Re: Anyone look worse before they looked better?

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Cheryl. It is at least somewhat comforting to know that I

have this group to turn to. I'm sure there will be times when I'm

depressed and frustrated, and it's great to know other people who

have experienced it too. Who else is going to understand?

> ,

>

> I'm sorry to have to report that yes, I did look worse as the

> orthodontia progressed. My case was entirely different from yours,

> though, as I had an open bite. My ortho had to widen the bite even

> further to get me aligned for surgery. Eating was difficult, to

put

> it lightly. Towards the end of treatment I only touched on my two,

> furthest back molars (nice sentence structure, there). I adjusted

my

> diet, cut everything into tiny pieces and managed. Consider it

good

> practice for after surgery! I wish that I could offer more comfort

> but I think that it is best to be as informed as possible going

into

> this endeavor. I found the worsening of my appearance to be only

one

> of the many humiliations brought on by the entire experience .

>

> Cheryl

[Guest guest]

I won't say necessarily that I " looked " worse, since my teeth were

really crooked going into my braces. Unlike a lot of the group on

here, my first set of braces didn't take at all and when my wisdoms

started to come in, they just shoved all of my teeth forward and I

basically had teeth fighting for position in my very overcrowded

mouth. I had all my wisdoms out and two premolars taken out on the

bottom, then I got my 2nd set of braces on. My teeth started to

straighten out almost immediately and visibly, they looked better.

However, my bite did steadily worsen as they got my teeth in position

for the surgery. When you get the braces put on, the ortho isn't

trying to get your teeth to look straight, he's trying to organize

your teeth in preparation for the surgery. So when the surgeon goes

in and fits your jaws together like a jigsaw, your teeth help, not

hinder, in the positioning of your jaws. That's why it's important to

get an ortho who has done braces in preparation for this surgery,

because it's not like braces for someone who just has crooked teeth.

Mainly they want the molars to match up well, since that is your

bite, and if you mess those up, you won't have the molars mesh

properly after the surgery (I know this, because I had about 3 months

there of constant fine tuning with the ortho and surgeon before my

surgery because these two front molars of mine were slightly twisted,

which would've meant a high point on the upper tooth hitting a high

point on the lower, instead of them meshing together high point to

valley (if that makes sense?). Hope this helps.

J.

> Hi everyone,

>

> I finally had my initial appt with my surgeon. I have a cross-bite

> and crooked chin. Going in, I thought I'd need lower and genio,

but

> I actually need upper (my jaw never fully formed) and lower

(surgeon

> believes my chin may straighten out once the lower is moved).

>

> Thanks to this site and everyone on it, I was well prepared. I had

a

> list of about 20 questions for the doc! He made a copy of it and

sat

> and answered each one. Needless to say, he made a good first

> impression.

>

> Anyway, my upper jaw apparently needs to be moved forward, so he

> wants braces put on to move my upper teeth back behind my lower

> teeth. Right now, my teeth are very straight and I'm very scared

> about how I'm gonna look before I have the surgery. The doc said

> things will get worse before they get better. Has anyone else

> experienced this? Where the braces made you look worse than before

> you put them on? How did you deal with it? I wouldn't mind if I

> didn't have to go to an office of about 500 people everyday. I

guess

> I'm gonna have to get used to covering my mouth everytime I laugh.

> If anyone had the same situation as me, did it make your upper lip

> look sunken in? And how did you eat? Were you able to bite into

> things?

>

> I just hope in the end it will all be worth it.

>

> Thanks for any advice you could give.

>

> -Michele

[Guest guest]

I won't say necessarily that I " looked " worse, since my teeth were

really crooked going into my braces. Unlike a lot of the group on

here, my first set of braces didn't take at all and when my wisdoms

started to come in, they just shoved all of my teeth forward and I

basically had teeth fighting for position in my very overcrowded

mouth. I had all my wisdoms out and two premolars taken out on the

bottom, then I got my 2nd set of braces on. My teeth started to

straighten out almost immediately and visibly, they looked better.

