Re: I just don't understand

[Guest guest]

Hi, . What lower-jaw surgery were they thinking of doing?

Advancement? I think you shold tell your dentist and orthodontist that

you are not really having any problems (pain, eating, not noticible

cosmetically), and why they think surgery (with its associated risks)

is a preferable option for you. Ask them if it's possible to only do

braces. Also, I'd get a second orthodontic opinion. There are some

heavy-duty risks associated with this surgery and if *you* don't

really want it, I don't think you should do it.

Good luck,

Eileen

> Hello

>

> I joined this group about two weeks ago after my new dentist referred

> me to an orthodontist. They say I need lower jaw surgery. I just

> don't understand all this. I'm 35 why am I just finding this out

> now? I have had 4 dentists in the last 10 years and now this new one

> can't wait to refer me for jaw surgery. I found out I will need

> major heart surgery when I was 30 but I was completely OK with that.

> They could have told me I needed a heart transplant that afternoon

> and I would have said OK, do you want to drive to the hospital or

> should I? But jaw surgery just came out of nowhere!! I have had 2

> consultations with the ortho and they made the impressions and

> pictures today. I go back in two weeks to see what he feels needs to

> be done after he looks and measures everything.

>

> When my dentist said go see an ortho I was sure it was because two of

> the teeth in my lower jaw are coming out of alignment. So I'm OK

> with needing braces on the bottom to move them back in place. But

> now my whole lower jaw is " too small " . I just can not wrap my mind

> around that. I have seen pictures of other people and their problem

> is obvious but I don't see it when I look at my jaw. I don't know

> what to do. I don't see how this is not just cosmetic or we want

> your money. My jaw does not hurt and I don't have problems eating.

> My teeth meet in the back and yeah I can see that my front teeth

> cover my bottom teeth but so what.

>

> Has anyone had this surgery come as a complete surprise and gone thru

> it and been happy you did?

>

> Thanks

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi, . What lower-jaw surgery were they thinking of doing?

Advancement? I think you shold tell your dentist and orthodontist that

you are not really having any problems (pain, eating, not noticible

cosmetically), and why they think surgery (with its associated risks)

is a preferable option for you. Ask them if it's possible to only do

braces. Also, I'd get a second orthodontic opinion. There are some

heavy-duty risks associated with this surgery and if *you* don't

really want it, I don't think you should do it.

Good luck,

Eileen

> Hello

>

> I joined this group about two weeks ago after my new dentist referred

> me to an orthodontist. They say I need lower jaw surgery. I just

> don't understand all this. I'm 35 why am I just finding this out

> now? I have had 4 dentists in the last 10 years and now this new one

> can't wait to refer me for jaw surgery. I found out I will need

> major heart surgery when I was 30 but I was completely OK with that.

> They could have told me I needed a heart transplant that afternoon

> and I would have said OK, do you want to drive to the hospital or

> should I? But jaw surgery just came out of nowhere!! I have had 2

> consultations with the ortho and they made the impressions and

> pictures today. I go back in two weeks to see what he feels needs to

> be done after he looks and measures everything.

>

> When my dentist said go see an ortho I was sure it was because two of

> the teeth in my lower jaw are coming out of alignment. So I'm OK

> with needing braces on the bottom to move them back in place. But

> now my whole lower jaw is " too small " . I just can not wrap my mind

> around that. I have seen pictures of other people and their problem

> is obvious but I don't see it when I look at my jaw. I don't know

> what to do. I don't see how this is not just cosmetic or we want

> your money. My jaw does not hurt and I don't have problems eating.

> My teeth meet in the back and yeah I can see that my front teeth

> cover my bottom teeth but so what.

>

> Has anyone had this surgery come as a complete surprise and gone thru

> it and been happy you did?

>

> Thanks

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I haven't had the surgery yet (it's tomorrow morning) but I, too,

was hit with it as a total surprise. I was 29 at the time and had

the worst imaginable root canal you could ever imagine. Three weeks

later I still couldn't open my mouth. The endodontist who did the

root canal said I had TMJ and sent me to the preimere TMJ specialist

in our area. The guy took one look at me and said, " Surgery. " Not

only was I floored, but I refused. He said he'd try other options,

but a few months later I had had enough of him and had my dentist

refer me to a different ortho. He took one look at me and

said, " Surgery, no second options. There is no plan B. " My mother

(and just about everyone else) had the same question you did: Why,

after all these years, has not one single person ever said there was

anything wrong with my jaw? My pediatric dentist never suggested

braces (according to my dentist, he should have, because my teeth

were not straight, but he didn't say anything about surgery). My

adult dentist said braces were an option, but straightening my teeth

would mostly be cosmetic, and I chose not to do it. Then along came

this broadside ...

