Jaw wiring OJW how to proceed

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ONCE YOU HAVE CHOSEN OJW FOR THE CONTROL OF COMPULSIVE EATING:

A note from Dr. Ted:

Your first question is probably "Is there an orthodontist located near me who does OJW?" If I knew of another provider of the orthodontic jaw wiring for weight loss approach that was closer to where you live I would tell you in a heartbeat. I am the only professional in the Tri-State area (or in fact anywhere in the USA as far as I know) to routinely offer this service and who actually has a method/protocol for providing this service. If you should come across another provider who offers OJW routinely please let me know because I would like to share my knowledge with them and visa-versa.

The fee for OJW is $2685 all future visits included. Is it worth it? ANSWER

Follow these steps to make an appointment with Dr. Ted for OJW:

1. Carefully read the FAQ's for OJW.

2. If you have made up your mind that OJW is right for you and you believe you are a person who fits the profile for being an acceptable candidate, and if it seems possible to choose me as the provider in spite of your distance from my office, then please carefully read the Informed Consent for OJW. Place your initials in the two places requested and add your typed signature and the date.

3. Place the Informed Consent in the body of an email and send it to me. (drted35@aol.com).

4. (DOWNLOAD ADULT ACQUAINTANCE FORM) and (DOWNLOAD THE ADULT MEDICAL HISTORY FORM) from the website. (See links to both forms at the bottom of the answer to question 1 in FAQ's for orthodontics). You will need to download free "Adobe reader" [under "SUPPORT" SEE "Download Acrobat Reader"] since the History and the Acquaintance forms are in PDF format, and fax them to me at the office...718 852 1894 , or mail them to my office...Dr. Ted Rothstein, 35 Remsen St., Brooklyn, NY 11201.

When I have received ALL THREE documents I will call/email you.

Important note: YOU WILL NEED TO PROVIDE ME A NOTE FROM YOUR PHYSICIAN SAYING: "The patient is in good health except for being overweight and may choose to begin a weight loss program that entails a low calorie liquid diet".

With care and concern,
Cordially, Dr. Ted Rothstein DDS, PhD
Specialist in Cosmetic Orthodontics for Adults and Children since 1976
35 Remsen St.
Brooklyn, NY 11201
718 852 1551; fax 718 852 1894

Cc. Office manager and Personal assistant
Website: http://www.drted.com for Cosmetic braces
Orthodontic Jaw wiring: http://www.drted.com/index.html/jaw_wiring.htm

OJW Financial Information:
The fee for the Jaw wiring service is $2685 with no costs for future visits. The initial visit is completed in 90 minutes, although the jaw wiring alone takes about 40 minutes.

The fee is paid as follows: A reservation fee of $485. (non-refundable) is due at the time you schedule your OJW appointment by phone. The balance must be paid in-full the day of your appointment. We do not offer a payment plan for the OJW service.

     OJW it seems may now be covered as a deductible medical/dental orthodontic expense for treatment of obesity, (Read the article taken from WebMD)) but as yet is not as far as I know covered by any insurance company. However, now that obesity has become the national epidemic that it is, the rules may change. For example the treatment of sleep apnea by use of devices made by dental professionals became a covered insurance expense when such a device was prescribed by a medical professional.
     The OJW procedure includes a panoramic x-ray if warranted, weigh-in, and the jaw wiring with appropriate instructions for replacing broken brackets and rewiring the jaws when a dentist or orthodontist can not be found to provide these services.
    It is hard for me to understand why an insurance company would prefer to pay out $28,000 for an operation that has 1/500 chance of causing your death when the first more conservative step of OJW might well prevent you from ever getting to need that sort of operation. Go argue with your insurance company.