However, my bite did steadily worsen as they got my teeth in position

for the surgery. When you get the braces put on, the ortho isn't

trying to get your teeth to look straight, he's trying to organize

your teeth in preparation for the surgery. So when the surgeon goes

in and fits your jaws together like a jigsaw, your teeth help, not

hinder, in the positioning of your jaws. That's why it's important to

get an ortho who has done braces in preparation for this surgery,

because it's not like braces for someone who just has crooked teeth.

Mainly they want the molars to match up well, since that is your

bite, and if you mess those up, you won't have the molars mesh

properly after the surgery (I know this, because I had about 3 months

there of constant fine tuning with the ortho and surgeon before my

surgery because these two front molars of mine were slightly twisted,

which would've meant a high point on the upper tooth hitting a high

point on the lower, instead of them meshing together high point to

valley (if that makes sense?). Hope this helps.

J.

> Hi everyone,

>

> I finally had my initial appt with my surgeon. I have a cross-bite

> and crooked chin. Going in, I thought I'd need lower and genio,

but

> I actually need upper (my jaw never fully formed) and lower

(surgeon

> believes my chin may straighten out once the lower is moved).

>

> Thanks to this site and everyone on it, I was well prepared. I had

a

> list of about 20 questions for the doc! He made a copy of it and

sat

> and answered each one. Needless to say, he made a good first

> impression.

>

> Anyway, my upper jaw apparently needs to be moved forward, so he

> wants braces put on to move my upper teeth back behind my lower

> teeth. Right now, my teeth are very straight and I'm very scared

> about how I'm gonna look before I have the surgery. The doc said

> things will get worse before they get better. Has anyone else

> experienced this? Where the braces made you look worse than before

> you put them on? How did you deal with it? I wouldn't mind if I

> didn't have to go to an office of about 500 people everyday. I

guess

> I'm gonna have to get used to covering my mouth everytime I laugh.

> If anyone had the same situation as me, did it make your upper lip

> look sunken in? And how did you eat? Were you able to bite into

> things?

>

> I just hope in the end it will all be worth it.

>

> Thanks for any advice you could give.

>

> -Michele

[Guest guest]

Hi Michele!

Congrats on taking that first step!! It can sometimes be the hardest

step of all during this process.

I'd classify myself as one who looked worse. Granted, I was butt-

ugly before, but the surgery added a big gap between my teeth and a

few other things (still can't chew anything at 5+ weeks post-op even

though my surgeon has given me the ok to go for soft stuff). But, I

know it is all temporary and don't mind the the setback. I realize

you're talking more about the pre-surgery changes but its all tied

together and the end result is really what it's all about. Sure,

your face is going to be in a state of flux for a short time. But

just keep looking to the future when you'll have a big bright smile

to flash around to show for the temporary discomfort!!

For me, eating hasn't been a big issue even though I can't chew.

I've heard of people loosing 10, 15, even 20 lbs or more throughout

this process. Well, I initially lost about 5 lbs, but I've gained it

back. There are all kinds of things you can eat even though you

can't chew or bite into things. I'm squishing oatmeal around with my

tongue right now. I can eat almost any kind of cream soup (I have a

bit of trouble with beef based soups due to the toughness of the

meat). I've been eating those frozen meatballs like crazy (they're

really good with gravy and mashed potatoes). I bought 2 cases of

Ensure before my surgery thinking that may be all I can eat

afterwards. I still have a full case plus a couple extra cans left.

Not sure what I'll do with it, maybe donate it to a nursing home here

or something. The Zip-N-Squeeze product is fantastic if you're wired

or banded shut post-op to help with the feeding chores. It's pretty

much all up to your imagination!!

Hope all of my ramblings here helps somewhat!

