So we had a helluva time getting a referral to an oral/maxillofacial surgeon, but they finally found us one (yes, one. They claimed only one was available in our network which seemed a bit odd to us) Well I'll speed thru this part as much as I can, but I basically wasn't very confident in this doctors abilities right from the beginning (though, don't get me wrong... he is very nice!) He made us pay out of pocket for pan xrays & a few other things, then set up a plan of attack that involved a device called a T.I.D (temporary implantation device) being bolted into the roof of my mouth with screws on the outside gumlines above the molars that would essentially, when activated by rubberbands my orthodontist would put onto them, essentially close my open bite enough that insurance would deem the surgery "medically necessary" since I was getting the run around being told this was cosmetic and it's FAR from cosmetic. He implanted the device (which at first was going to cost us $800 out of pocket & I balked loudly, and somehow after that they got it covered. I woke up 2 or maybe even 3 different times during the outpatient surgery... saying "hi!" each time & them rushing to give me more Versed (docs, like usual, didn't believe what a high tolerance to medications that I have!) and finally the *very* uncomfortable device was in and I looked like a Cabbage Patch Kid for a week :( Awhile after that, surgery finally got approved but by that time he had (I think accidentally) told us "you know, I don't do many of these exact types of cases, I'll be honest... but I *think* I can do it!" Umm... no. In addition to that, I had asked his front desk manager for names of other jaw surgery patients and she said she'd have to ask them for their approval on it but she'd get them to me. And then she lagged... and lagged. I asked again & was again put off. Finally one day she called with 2 names. Two! By that time I was not confident & decided to search elsewhere for a qualified surgeon.
And so we checked again with our medical group, who again said there was only one. And so we went so far as to switch medical groups!! That took some time, and in the meantime my braces had already been on 2 years (way longer than they should have been) and my teeth were beginning to show signs of wear, my orthodontist was urging me to find someone PRONTO and have this surgery, and of course the T.I.D. appliance Margossian had put in had done what it needed to (closed my open bite) but was in there TOO long and the gum tissue was then growing OVER the appliance!
We went through heck trying to again find qualified surgeons. It really shouldn't have to be this hard! And you won't believe this but at one point when my GP put in for a referral as he had many times (my old GP had switched medical groups too so I had my old trusted doc doing it all for me again ironically) we got back approval to consult with... Margossian!!! Well at this point hubby was just fed up & went to town called everybody in our medical group he could think of, talking to supervisors, writing letters. And my ortho even wrote letters as well! Finally we were given 2 names out of the general area but about an hour away. I googled the name Daniel Levin, thought his credentials sounded good, and called him.
I'm happy to say that once we got in to see him for that consultation, things moved at warp speed. Thank God!! He first needed to take more updated Panorex x-rays (and we again paid out of pocket unfortunately but hubby didn't care because we were just OVER it all at this point!) and then Dr. Levin made an appt to remove the T.I.D. device (which was unfortunately done under local anesthesia, hubby had tried to pay more to get twilight general and was under the impression that's what happens while he waited but since I'd not been told 12 hours before not to eat or drink anything... only a local w/ nitrous could be given. That all said, while it was awful, I was awake but way out of it. So I felt nothing but heard everything. And for all the trouble poor Dr. Levin had taking them appliance out (he said out loud "geez, he put this thing into your mouth like he never intended on taking it out!") I felt more comfortable with him as a surgeon honestly *because* I was able to hear him and feel the way he worked... how he treated me & his staff. I liked his sense of humor but his caring approach without being too stuffy.
So I was swollen as heck for almost 2 weeks but once THAT part finally healed, then we were ready for stage 1 of 2... upper palate surgery. Now where most docs I'd seen (I forgot to mention earlier that in the insurance run around I'd even been approved to one of the best UCLA teaching docs when it comes to jaw surgery, Alan Felsenfeld. I was so super excited because his name is just so well known when it comes to this type of surgery. Well as was so often the case for us, the "approval" was basically a ajoke
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