First blog - lets get it rolling

Alright, so I figured that I'd start this blog because I think it's important for people out there to have some "real life" experiences in order to make an informed decision about correcting their teeth/jaw. The other bloggers really helped me out in making my decision. Everyone's teeth look so good!! The process doesn't look all that appealing, but the process is what it is.

First off - stuff about me. I'm a 26 year old male working in the financial services industry in Toronto, Ontario. For as long as I can remember, I've had crooked and crowded teeth. The one thing I didn't quite realize until recently however is how NARROW my upper jaw is. I cannot fit my thumb between the two sides of my upper jaw. Messed up, I know.

Anyways, I met with an orthodontist back at age 16 who told me I'd need the surgery. My parents and I decided against it at the time, and I believe that was the right move. At 16 your jaw is still in growth mode, and I've heard that complications can arise from this type of jaw surgery.

Fast forward 10 years. I'm done growing (I hope! I'm 6 ' 7 " - but have been since age 17). My dentist finally convinced me (everytime I went for a cleaning he would mention the ortho) to give a particular orthodontist a call by the name of Angelo Metaxas. I went for a consult in June 2008, and nothing was really new to me, except for the narrow upper jaw part that I learned would have to be expanded surgicallly - known as SARPE (surgically assisted rapid palatal expansion). He suspected that my narrow upper jaw definitely was the most likely reason as to why I am a mouth breather, and possibly why I've been having some occassional sleep apnea issues over the past few years.

In terms of cost to correct all the damage, he told me I'd be looking at around $7,000 to $8,000 for the braces alone, and with the cost of the surgeries on top of that, I'd be looking at closer to $15,000 - $17,000. My ortho plan only covers me up to $1,500 - and so when you do the math, it doesn't look pretty - especially when you're trying to save up for a down payment on a home and a wedding to boot (at least my student loans are a thing of the past!).

I didn't mention that $15k would be more expensive than I hoped, but being 26, maybe he assumed that. He said to me, "Paul, I'm a professor at the University of Toronto - and I think you would be an excellent case for my class."

That September I went for a consult at the University. The students all took turns observing my teeth and making their diagnoses to only have Dr. Metaxas correct them. My orthodontics will be done by an orthodontist, and my surgeries by an oral surgeon, but I will have these students observing me along the way. In a way - who cares? I mean, after all, YOU will be observing me too!

The cost through the University was extremely reasonable. $3,750 all inclusive. Everything. SARPE, ortho, surgeries, x-rays, any consults required with other practitioners (periodontics, for example). After applying my private plan to this cost, I'm looking at $2,250 out of pocket - much more manageable.

My diagnosis is as follows:
Severe malocclusion with maxillary skeletal constriction, severe crowding, posterior crossbites.

Gotta love those "severe" words, eh?

I learned that my upper jaw has to be expanded approximately 12mm (or almost half an inch for my imperial brethren). Given that each turn of the key expands 0.25mm, then you see that I'm looking at almost FIFTY (yep, five-zero) turns. They told me I'd be doing this twice a day once the expanding begins. But here's the interesting part: My jaw is so narrow that the biggest screw they could fit up there is 10mm. So after several mm of expansion, they are going to have to replace my appliance with another appliance that has a longer screw in order to get the desired expansion!! *sigh* - what am I getting myself into?

Anyways, I'm currently waiting on the hospital to book me in for surgery. It should be at some point this month, and I'll definitely post as soon as I know. In the meantime, if you have any questions or comments for me, please leave them and I'll be sure to address them as I go along. I'll be sure to start posting some pictures soon enough.

Take care everyone!