Jeff

[Guest guest]

--Michele, having just gotten my braces off a few days ago, I can

definitely say it is worth it. I didn't have your problem exactly,

but my lower teeth were extremely crooked. I had a device (and I

can't think of the name of it now) that spread my lower teeth out

because they were so crowded (palate expander??). Anyway, I even

have a picture of my lower teeth under dolfan. To me, I looked

hideous for weeks just with that problem. One of my lower teeth was

so far back from the rest, I looked ridiculous. Then, I was still

wearing a bite plate and my bite was wider than ever. Then, there

are the rubber bands after surgery. The ones in the front. I hated

them. I hated going to work and talking to people or going to the

store, but I had to. Bottom line is this is not an easy thing

emotionally. I felt honestly that for like a year and a half, every

time I looked in the mirror, something was making me hate the way I

look. However, like I said, now I am so glad I did it. I always

kept in my head " this is only temporary " and in the scheme of life,

it's really not a big deal. I think it bugged me more than anyone

else in my office, store, etc. You know some people still haven't

noticed my braces are off. That's how closely they pay attention.

Anyway, if you have a bite problem and have the opportunity to get it

fixed, I think it's wise that you do. You may end up with so many

worse problems if it's not corrected. Good luck to you, Donna

- In orthognathicsurgerysupport , flafrog912

<no_reply@y...> wrote:

> I won't say necessarily that I " looked " worse, since my teeth were

> really crooked going into my braces. Unlike a lot of the group on

> here, my first set of braces didn't take at all and when my wisdoms

> started to come in, they just shoved all of my teeth forward and I

> basically had teeth fighting for position in my very overcrowded

> mouth. I had all my wisdoms out and two premolars taken out on the

> bottom, then I got my 2nd set of braces on. My teeth started to

> straighten out almost immediately and visibly, they looked better.

>

> However, my bite did steadily worsen as they got my teeth in

position

> for the surgery. When you get the braces put on, the ortho isn't

> trying to get your teeth to look straight, he's trying to organize

> your teeth in preparation for the surgery. So when the surgeon goes

> in and fits your jaws together like a jigsaw, your teeth help, not

> hinder, in the positioning of your jaws. That's why it's important

to

> get an ortho who has done braces in preparation for this surgery,

> because it's not like braces for someone who just has crooked

teeth.

> Mainly they want the molars to match up well, since that is your

> bite, and if you mess those up, you won't have the molars mesh

> properly after the surgery (I know this, because I had about 3

months

> there of constant fine tuning with the ortho and surgeon before my

> surgery because these two front molars of mine were slightly

twisted,

> which would've meant a high point on the upper tooth hitting a high

> point on the lower, instead of them meshing together high point to

> valley (if that makes sense?). Hope this helps.

>

> J.

>

>

> > Hi everyone,

> >

> > I finally had my initial appt with my surgeon. I have a cross-

bite

> > and crooked chin. Going in, I thought I'd need lower and genio,

> but

> > I actually need upper (my jaw never fully formed) and lower

> (surgeon

> > believes my chin may straighten out once the lower is moved).

> >

> > Thanks to this site and everyone on it, I was well prepared. I

had

> a

> > list of about 20 questions for the doc! He made a copy of it and

> sat

> > and answered each one. Needless to say, he made a good first

> > impression.

> >

> > Anyway, my upper jaw apparently needs to be moved forward, so he

> > wants braces put on to move my upper teeth back behind my lower

> > teeth. Right now, my teeth are very straight and I'm very scared

> > about how I'm gonna look before I have the surgery. The doc said

> > things will get worse before they get better. Has anyone else

> > experienced this? Where the braces made you look worse than

before

> > you put them on? How did you deal with it? I wouldn't mind if I

> > didn't have to go to an office of about 500 people everyday. I

> guess

> > I'm gonna have to get used to covering my mouth everytime I

laugh.

> > If anyone had the same situation as me, did it make your upper

lip

> > look sunken in? And how did you eat? Were you able to bite into

> > things?

> >

> > I just hope in the end it will all be worth it.

> >

> > Thanks for any advice you could give.

> >

> > -Michele

[Guest guest]

Michele,

I'm only 5 months into my braces, and definitely see a huge

difference. At this time, it's not what I'd like to think of as

a " flattering " thing. My face looks really crooked and off all over

the place. Luckily, my ortho/surgeon informed me YES it does get

worse before it gets better.

