Advice for expensive procedure?

jonmor

I need to get corrective surgery on my jaw to fix my underbite as it is causing me all sorts of problems. I went to see a maxillofacial specialist a couple of years ago and he told me it would cost around €7000/€8000 for reconstructive surgery to correct the problem but at the time I definitely couldn't afford it and although it was causing me problems I felt I could live with it, but I have since changed my decision on this and would like to get it fixed now (Although I still can't really afford it)

Basically I'm looking for some advice, I've heard a lot of people are going to eastern Europe for cheaper procedures but considering this isn't really a routine dental procedure I don't know if I'd risk doing it on the cheap, but I was wondering if it would be cheaper in Northern Ireland, has anyone ever gone there for treatment?

Another thing I was looking for advice on is getting tax relief for necessary dental procedures, does anyone have any info on this and would it apply to my situation?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I don't really know where to start with all this...

Thanks
Jon

btkm8unsl0w5r4

OK a Maxillio facial surgeon is both a doctor with consultant training in surgery and a dentist. They preform the most complex proceedures repositioning jaw....reconstructing faces and removing mouth cancer. If you needed to see one of these guys you have a problem that can only be fixed by difficult and potentially damgerious facial surgery. Seriously you want the best person doing this job...if you cant afford it you can....live without it or try the dublin dental hospital who may be cheaper. Take the advice these experts give you. This is a major operation.

The Content is not intended as a substitute for professional medical/dental advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician, dental professional, or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical/dental condition. Never disregard professional medical/dental advice or delay in seeking it because of Content found on this forum.

lomb

what problems are you having? jaw surgery is risky, you could lose sensation permanently to your lip cheek or tongue. whatever about going to bulgaria about teeth i doubt its sane to have your jaw seperated there. i dont beleive there are any tax write offs for this procedure unless its considered orthodontically related by revenue in which case it might.
follow fitzgemes advice..

jonmor

Thanks for the advice I'll try contacting the Dublin Dental Hospital during the week.

The problem is the teeth of my lower jaw are out of line with my upper teeth, partly due to an underbite and partly due to braces I had on my top teeth when I was a teen (I'm 25 now) moving them back slightly. This has led to problems with my Temporomandibular joint, which in turn led to tension headaches, throat pain, problems with posture, stiffness in my shoulders, a general tightness in my throat and a number of other stress related problems (on top of the physical problems it causes). The main reason I wanted to get it fixed was that the problems seem to get worse with time and it would be a great relief to be rid of some of them.

I do realise that I would need braces after part of my jaw is removed and that I could be running into huge bills but at this stage I really need to get it sorted. I was hoping though that if this procedure was deemed orthodontic that I may save a few quids on tax relief but I'm unsure of where I would find out about such relief, should I contact the revenue or should any specialist I see have this information readily available?

lomb

it may not necessarily be your small jaw but the pain could be from
wisdom teeth,or from bruxing/grinding, although bruxing is made worse by loss of anterior guidance that you proabably dont have as your lower jaw is small, and finally jaw pain is common when you have interferences towards the back when you move your jaw to one side. the worst interferences are on the side opposite to the jaw moving. so if you move to the left while your teeth are still in contact and you feel a sudden bump as molars contact on the right then this is very damaging. bruxing has not been proven to be caused by bad bites, but ideal bites reduce the effect on the teeth and probably reduce intensity.
see a dentist..

jonmor

I think I'll definitely have to go back up to the dentist for advice.

I do know it's not my wisdom teeth though as I had them all removed a couple of years back (to free up space in my mouth), but I'd imagine it's my jaw being too large that's the main problem (although I do grind my teeth as a result, which adds to the problem)

**ps it's my bottom teeth that are foward i.e. my jaw (bottom) is larger than normal

lomb

jonmor wrote:

I think I'll definitely have to go back up to the dentist for advice.

I do know it's not my wisdom teeth though as I had them all removed a couple of years back (to free up space in my mouth), but I'd imagine it's my jaw being too large that's the main problem (although I do grind my teeth as a result, which adds to the problem)

**ps it's my bottom teeth that are foward i.e. my jaw (bottom) is larger than normal

its probably not as a result, as i said you grind your teeth (due to stress, mind factors no one really knows about) but your arch which normally limits the intensity of the forces is possibly not doing so. resetting your teeth and jaw probably wont stop the grinding. why dont you have a hard bite raising splint made up? if this is properly made it might do the job of limiting force and damage to your teeth. id be trying this before doing anything serious.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

The Content is not intended as a substitute for professional medical/dental advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician, dental professional, or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical/dental condition. Never disregard professional medical/dental advice or delay in seeking it because of Content found on this forum.

