Art_930

Hi Beth - sorry for the delay - it's those holidays and I have no computer at home.

Re the insurance question. My surgery was covered completely by my medical insurance as I didn't have dental insurance at the time. My guess is that since the surgery takes place in a hospital rather than the dentist's office, it would be your medical insurance as well.

Recovery Time - Your jaws will probably be wired shut for 6 weeks. Not as awful as it sounds. I was able to speak quite clearly while still in intensive care. My maxillofacial surgeon was not able to give me much info as to what I could eat besides that I had to have everything in the blender.

Ensure and milk shakes get old pretty quick. My favourite meal was to boil carrots and potatoes till done, fry some ground beef with onions until it was nice and crispy, and throw it all into the blender (including the fat in the pan). Most people lose about 30 lbs while wired shut. I lost only 14.

As I said in my earlier posting, there was no pain involved and I was able to live a normal life after a few days.

Good luck to you!!