Hello Everyone

[Guest guest]

I'm surprised by how active this list is! The other one on

yahoogroups hardly has a post a day.

Here is my story. I'm 30. When I was 10 and about to get braces (the

first time!!) I was told there was a 50-50 chance of needing surgery.

They said they would move my lower jaw back. They tried a chin-cup,

which of course did not slow down the growth of my lower jaw, but did

give me nice case of jaw joint paint by mashing my lower jaw into

the socket. How could they *not* know that would happen? I stopped

wearing the chin cup in high school, but then had to deal

with the fact that my teeth did not fit together properly without it;

sure, they fixed my open bite, but now my teeth hit edge-to-edge,

rather than giving a slight overbite as is normal. I have an open-

bite again, and my front tooth is slightly chipped from being over-

stressed. I basically have four teeth taking the impact for 32.

I then had crozats for three years by a quack who did nothing but

waste my time and money, and then a general dentist who I believed

was an orthodontist who wasted even more time and money - I

threatened to sue and when she got served she refunded half of my

money. She told me that she could move my upper jaw forward with just

appliances, and gave me appliances that could not work on anyone but

a child who was still growing.

I'm glad I didn't get surgery in high school, because now everyone I

consult says I need my upper jaw moved forward rather than my lower

jaw moved back. I also have a really long chin which I don't like.

I have consulted with Dr. Pogrel of UCSF. He said he would do my chin

cosmetically, but didn't think my insurance would pay for orthognatic

surgery. He essentially told me he wasn't going to bother trying to

get them to, and I shouldn't either. They will only pay for MEDICAL

necessity, not dental. It gets better, though - when I asked them to

send me my X-rays, they also sent me the doctor's notes, and he

essentially wrote that I was a nut who was unsatisfied with her

appearance despite repeated orthodontics and perhaps a psychiatrist

could best argue for the medical need of surgery!!! The reason I went

to see him was because my dentist was strongly urging me to look into

surgery to prevent serious damage to my teeth, not because I'm wildly

disatisfied with my appearance!

I now live in San Diego. I'm going to meet the infamous Dr. Arnett of

Santa Barbara in a few weeks - I made the appointment six months ago.

There's an orthodontist here that is good friends with him. However,

I certainly wouldn't mind finding someone locally who is qualified.

My insurance will pay a tiny bit of his fees, and most or all of the

hospital fees. With all the hassle I've had though, I thought I might

consult with the best.

Thanks,

[Guest guest]

Hi, .

I am so sorry to hear about your experiences. And I agree that you

should go see this great doctor, even if he is far away!

Your orthognathic problems sound similar to mine. My upper is a little

recessed and my lower grew too much during braces, and I blamed that

on NO chin cup! He didn't even suggest it. After, my teeth were edge

to edge, and only a few teeth met--and I also have a cracked tooth

because of the incorrect bite and tmj pain. Now that I've been

weraring braces again, my underbite is very obvious, and a totally

crooked jaw, that I can't get over!

Well, I hope that Dr. Arnett is good for you!

Eileen

>

> I'm surprised by how active this list is! The other one on

> yahoogroups hardly has a post a day.

>

> Here is my story. I'm 30. When I was 10 and about to get braces (the

> first time!!) I was told there was a 50-50 chance of needing surgery.

> They said they would move my lower jaw back. They tried a chin-cup,

> which of course did not slow down the growth of my lower jaw, but did

> give me nice case of jaw joint paint by mashing my lower jaw into

> the socket. How could they *not* know that would happen? I stopped

> wearing the chin cup in high school, but then had to deal

> with the fact that my teeth did not fit together properly without it;

> sure, they fixed my open bite, but now my teeth hit edge-to-edge,

> rather than giving a slight overbite as is normal. I have an open-

> bite again, and my front tooth is slightly chipped from being over-

> stressed. I basically have four teeth taking the impact for 32.

>

> I then had crozats for three years by a quack who did nothing but

> waste my time and money, and then a general dentist who I believed

> was an orthodontist who wasted even more time and money - I

> threatened to sue and when she got served she refunded half of my

> money. She told me that she could move my upper jaw forward with just

> appliances, and gave me appliances that could not work on anyone but

> a child who was still growing.

>

> I'm glad I didn't get surgery in high school, because now everyone I

> consult says I need my upper jaw moved forward rather than my lower

> jaw moved back. I also have a really long chin which I don't like.

>

> I have consulted with Dr. Pogrel of UCSF. He said he would do my chin

> cosmetically, but didn't think my insurance would pay for orthognatic

> surgery. He essentially told me he wasn't going to bother trying to

> get them to, and I shouldn't either. They will only pay for MEDICAL

> necessity, not dental. It gets better, though - when I asked them to

> send me my X-rays, they also sent me the doctor's notes, and he

> essentially wrote that I was a nut who was unsatisfied with her

> appearance despite repeated orthodontics and perhaps a psychiatrist

> could best argue for the medical need of surgery!!! The reason I went

> to see him was because my dentist was strongly urging me to look into

> surgery to prevent serious damage to my teeth, not because I'm wildly

> disatisfied with my appearance!

>

> I now live in San Diego. I'm going to meet the infamous Dr. Arnett of

> Santa Barbara in a few weeks - I made the appointment six months ago.

> There's an orthodontist here that is good friends with him. However,

> I certainly wouldn't mind finding someone locally who is qualified.

> My insurance will pay a tiny bit of his fees, and most or all of the

> hospital fees. With all the hassle I've had though, I thought I might

> consult with the best.

>

> Thanks,

>