Lauren’s Total Joint Replacement Surgery
Donation protected
Hi, my name is Lauren, I am 23 years old and suffering from a rare joint disease in my jaw called Idiopathic Condylar Resorption.
As a child, I went through two rounds of braces as well as a palate expander to try to fix my bite. As soon as I got the second round of braces off, I began to develop an open bite. Eventually, my adult dentist pointed out problems in my teeth and jaw, which lead to several consults. My condylar heads most likely started absorbing 10+ years ago but I wasn’t diagnosed until 2021. Many people go through years, if not decades without the right diagnosis because this condition is not widely known.
As a result of this condition I have:
- A severe open bite, that prevents me from properly biting into food.
- My open bite has also caused my back teeth to become extremely worn.
- Painful clicking and popping when I open my mouth.
- Headaches
- A receding chin.
- Smaller airways, which has resulted in snoring and other sleeping issues. I frequently wake up several times throughout the night out of breath and with a sore throat.
The only way to fix this issue is by getting Total Joint Replacement Surgery, combined with upper jaw surgery and continued orthodontics.
After over a year of research and due to the complexity of my case, I will be traveling out of state to get this surgery. I found a surgeon in Oklahoma City who does more of these surgeries in a year than many surgeons do in their entire careers.
The costs:
At this time, it does not seem like my insurance plan will cover any of this surgery due to traveling out of state. This surgery is estimated to cost around $100,000. This includes a $30,000 non-refundable deposit to start creating the joints. I am reaching out for help covering some of the surgeon fees, hospital fees, cost to create custom-made joints, etc.
Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read and share my story.