Hi All
Sorry it has been a while since I last blogged. I have been
busy setting up the provisions for the charity website and have been
researching and exploring with pain management techniques. One of the main
areas people seem to question me about is the cost of orthognathic surgery. I
never really considered this as a deciding factor when undertaking my surgery
as I live in the UK. With the expansion of my blog and the international
audience, I feel that it is important to create a blog about the prices of
orthognathic surgery and my experiences with both the NHS and private services
available in the UK.
In the UK we have a health care service called the NHS
(National Health Service) that is funded by collective tax payers. The service
is classed as FREE and deals with essential health cases. I started my
orthognathic journey from a very young age and from the age of 11 I was
evaluated by a maxillofacial surgeon. When I first went to the hospital I could
not see the issue with my face. I thought I looked and acted like everyone else.
To my horror the surgeons were quite rude and concerned about my case and could
see the early signs of a severe asymmetry and growth on my lower jaw. This was
a cause of concern for the hospital but I felt like they were dramatizing the
whole situation. I undertook brace treatment (for free) on the NHS from the age
of 11-16. The braces were fitted on my lower teeth only and I had several teeth
removed. By the time I was 19 I was sick of waiting on my local orthognathic
surgery list and transferred to King’s College Hospital in London. This was
where I met my orthognathic surgeon Mr Shaun Matthews and my orthodontist Dr
Cobourne.
At this point in my
life I had suffered from many years of bullying and my asymmetry was very
noticeable to me and others. My face was very long and I had a moon shaped
profile. My upper and lower teeth were badly crooked despite having braces on
the bottom teeth for over 4 years. Mr Matthews and Dr Cobourne agreed on a
treatment plan that would take around 3 years to complete.
After 2 years of
treatment my asymmetry and jaw length had peeked and I started to develop
severe left sided facial pain. After lots of tests and waiting, I was diagnosed
with atypical trigeminal neuralgia and TMD. The 3 year treatment target had
come and gone and I was beginning to lose my patience. I really wanted to be
able to speak properly, eat properly and function again. Although there was a
chance that the surgery could make my condition worse I knew I needed
orthognathic surgery to help me function again. I did not care how I looked
from the outside as much as the pain overtook my life. I started to look at
private health care and second opinions. I visited 3 different consultants and
all had the same surgery in mind. They all agreed that I would need bimaxillary
surgery and it would be very expensive. Without the braces treatment which
would have cost extra most quotes suggested £33,000. With braces treatment and
after care the price was looking at £45,000. In American dollars this equates
to around $50,000-$70000 This is a
pretty hefty amount for anybody to finance. I certainly could not afford this
being a student and working part time. After asking my surgeon Mr Shaun
Matthews I decided to stay with the NHS. Mr Matthews assured me that the
procedure and aftercare would be exactly the same in the NHS as it would be
private. So this made up my mind.
I undertook bimaxillary
osteotomy surgery at King’s College hospital in 2011 to correct my class III
asymmetric malocclusion. Designed to straighten, shorten and align my upper and
lower jaw with the mid line of my face. My lower chin point was moved 9mm to
the left and my upper jaw rotated 2mm right and 2mm forward. After suffering
from complications for a year I had my titanium plates and screws removed in an
operation in December 2012.
In conclusion,
orthognathic surgery is a very expensive and high risk operation. I would never
suggest having this surgery done for cosmetic only reasons. If you can prove
that the surgery is essential to your wellbeing and health your insurance
company should pay for all or some of your treatment. But make sure this is in
writing before proceeding with any treatment. I wish you all luck and I hope
you have found this blog useful.
In the next few weeks I
will be releasing my first “Patient’s Guide to Orthognathic Surgery”. The booklet
will cover many issues surrounding post-operative care and possible
complications associated with this type of surgery. It will also detail helpful
tips and remedies I have found useful whilst recovering from orthognathic
surgery. This will be a donation based
booklet. Any proceeds made from the book will be invested into the creation of
the Jaw & Face charity scheme that I am currently setting up. This charity
will be the first charity specifically to help people who are undertaking any
form of jaw surgery and/ or have rare facial pain conditions.
If you would like to be kept informed about the latest work I am
undertaking and want to receive more content from the Jaw & Face
charity project you can subscribe for FREE on the link below. When you
subscribe you will receive “10 Myths about Braces” leaflet and my orthognathic
patient pack.
Many thanks
Stefanie
Available
now
To find out more click on the link below:
If you would like to be kept informed about the latest work I am undertaking and want to receive more content from the Jaw & Face charity project, you can subscribe for FREE on the link below.
Additional to this, if you have not already, please join me on my Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and google+ accounts. Stay tuned for more useful booklets and YouTube videos coming soon.
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