Outline and Costs

Here is a general outline of everything I've had to done to date. For anyone contemplating jaw surgery, this is a rough outline that may help with the decision process. Obviously, everyone's treatment plan and recovery will be different but this should give people some kind of an idea of how long this process will take. It definitely does not happen overnight. Because I had so many issues, my timeline is above average in terms of length. Most jaw surgery patients take roughly 1.5-2 years. If you scroll to the bottom, there is a small list of how much everything cost me.

NIKKI JAW JOURNEY OUTLINE
May 2013 : Saw a specialist and was diagnosed with TMJ. Fitted for a night guard.
July 2013 : Got 2nd opinion and was advised to do some exercises and Physical Therapy
August 2013 - October 2013 : Physical Therapy of Jaw Joint
September 2013 : MRI done for Jaw Joint.
October 2013 : Diagnosed with Dislocated Discs on both sides

December 2013 : Bilateral TMJ Procedure (Surgical Arthroscopic Procedure in both Jaw Joints)

January 2014 : MGH Work up done (X-Rays, Impressions, and photos all taken) $1500 out of pocket
February 2014 : Bottom Braces were put on
June 2014 : Palate Expander installed

June 19th 2014 : SARPE Procedure (Surgical Day Surgery)

June-August 13th 2014 : Expanding Palate Expander everyday
August 14th - December 10th : Holding pattern - waiting for my jaw to properly heal
December 10th 2014 : Palate Expander Removed (!!!!) and top braces installed.
June 3rd 2015 : Got the official go ahead to start surgery prep.
June 12th, 2015 : Got insurance approval for Le Fort 1 and Sagittal Split operation (aka double jaw surgery)
September 24th, 2015: Final Orthodontist Visit with Dr. Klein before surgery. Received surgical ties and hooks
September 28th, 2015 : Pre-op Work up, history and physical, and anesthesia meeting
October 20th, 2015 : Pre-op with Oral Surgeon Dr. Keith

Monday, October 26th, 2015 :  Double Jaw Surgery :  Surgery @ 7:30am 

November 3rd, 2015 : 1st Surgical Post-Op Appointment
November 17th, 2015 : 2nd Surgical Post-Op Appointment
December 16th, 2015 : Orthodontist Post-Op Appointment
February 16th, 2016 : 3rd Surgical Post-Op Appointment
February 19th, 2016 : ENT Consult with Dr. Kieff - Diagnosis : Deviated Septum due to previous surgery.
March 1st, 2016 : ENT pre-op with Dr. Kieff - decided to go ahead with 4th surgery
April 7th, 2016 : Pre-op appointment with Primary care for Deviated Septum surgery

Thursday, April 28th, 2016 : Septoplasty Procedure to fix Deviated Septum : Surgery @ 9:30am

May 4th, 2016 : ENT Post-op - got nasal splints removed

Friday, May 20th 2016 : Braces are removed (!!!!!!!!!!!)
Total Time in braces: 2 Years, 3 months


Total Amount paid out of pocket: 
Night guard : $1.5k (that I no longer use)
8 sessions of Physical Therapy : $40/session = $320 total
Work ups : $3k ($1.5k per work-up)
Braces : $10k
Extra Dental Cleanings : $1.5k
Total : $16,320.00**

** This number does not include basic necessities like toothpaste, wax and lots of other extra dental stuff I went through while in braces. It also does not include any co-pays I was responsible for. This is just a rough estimate.

Total Amounts Covered by my insurance:
Le Fort Jaw Advancement : October 2015
Surgery: $15,412
Anesthesia: $5,100
Room & Board: $87,522
Grand Total: $108,034

Septoplasty - Deviated Septum Surgery : April 2016
Surgery: $11,400
Anesthesia: ?? (Costs are still being inputted)
Grand Total: $11,400

Complete Grand Total Cost : $135,754*

Don't let that large number freak you out! It should be noted that my insurance paid for almost everything. All my surgeries to date have been 100% covered including the one where I stayed overnight. If we broke that number down, in 2 years we were ultimately responsible for 12%. That is honestly not a bad number if you consider everything I had done.

*It should also be noted that I did not include my first 2 surgeries in this number. That would have involved calling my insurance company which I didn't really want to do. If I had to guess, I would probably estimate that my 1st surgery probably cost about 8k, and the second one closer to 10k. This would make the complete grand total closer to 150k-155k.

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