I can't help you with my experience of how it went to get my overbite and overjet corrected with just braces and not surgery because I'm still in treatment for it, but I did choose to go the route of non-surgical. I only met with 2 orthodontists and the first one mentioned surgery, but kind of made it sound like it wasn't a 100% necessity. (He said to have the braces first, see how it all turns out, then discuss surgery after if it's still necessary.) The second ortho (who is my ortho now) said that my problems weren't severe enough to warrant surgery.
So, that said, I opted to just go for braces because, like you, I don't have any problems with TMJ or anything like that. When I was going through the initial exam and such with the ortho I chose, she mentioned some clicking she felt when I moved my jaw, but it's hard for me to feel it when I have my hands near my jaw (where she had her hands), so it's got to be very slight.
My reasons for pursuing this was because my lower teeth were kind of pushing into the backs of my top teeth because, again, like you, i had 100% bottom tooth coverage by my top teeth. So, I wanted to correct that and prevent anything further happening down the road...and wasn't too concerned with the fact that I have an overjet (meaning, I'm not fixing it because I disliked how my teeth looked).
All of that I'm telling you so you can see that there is someone else going down the road you are contemplating and although the degree of 'problem' may be different for each of us, I think it might be in your best interest to get another opinion. (It sounded like you only went to 2 consultations, but I could be wrong. ) You definitely want to see if there is a 'tie-splitter.' If another ortho STRONGLY SUGGESTS getting the surgery, then you know there may be a good reason for it, or, he/she may agree that braces are all you need. (Just re-read your post...what did the second ortho suggest?)
That being said, I would probably pursue braces to see how your outcome is with that and if, along the way, things turn out that you need surgery, you can pursue it then. No sense 'commiting' to it if it's not an absolute necessity.
As far as price, the first ortho's quote is spot-on with what I'm paying, and sounds reasonable. The third ortho's quote seems extravagently high. Just the $6,180 alone seems much higher and I'd love to know where he justifies this price (like does he think his time is more expensive than another ortho's, his brackets better, etc.). What did the second one quote you?
The LAST thing I'll say (and I'm sorry this is so long) is that you should really go with who you feel the most comfortable with. If you think ortho #3 has a great reputation, but doesn't listen to you when you voice concerns and/or ask questions, or you aren't comfortable with him, etc., etc., I would move on and seek another. Also, what you're contemplating IS a big deal, so doing more research and taking your time is by NO MEANS a bad thing.
Good luck!!!