My OS says that even if I had had braces as a kid, it probably

wouldn't have helped. My jaw just plain isn't angled correctly. No

amount of headgear would have brought the entire bone structure into

alignment. It doesn't show up on my face, either. I had a hard

time convincing people that I needed braces, and that I need

surgery, because I " look fine " .

I don't really have any advice for you, but you're not alone in the

world of blind-sided people. Give me a few days (or weeks) to say

if I'm happy I did this.

Kris

> Hello

>

> I joined this group about two weeks ago after my new dentist

referred

> me to an orthodontist. They say I need lower jaw surgery. I just

> don't understand all this. I'm 35 why am I just finding this out

> now? I have had 4 dentists in the last 10 years and now this new

one

> can't wait to refer me for jaw surgery. I found out I will need

> major heart surgery when I was 30 but I was completely OK with

that.

> They could have told me I needed a heart transplant that afternoon

> and I would have said OK, do you want to drive to the hospital or

> should I? But jaw surgery just came out of nowhere!! I have had

2

> consultations with the ortho and they made the impressions and

> pictures today. I go back in two weeks to see what he feels needs

to

> be done after he looks and measures everything.

>

> When my dentist said go see an ortho I was sure it was because two

of

> the teeth in my lower jaw are coming out of alignment. So I'm OK

> with needing braces on the bottom to move them back in place. But

> now my whole lower jaw is " too small " . I just can not wrap my

mind

> around that. I have seen pictures of other people and their

problem

> is obvious but I don't see it when I look at my jaw. I don't know

> what to do. I don't see how this is not just cosmetic or we want

> your money. My jaw does not hurt and I don't have problems

eating.

> My teeth meet in the back and yeah I can see that my front teeth

> cover my bottom teeth but so what.

>

> Has anyone had this surgery come as a complete surprise and gone

thru

> it and been happy you did?

>

> Thanks

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

A complete surprise?

Lordy, yes.

I was 55. I had worn braces as a child, and knew I had lousy teeth,

but thought that orthodontics had done all for me that it could. Had

never heard of people having to wear braces more than once.

my periodontist was contemplating either a tissue graft or removal

for a front lower incisor with a badly receding gum. I knew I had a

lot of crowding there -- but I thought it was the result of not

getting wisdom teeth out soon enough (which I have also never

understood why ANY of my dentists, and I have had many over the

years) had recommended.

Finally, I asked the perio lady -- and this is exactly how I put it:

" I'm gonna ask you a question, and I don't want an affirmative

answer, but would it help what you're doing if I just had these lower

front teeth straightened. "

No puppy has ever been more enthusiastic about affection for an

owner, nor about a feeding dish, than was she. Yes! Yes! Yes!

Sigh. Ok. Who to do it?

She sent me to my ortho. Who took one look and said, your lower jaw

is too short, but we can fix it with surgery. It's not the way it

used to be in the " bad old days, " though. They don't have to wire you

shut any longer. Now they can use rigid internal fixation and just

give you rubber bands.

I barely kept the tears down until I reached his parking lot, headed

for the perio and sobbed, " That man wants to cut my jaw apart. "

She said, " Do the braces first, and then see where you are. "

The ortho sent me to see the surgeon (whom I saw about a month after

the braces went on). He was incredibly reassuring, explained

everything to me and laid it all out for me to make the decision, as

did the ortho. I decided that I was trusting my mouth (and my money!)

to these men, and I should do what they suggested as the best course

of treatment. They could have done the braces without the surgery,

and that would have helped, but they said I was more likely to have

long-term retention if the ortho had enough room to match up the

opposing jaws properly.

I think this didn't come up when I was younger because the techniques

have changed so much. This surgery once involved a long period in the

hospital, big external incisions, lying in bed surrounded by

sandbags, etc. It was only undertaken in extreme cases, if at all,

and the dentists (according to my guys) didn't know what is known now

about the importance of matching the jaws up.