Things to know following your OJW appointment:
     When you leave the office after the OJW initial visit, I will give you the date at which you should release your wiring to exercise your jaws. If you intend to return to my office to be evaluated, cleaned, and rewired, I will make a follow-up, evaluate/clean/ rewire appointment. If you do not have me do the rewiring at my office in Brooklyn because it is inconvenient to return every 4-6 weeks for evaluation and rewiring I will show you how to replace detached brackets and even rewire yourself. I would prefer, however, that your local dentist/orthodontist be there for you to rebond a bracket or rewire you should that become needed. More than likely you will NOT find an orthodontist willing to rewire you. That is why I take the time while you are at the office to show you or your significant other how to do it yourself. If a bracket becomes detached, and you let me know, I will locate an orthodontist in your town who will rebond the detached bracket (probable cost $35 $65). Four-five days prior to your return to the office please call the office and I will authorize you to remove the wire. You must then exercise the muscles that empower your jaw joint to minimize any stiffness that may occur. The best method is to chew gum until your jaws begin to tire then rest for 6 hours and then begin chewing again.
     The purpose of the return visits is to clean (prophylaxis) your teeth, evaluate the health of your teeth, gums, jaw muscles, TMJ (temporo-mandibular joint), rebond any brackets that you might have broken (by eating the crispy, crunchy, crusty foods which can cause the brackets to detach) while you were unwired and finally, rewire your teeth together again.
     The treatment charts of GS , VF , Jake Graham (1/19/03) and December 15, 2004 begin OJW for Dr. Marco Saurez and his sister Nancy are very informative.. These will provide you much information on some of the OJW patients I have helped with their problem of compulsive overeating by OJW. Please also read the letter A.T. wrote about the entire experience and my clinical notes regarding her case. Another source of information comes from Alicia F. an OJW patient who started her own website to document her experience. [Go to Alicia's website].
     I will then record your new weight. I would urge you prior to the initial wiring to have your teeth thoroughly "scaled" to remove tartar that has formed under the gums. Furthermore, I would have your dentist examine you to see if you are a fit candidate for the procedure. For instance, if you had a preexisting TMJ problem you would not be a fit candidate. Finally, I would Prescribe (Rx) for you to have your dentist take models of your upper and lower teeth and a "simple wax bite" (download the Rx) which you should send to me so that I can be certain that I am not going to encounter any unforeseen difficulties in wiring your jaws closed. You may go to the above address to download a letter to a/your dentist requesting that those molds be made. You may skip this step if your dentist reports to me that your teeth gums and jaw joints are in good health. I would strongly suggest you go to jaw wiring FAQs and read the answer to the Question: Who is not a good candidate for this procedure?

PPs. You would be wise to let your dentist and physician know what you are intending to do. However, you will find that they have little or no knowledge at all of OJW, so do not expect their automatic support... friends and family ditto. You may even find yourself more alone so all to the good if your best friend/spouse/domestic partner/significant other share your desire to help yourself to control compulsive eating. I encourage you to bring them along so that they can learn how to rebond a bracket and even rewire you (you can do it yourself) if that becomes necessary.
     Furthermore, if you are being treated for depression by a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist let them know what you are about to do. I have had OJW patients who began with the blessing of their doctors.

     Finally, for those who have decided they would like to start and would like to have directions from JFK or LaGuardia or Newark airports to my office in Brooklyn Heights (10 minute walk from the Brooklyn Bridge), you will find very thorough traveling other useful lodging information here.

Try to spend a weekend here and enjoy the wonders of New York and Brooklyn. We will make some good suggestions. Your trip will be a stellar one.

With care and concern: Dr. Ted, and the the "Rainbow" orthodontic team. Click here to read our bios!

The Brooklyn Marriott, (a 7-minute walk from the office, and 25 minute subway ride to mid-town Manhattan), offers a good rate for advanced booking.

While you are here take in the panoramic view of the East River, and of Lower Manhattan just a few steps from the office; then take a walk over the magnificent Brooklyn Bridge just 10 minutes from the office (150 calories). If you have a full day to spare take a tour of Manhattan on the NYC Water taxi: http://www.nywatertaxi.com. We'll treat you to the cost of the all-day excursion where you can can begin your trip by a 10-minute walk from the office to the taxi. Once boarded, you can get off and on at any of the scheduled stops that it makes.

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