What You Need To Know Before Undergoing Jaw Joint Surgery
Jaw joint surgery is used to treat many problems of the jaw joint, including adhesive capsulitis, swollen jaw joint, stiff jaws, and arthritis. It is also used to correct jaw deformities caused by injuries or disease, and to treat jaw ailments like overbite and underbite. Open surgery usually involves exposing the jaw joint completely to make a slit in the bone. The cost of jaw joint surgery depends highly on what kind of jaw joint surgery the oral surgeon is doing. If the jaw surgery is rather simple (e.g., repositioning of some damaged cartilage), surgery could take less than an hour to perform. On the other hand, complex jaw joint surgery may take more than half an hour to perform, and the cost of jaw joint replacement surgery goes up accordingly.
Cost
Before a person can know what jaw joint surgery cost will be, he or she should get a correct estimate of how much jaw joint replacement surgery is likely to cost from the doctor or a general dentist specializing in jaw joint surgery. The cost is mostly based on what part of the jaw joint needs to be replaced, and it also includes the materials that are used to do the replacement. The condition of the jaw joint is a very important factor in determining how much the replacement jaw joint surgery will cost. In the case of complex jaw joint surgery, the oral surgeon is likely to use several dental materials. These dental materials come at different prices and are used in a variety of jaw joint replacement surgeries. Patients need to find out which materials they are likely to use before deciding how much the jaw joint surgery will cost them.
Dental Materials
A good example of jaw joint surgery replacement that involves several dental materials is when a patient has TMJ surgery, also called TMJ. In this case, the jaw joint surgery replacement will involve the use of several dental implants that are made to fit precisely into the jaw bone. Because several factors need to be considered when figuring out the cost of the surgery, such as the age of the person and his general health, the cost of jaw joint replacement will vary from one patient to another. This means that it can sometimes take several years before a patient finally gets a price that suits his or her budget.
Several things can determine the overall cost of jaw pain and TMJ joint replacement surgery. The severity of the jaw joint pain and the amount of time the person has had the jaw pain and time since it began to form. Other things can also contribute to the cost of jaw pain and TMJ joint replacement surgery. For example, if the pain and jaw joint pain is caused by an injury to the jaw joint or the area surrounding it, the cost of jaw pain and the surgery will be higher. The severity of jaw pain will determine how much additional surgery is needed.
A patient’s overall health and the type of jaw joint surgery, he or she may have will also play a large role in the price of the jaw joint surgery.
What Affects Cost
People who are overweight, have poor muscle tone and limited flexibility are likely to have higher costs of jaw joint surgery. Patients who have some degree of deformity to their jawbones or wear dentures that are not secured will also pay more for jawopasty surgery. People who have had radiation therapy to treat cancer of the jaw or those who have had recent surgeries that affected the jaw joint will likely pay more for their jaw joint surgery. Those who have had recent dental procedures will likely pay more than people with healthy teeth and oral cavity.
Patients who have a healthy jaw joint but are suffering from pain due to arthritis, osteoarthritis or a similar condition will also be charged more for jaw joint replacement surgery. When the jaw joint has already begun to fail, it may be too late to perform an open jaw joint surgery to repair the joint and restore motion to the jaw. Jaw joint replacement surgery should only be performed on those who can demonstrate that they cannot function without the use of their jaw joint and can no longer chew, swallow or move their jaw in any way that allows them to open their mouth widely. It is important to remember that the more severe your pain, the more expensive the surgery will be.
Types of Jaw Joint Surgery
There are several different types of jaw joint surgery, including incisionless arthroscopic jaw joint replacement surgery, which involves an incision in the jaw’s soft tissue where bone and cartilage have deteriorated. This surgery is often performed on patients who have a significant amount of jawbone loss, are overweight and have limited mobility. Inferior jaw joint surgery is performed on younger patients who have experienced mild to moderate jaw joint dysfunction or who are in good physical health.
After a thorough consultation with a surgeon and the attending physician, you will be given a list of possible candidates for jaw joint surgery. This will typically include both children and adults. When you have been chosen as a potential candidate, you will have to go back to your primary care doctor and arrange for overnight lodging. You will then have a few days of preparation, from applying bandages to healing your jaw before your scheduled surgery. Once the surgery is completed, you will need several weeks of rehabilitation after your recovery to return to your normal daily activities.
