Sunday, April 26, 2015

Roughly a year

Good Morning Jaw people, It's been over a year since I had TMJ replacement surgery and just a few weeks shy of a year since double jaw surgery. To recap, I separated the surgeries by 8 weeks, because insurance would not pay for TMJ. I've received some inquiries about insurance things so I'll touch on that in this post. I had CIGNA through Obamacare. Cigna agreed to cover my jaw surgery at 100%, however they wouldn't cover TMJ. If an uncovered procedure is done at the same time as a covered procedure, it's no longer covered. That's why I did them separately. I paid for TMJ out of pocket and I can't say for sure, but it was around 20K. The business manager at Dr. Franco's office called a few months ago and told me 7K wasn't covered and I owed that money. At the time of surgery, I was approved for 100% so I disputed the charges and won. I don't have to pay anything else. TMJ - 20K, Jaw surgery - 0, Braces - 6K, Bridge - 1200, I'm 35 years old and I can say age was an issue as far as insurance goes. If you're under 18 and considering the surgery. DO IT NOW. There is still numbness in my lower lip especially, my chin and still puffiness around my nose. My gums are slightly numb, but have significantly improved in the past few months. I can sort of feel them when I floss now. The only annoyance really is my bottom lip, half of it's numb so that sometimes irritates me. However, it's not always noticeable. Below are my progress photos.

3 comments:

  1. This really is amazing. I'm so glad you took the time to chart and share the entire experience. I'm such a wimp when it comes to pain and gross things, I'm not entirely sure I can do this. I'm 41 though, and my teeth only touch on one side, I'm starting to occasionally hear a whistle when I say certain words (embarrassing), and I'm having increasing difficulty eating certain foods (carrots, unless cooked, have been out for awhile). The recovery is a LONG time, much longer than I thought. Thank you again for sharing and being so open with your pictures and experiences, I may read through several times to get up my bravery!

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  2. One thing - did you ever regain all feeling? How are you doing now that it's 2016?

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  3. Hey Kyla, thanks for your comments. Yes, I would encourage you to go for it. Do you live in the states? Have insurance? The insurance issues really were the hardest part! I never regained full feeling in a small part of my lower lip. But it pales in comparison to not being able to chew! I rarely notice it unless I'm putting on lip liner. The time leading up to surgery is agony and stressful but once the surgery is over, recovery is just a few weeks until you start feeling good again. Now it's 2016 and I have no regrets about doing the surgery. I'm very happy with the outcome!

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