Now it is easily and relatively quickly done, can often be stabilized

with new materials, such as the titanium screws and plates, and is

done almost totally with incisions inside the mouth. Some docs even

do it as outpatient surgery, although mine did not.

I still don't understand why none of my dentists (and I've had some

good ones and some bad ones, along the way) ever told me I needed

orthodontia again. Maybe they thought I wouldn't put up with it.

I will tell you truly, that I would much rather have undergone this

series of treatments, even including 20 months of braces, than

progressively lost my teeth.

As for changes in my appearance: The teeth definitely look better.

They are straight and easier to keep clean. Only my friends, and only

my really close ones, can tell that the jaw relationships are

different. I asked my surgeon whether he saw any difference, and he

laughed and said, " Cam-MIE! It's only a quarter of an inch! "

Talk to your pro's, weigh the risks and benefits for yourself, and

make your own decision. The only thing I know of that you won't

appreciate until you've fully recovered from the surgery is that it

is truly all easier than you fear it might be.

Cammie

And the fact that your jaw does not hurt at 35 does not mean that it

will not when you are 50. I was having some TMJ troubles. Not enough

to warrant surgery, though. And sometimes the surgery can make TMJ

troubles worse, actually. So be careful about that one, too. There

are some who are younger than 50 who are suffering deterioration of

the jaw joints, arthritis, etc., now, and wish they had had the

surgery before the damage occurred. There are also a few who regret

having had surgery at all. I think most are happy that the surgery is

behind them.

C.

[Guest guest]

A complete surprise?

Lordy, yes.

I was 55. I had worn braces as a child, and knew I had lousy teeth,

but thought that orthodontics had done all for me that it could. Had

never heard of people having to wear braces more than once.

my periodontist was contemplating either a tissue graft or removal

for a front lower incisor with a badly receding gum. I knew I had a

lot of crowding there -- but I thought it was the result of not

getting wisdom teeth out soon enough (which I have also never

understood why ANY of my dentists, and I have had many over the

years) had recommended.

Finally, I asked the perio lady -- and this is exactly how I put it:

" I'm gonna ask you a question, and I don't want an affirmative

answer, but would it help what you're doing if I just had these lower

front teeth straightened. "

No puppy has ever been more enthusiastic about affection for an

owner, nor about a feeding dish, than was she. Yes! Yes! Yes!

Sigh. Ok. Who to do it?

She sent me to my ortho. Who took one look and said, your lower jaw

is too short, but we can fix it with surgery. It's not the way it

used to be in the " bad old days, " though. They don't have to wire you

shut any longer. Now they can use rigid internal fixation and just

give you rubber bands.

I barely kept the tears down until I reached his parking lot, headed

for the perio and sobbed, " That man wants to cut my jaw apart. "

She said, " Do the braces first, and then see where you are. "

The ortho sent me to see the surgeon (whom I saw about a month after

the braces went on). He was incredibly reassuring, explained

everything to me and laid it all out for me to make the decision, as

did the ortho. I decided that I was trusting my mouth (and my money!)

to these men, and I should do what they suggested as the best course

of treatment. They could have done the braces without the surgery,

and that would have helped, but they said I was more likely to have

long-term retention if the ortho had enough room to match up the

opposing jaws properly.

I think this didn't come up when I was younger because the techniques

have changed so much. This surgery once involved a long period in the

hospital, big external incisions, lying in bed surrounded by

sandbags, etc. It was only undertaken in extreme cases, if at all,

and the dentists (according to my guys) didn't know what is known now

about the importance of matching the jaws up.

Now it is easily and relatively quickly done, can often be stabilized

with new materials, such as the titanium screws and plates, and is

done almost totally with incisions inside the mouth. Some docs even

do it as outpatient surgery, although mine did not.

I still don't understand why none of my dentists (and I've had some

good ones and some bad ones, along the way) ever told me I needed

orthodontia again. Maybe they thought I wouldn't put up with it.

I will tell you truly, that I would much rather have undergone this

series of treatments, even including 20 months of braces, than

progressively lost my teeth.

As for changes in my appearance: The teeth definitely look better.