I'm in the same position as you, I hate dealing with having to look

at my face and look at it change into something I don't like. At

least, that's how it is with me. I'm going to have surgery in the

summer (hopefully.. if all things go as planned!!).

I tell myself everyday that my bite/function/face will all be back to

normal, and beautiful before I know it - and it will for you too

soon!! It's all worth it.. I'm so anxious it's killing me, but the

time will come where you will look back on this entire situation and

say to yourself.. " Man, I'm glad I did this! "

Take Care,

Andy

> > > Hi everyone,

> > >

> > > I finally had my initial appt with my surgeon. I have a cross-

> bite

> > > and crooked chin. Going in, I thought I'd need lower and

genio,

> > but

> > > I actually need upper (my jaw never fully formed) and lower

> > (surgeon

> > > believes my chin may straighten out once the lower is moved).

> > >

> > > Thanks to this site and everyone on it, I was well prepared. I

> had

> > a

> > > list of about 20 questions for the doc! He made a copy of it

and

> > sat

> > > and answered each one. Needless to say, he made a good first

> > > impression.

> > >

> > > Anyway, my upper jaw apparently needs to be moved forward, so

he

> > > wants braces put on to move my upper teeth back behind my lower

> > > teeth. Right now, my teeth are very straight and I'm very

scared

> > > about how I'm gonna look before I have the surgery. The doc

said

> > > things will get worse before they get better. Has anyone else

> > > experienced this? Where the braces made you look worse than

> before

> > > you put them on? How did you deal with it? I wouldn't mind if

I

> > > didn't have to go to an office of about 500 people everyday. I

> > guess

> > > I'm gonna have to get used to covering my mouth everytime I

> laugh.

> > > If anyone had the same situation as me, did it make your upper

> lip

> > > look sunken in? And how did you eat? Were you able to bite

into

> > > things?

> > >

> > > I just hope in the end it will all be worth it.

> > >

> > > Thanks for any advice you could give.

> > >

> > > -Michele

[Guest guest]

Hi Michele,

The only advice I can give you is to think to the future and don't

stare at your face in the mirror so much! I'm having upper/lower for

a Class III open bite this summer...been in braces 6 1/2 months. I

have noticed a significant change in my lower jaw. The teeth in the

front of my lower jaw are now straight, therefore making it appear

that my underbite is worse...which it is. My open bite is now more

open, also. Eating is a real chore. I've lost 10 lbs (and I didn't

need to lose it; I'm petite). Can't wait till it's all over with.

I have found that I'm not so self-conscious now that I'm getting my

bite problem fixed, in fact, I like my braces. For me, it feels good

just knowing that I'm doing something about my bite. Before I started

this whole process, I hated for people to look at me. Don't get me

wrong...I'm not ugly. But I do have an unattractive profile with my

slightly jutting chin and VERY long, thin face. People always think I

look sad or angry, when in fact, I'm not...it's just the length of my

face and the thinness that gives me that " look " . Anyway, I guess

because I'm " fixing " my problem, I don't mind telling people about

the whole thing or showing my face. Make sense?

This group is wonderful. Keep posting. And remember, it will get

better. (And don't be ashamed to smile!!)

Take care,

Becky

[Guest guest]

I do not believe, Jeff, that you were ever " butt-ugly. " That's

impossible, if you're caring about other people.

Well, no... That's still not a pass (my hubby doesn't think kindly of

my making passes at nice, eligible young men). But you flatter me

that you would want one!

I agree that the first step can be the hardest. And my bite certainly

got worse as i went along. (We won't talk about my post-Clydesdale-

encounter appearance after surgery, thank you very much. One friend

declined to post my admittedly badly taken photos for fear of

terrifying animals and small children who might venture into the

photos. And I confess to having worried a bit as I left the hospital,

where I was on the pediatric ward, lest I frighten a child. I was

badly bruised and super ugly, but it did not hurt (or I had so much

joy juice in me that I did not care), and I did not swell badly,

thank goodness.)