Wight

lomb wrote:

i dont beleive there are any tax write offs for this procedure unless its considered orthodontically related by revenue in which case it might.
follow fitzgemes advice..

It is tax deductible under the Med 1 schedule as an irregular medical expense.

Duras

jonmor wrote:

I need to get corrective surgery on my jaw to fix my underbite as it is causing me all sorts of problems. I went to see a maxillofacial specialist a couple of years ago and he told me it would cost around €7000/€8000 for reconstructive surgery to correct the problem but at the time I definitely couldn't afford it and although it was causing me problems I felt I could live with it, but I have since changed my decision on this and would like to get it fixed now (Although I still can't really afford it)

Basically I'm looking for some advice, I've heard a lot of people are going to eastern Europe for cheaper procedures but considering this isn't really a routine dental procedure I don't know if I'd risk doing it on the cheap, but I was wondering if it would be cheaper in Northern Ireland, has anyone ever gone there for treatment?

Another thing I was looking for advice on is getting tax relief for necessary dental procedures, does anyone have any info on this and would it apply to my situation?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I don't really know where to start with all this...

Thanks
Jon

My mother in law had some serious problems with her jaw few years back and she got fixed in Bucharest.

If you're interested in some "dental tourism" I can try to get in touch with her doctor and see what the story is for foreigners. I have no idea the costs are there but I am pretty sure that it should be significantly lower than here.

I live in Ireland for quite few years now but I try to do all my medical related stuff (including dental issues) back in Romania: cheaper & better. A bit shocking considering the amount of money that goes into the Irish health system and the pocket change that goes in the Romanian health system.

Dalas

My Aunt had to get a major procedure done and saved a huge amount by going to portugal. My cousin lives over there now so if you need any advice on going abroad I could give you her email if you like? She lives with a dental nurse over there so may be helpful...

Wight

Maxillo-facial surgery is high risk serious surgery. It is NOT suitable for any sort of "tourism" approach whatsoever. You're talking major orthopaedic surgery to your face.

frahag

sounds like its better to get it done in Dublin

michellie

if you want to go ahead with it, do it right. I worked in a dental surgery and the amount of people who had to come to us to get treatment from dodgy work done abroad is just not worth it. find a good surgeon in ireland and work out a payment scheme with them. Isnt it best to pay once and get it done right first time round?

you can claim back on a MED1 form, get the surgery to fill out a MED2 for for you, keep all receipts(you dont need to send in the receipts unless asked to do so),you can claim back 42% of the treatment charges.

georgieporgy

I'm really curious to know what Jonmor ended up doing, now that 2 years has passed.
(with 'Prison Break' over I need something else to occupy my mind)

helimachoptor

I know the post is old but for others..

The OH got a palatal expansion and a jaw move as her mouth was pretty crowded and she was getting braces in to straighten up her teeth. The Maxillo surgeon was based in Limerick (name escapes me) but apparently he's the best in the country and is highly recommended.

As Fitzgeme says maxillo surgery is risky. My Gf got a serious enough op and the surgeon went through the risks.. loss of feeling, numbeness, complete paralysis on one sides of the face or both, numb tongue, disruption of blood flow causing secondary problems. Also for my OH she was pretty much on mush food for about a month afterwards and lost a lot of weight. She was very sore for the next few weeks too.

thenameisjohn

I'm 18 years old and when i was younger i was told at around 18+ i'd need jaw surgery to correct an underbite (sorry if i don't know any terms) and i was always dreading the day would come..
But last year i went to my orthodontist and he filled me in on what is to happen.. I've to get braces then after 6 months-1 year i'm advized to get surgery. I know myself it isn't noticeable at all really so i'm not cautious of it, it's my teeth is all that i'd consider fairly noticeable.. I'm looking for a few answers to a few questions if at all possible..
Q1. Is there any chance i could get the surgery like a week or 2 after getting braces on instead of waiting months..? this is the main thing on the top of me head because when the braces are on the bite will become more noticeable so i'd rather get the surgery earlier..
Q2. If i can get the surgery within 2 weeks would this make the length of wearing the braces longer?.
Q3. After surgery, when will the results be fully shown?
and
Q4. I play hurling and football at county level so sport is really important to me, will this procedure keep me out of playing for a long period?

Thanks very much for reading and i'd love to see an answer as soon as possible.. Preferably from someone who works in this line of work.
Thanks again, John P