Re: upper jaw surgery

[Guest guest]

I had just the upper jaw done on Oct 12. So I am almost three months

and I have absolulty no regrets. I would do it all over again. My

main concerns was I could not close my lips without major lip strain

so it looked like my mouth was always open and I had a very gummy

smile which made my teeth look big. You can see my before and after

pics in Fry under photos. There was alot of diffculties with

this surgery such as tempory numbness and congestion and swelling.

But eventually that goes away and you get to see your new bite and

face. Now that my lips touch I dont know how I did it before. All my

family and friends cant believe how different I look, but in a good

way.

-- In orthognathicsurgerysupport , " finallydone5 "

<finallydone@s...> wrote:

>

> Hi. Your case sounds so much like mine. I had braces for 6 years

as

> a kid to try to fix my underbite. I also had several teeth pulled

> to create space and my bottom teeth were sloped so far back (by the

> braces) that it was hard to brush the back of them. I was

> borderline for surgery at 17, and I opted against it (my sister had

> it the next year). By age 34, I was constantly cracking teeth, my

> front teeth touched tip to tip, and I was having daily headaches

> that I thought were sinus-related. My dentist told me I would lose

> all my teeth eventually if I didn't fix my bite. Unlike most

> people, my bottom jaw kept growing into my 30s, so my problem just

> got worse and worse--I would have had to have surgery again had I

> had it in my teens.

>

> I had braces for nine months and had upper advancement/lower

> reduction/turbinectomy and cheek implants (to avoid " flat face " ) in

> March of this year. I had the same concerns as you do--I have two

> small children for whom I am the primary caregiver, I was concerned

> about the medical risks, and I was afraid that I would not like the

> change in my appearance. I certainly can't speak for everyone

> because I know some people have had very bad experiences with this

> surgery, but I am very glad that I had the surgery. It certainly

> wasn't the most fun I've ever had, but it was not anything that I

> couldn't handle (again, I speak only for my own experience, which

> was not too bad). Nine months after the surgery, I still think my

> appearance is changing as the last of the swelling goes down, but I

> don't look that different than before. Most importantly, I LOVE

> being able to bite down and have my teeth fit together--I am

> constantly chomping my teeth (hope my ortho isn't reading this)

just

> because it feels so great! I have had about 3 headaches in the

last

> 9 months compared to my daily headaches before the surgery, and I

> can breathe SO MUCH better than I could before. I had my dental

> implants (for those teeth that were pulled when I was a kid) placed

> a couple of months ago, and once the " teeth " are ready, I'll be

done

> other than retainers. No regrets at this point.

>

> I think your concerns are good ones and each person has to weigh

> these things on their own (in the wee hours of the morning), but I

> am definitely glad that I went through with it.

>

> One last thought, with respect to your concerns about your kids.

My

> daughter is 6 and my son is 4, and their dentist says that they

will

> definitely both need pretty extensive orthodontic work. I think

> that watching me go through the braces, rubberbands, retainers,

> etc... has been good for the kids. They'll know that mommy

> understands what they are going through once they get their braces

> on, and they've definitely learned how important it is to take care

> of your teeth. My daughter thinks braces are " pretty " and I don't

> think she's at all concerned about getting them herself. I don't

> know if that adds anything to your analysis, but I considered it a

> little extra bonus.

>

> Good luck with your decision.

>

>

> >

> > I have realy been doubting my desion for upper jaw surgery. I am

> 27,

> > but when i was 16 I had braces and I had a small under

bite...they

> > suggested lower jaw surgey to push the jaw back but I decided

> > against it, So instead they pulled my first 2 molars on the right

> > and left side of my bottom jaw and they leaned the bottom teeth

> back

> > so they would fit inside of my top teeth. But now they want to

> lean

> > the bottom teeth back up do a 3 piece upper jaw advancment surgey

> > and then put tooth implants in the spaces were the teeth were

> > pulled.I've already had my top braces on for 5 months but now

that

> > they want to put on the bottom braces and start recreating the

> under

> > bite I've missed my last appointment and havn't rescedualed yet.

> >

> > Here are my major concerns if anybody has any feedback it would

be

> > greatly appriciated!!!!!!!!!!!!!

> >

> > 1.I'm afraid that my nose will be tipped up

> > 2.I'm afraid of losing permanent teeth or them dying from the

> trauma

> > 3.I'm afraid of complications or that I'll wake up and feel like

> > what did I do to myself!!!

> >

> > Has any one else had just the upper jaw done? I heard its not

that

> > painfull but thats hard to believe. I have two young kids and I

> dont

> > want to waste there years doing this surgery or dealing with

> > complications, but at the same time I've always been a little

> > uncomfortable with my profile although no one else realy notices

> > it.. I just woder if it's all worth it.

> >

> > Thanks for any help and good luck to everyone!!!!!!