If you have a stick blender, it'll whiz up those beef soups in a

hurry. And as for the Ensure -- a nursing home is a good idea; so is

an agency that assists patients who have AIDS, or any hospice in your

vicinity. Many of the patients at all three around here are in

perilous financial condition and are nutritionally frail as well. And

Ensure, as you may have noted, does not come cheap.

Cammie

> Hi Michele!

> Congrats on taking that first step!! It can sometimes be the

hardest

> step of all during this process.

>

> I'd classify myself as one who looked worse. Granted, I was butt-

> ugly before, but the surgery added a big gap between my teeth and a

> few other things (still can't chew anything at 5+ weeks post-op

even

> though my surgeon has given me the ok to go for soft stuff). But,

I

> know it is all temporary and don't mind the the setback. I realize

> you're talking more about the pre-surgery changes but its all tied

> together and the end result is really what it's all about. Sure,

> your face is going to be in a state of flux for a short time. But

> just keep looking to the future when you'll have a big bright smile

> to flash around to show for the temporary discomfort!!

>

> For me, eating hasn't been a big issue even though I can't chew.

> I've heard of people loosing 10, 15, even 20 lbs or more throughout

> this process. Well, I initially lost about 5 lbs, but I've gained

it

> back. There are all kinds of things you can eat even though you

> can't chew or bite into things. I'm squishing oatmeal around with

my

> tongue right now. I can eat almost any kind of cream soup (I have

a

> bit of trouble with beef based soups due to the toughness of the

> meat). I've been eating those frozen meatballs like crazy (they're

> really good with gravy and mashed potatoes). I bought 2 cases of

> Ensure before my surgery thinking that may be all I can eat

> afterwards. I still have a full case plus a couple extra cans

left.

> Not sure what I'll do with it, maybe donate it to a nursing home

here

> or something. The Zip-N-Squeeze product is fantastic if you're

wired

> or banded shut post-op to help with the feeding chores. It's

pretty

> much all up to your imagination!!

>

> Hope all of my ramblings here helps somewhat!

>

> Jeff

[Guest guest]

Gee Cammie, I think I'm blushing (again....)!

I wasn't too worried about the animals and small children. But I was

a littled worried about all the hot " babes " that might see me as I

sat all swollen, bruised, and miserable in the car while my dad went

into the drug store to get my drugs on the way home from the

hospital. I was very much releved when I didn't see any (animals,

small children, or " babes " )...

I hadn't thought about my Braun (stick) blender. It's been setting

in my cupboard for several years feeling neglected. That would be a

LOT easer to deal with than my big blender (and a lot easier to

clean!!).

I gave my extra Ensure to the Alzheimer's hospital down the street.

They were very thankful for it and I was thankful to get rid of it,

so it worked out great!

Jeff

> I do not believe, Jeff, that you were ever " butt-ugly. " That's

> impossible, if you're caring about other people.

>

> Well, no... That's still not a pass (my hubby doesn't think kindly

of

> my making passes at nice, eligible young men). But you flatter me

> that you would want one!

>

> I agree that the first step can be the hardest. And my bite

certainly

> got worse as i went along. (We won't talk about my post-Clydesdale-

> encounter appearance after surgery, thank you very much. One friend

> declined to post my admittedly badly taken photos for fear of

> terrifying animals and small children who might venture into the

> photos. And I confess to having worried a bit as I left the

hospital,

> where I was on the pediatric ward, lest I frighten a child. I was

> badly bruised and super ugly, but it did not hurt (or I had so much

> joy juice in me that I did not care), and I did not swell badly,

> thank goodness.)

>

> If you have a stick blender, it'll whiz up those beef soups in a

> hurry. And as for the Ensure -- a nursing home is a good idea; so

is

> an agency that assists patients who have AIDS, or any hospice in

your

> vicinity. Many of the patients at all three around here are in

> perilous financial condition and are nutritionally frail as well.

And

> Ensure, as you may have noted, does not come cheap.

>

> Cammie

>