you know what you need to do, you've been told it for a while now." I rolled my eyes, took a deep breath and realized that I needed to face the music. I would need to have jaw surgery. The dentist gave me a referral to an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. I was barely out of the office when I dialed the number and made my consultative appointment. September 3rd would be the day I would start my jaw surgery adventure.