They are straight and easier to keep clean. Only my friends, and only

my really close ones, can tell that the jaw relationships are

different. I asked my surgeon whether he saw any difference, and he

laughed and said, " Cam-MIE! It's only a quarter of an inch! "

Talk to your pro's, weigh the risks and benefits for yourself, and

make your own decision. The only thing I know of that you won't

appreciate until you've fully recovered from the surgery is that it

is truly all easier than you fear it might be.

Cammie

And the fact that your jaw does not hurt at 35 does not mean that it

will not when you are 50. I was having some TMJ troubles. Not enough

to warrant surgery, though. And sometimes the surgery can make TMJ

troubles worse, actually. So be careful about that one, too. There

are some who are younger than 50 who are suffering deterioration of

the jaw joints, arthritis, etc., now, and wish they had had the

surgery before the damage occurred. There are also a few who regret

having had surgery at all. I think most are happy that the surgery is

behind them.

C.

[Guest guest]

A complete surprise?

Lordy, yes.

I was 55. I had worn braces as a child, and knew I had lousy teeth,

but thought that orthodontics had done all for me that it could. Had

never heard of people having to wear braces more than once.

my periodontist was contemplating either a tissue graft or removal

for a front lower incisor with a badly receding gum. I knew I had a

lot of crowding there -- but I thought it was the result of not

getting wisdom teeth out soon enough (which I have also never

understood why ANY of my dentists, and I have had many over the

years) had recommended.

Finally, I asked the perio lady -- and this is exactly how I put it:

" I'm gonna ask you a question, and I don't want an affirmative

answer, but would it help what you're doing if I just had these lower

front teeth straightened. "

No puppy has ever been more enthusiastic about affection for an

owner, nor about a feeding dish, than was she. Yes! Yes! Yes!

Sigh. Ok. Who to do it?

She sent me to my ortho. Who took one look and said, your lower jaw

is too short, but we can fix it with surgery. It's not the way it

used to be in the " bad old days, " though. They don't have to wire you

shut any longer. Now they can use rigid internal fixation and just

give you rubber bands.

I barely kept the tears down until I reached his parking lot, headed

for the perio and sobbed, " That man wants to cut my jaw apart. "

She said, " Do the braces first, and then see where you are. "

The ortho sent me to see the surgeon (whom I saw about a month after

the braces went on). He was incredibly reassuring, explained

everything to me and laid it all out for me to make the decision, as

did the ortho. I decided that I was trusting my mouth (and my money!)

to these men, and I should do what they suggested as the best course

of treatment. They could have done the braces without the surgery,

and that would have helped, but they said I was more likely to have

long-term retention if the ortho had enough room to match up the

opposing jaws properly.

I think this didn't come up when I was younger because the techniques

have changed so much. This surgery once involved a long period in the

hospital, big external incisions, lying in bed surrounded by

sandbags, etc. It was only undertaken in extreme cases, if at all,

and the dentists (according to my guys) didn't know what is known now

about the importance of matching the jaws up.

Now it is easily and relatively quickly done, can often be stabilized

with new materials, such as the titanium screws and plates, and is

done almost totally with incisions inside the mouth. Some docs even

do it as outpatient surgery, although mine did not.

I still don't understand why none of my dentists (and I've had some

good ones and some bad ones, along the way) ever told me I needed

orthodontia again. Maybe they thought I wouldn't put up with it.

I will tell you truly, that I would much rather have undergone this

series of treatments, even including 20 months of braces, than

progressively lost my teeth.

As for changes in my appearance: The teeth definitely look better.

They are straight and easier to keep clean. Only my friends, and only

my really close ones, can tell that the jaw relationships are

different. I asked my surgeon whether he saw any difference, and he

laughed and said, " Cam-MIE! It's only a quarter of an inch! "

Talk to your pro's, weigh the risks and benefits for yourself, and

make your own decision. The only thing I know of that you won't

appreciate until you've fully recovered from the surgery is that it

is truly all easier than you fear it might be.

Cammie

And the fact that your jaw does not hurt at 35 does not mean that it

will not when you are 50. I was having some TMJ troubles. Not enough

to warrant surgery, though. And sometimes the surgery can make TMJ

troubles worse, actually. So be careful about that one, too. There

are some who are younger than 50 who are suffering deterioration of

the jaw joints, arthritis, etc., now, and wish they had had the

surgery before the damage occurred. There are also a few who regret

having had surgery at all. I think most are happy that the surgery is

behind them.

C.