Underbite

Message

#1 Post by **Mart** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 7:39 am

Hya, my name is Martin ,18, from Cheltenham UK and i guess this is my story. 2 years ago i went to the dentist for fillings, i guestioned her about my bad bite and she sent me to a Orthadontist. They took moulds and xrays of my mouth and concluded that i had an underbite that would require surgey to correct. Initially i was shocked by the fact i'd need surgery to fix it and gave a definate no to any treatment.

2 years have passed and i've just put up with the comments and bad self-esteem concerning my profile. I discovered this website about a week ago and read all the success ppl were having with braces and that i wasn't the only person that would need surgery for the same problem. I thought long and hard over the past week and against my dads advice ive decided i'd like to start treatment as soon as possible. I've now booked an apointment in 2 weeks with my dentist so i can be referred to the orthodontist once again.

I'd really like to hear from anyone who is in the same boat i am regardless how far down the line you might be. I have a few questions i'd like to ask. Thanks for your time.

Mart.

#2 Post by **decisionmade** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 8:38 am

hi Mart and welcome to this amazing resource of information and support! Although I have a different case than yours..I am now wearing braces at age 34 and wish I had been 18 when I started..so, clearly I commned you for going for it and getting your transformation started..and that really is what it is..a transformation both physically and mentally...I had surgery to correct my crossbite and although our surgeries are completely different and yours would be much more involved and uncomfortable ..time does indeed pass and I have NO regrets!..you will find MANY people here with cases just like yours...While it is wise to get back to your dentist for another check up and cleaning..I wouldn't wait 2 weeks to make an appointment with the ortho again..it just prolongs things...getting appointments can sometimes be difficult ..at least thats what I experienced...just call the ortho office today and mention you were in 2 yrs ago for a consult and would like to come in again to discuss his/her reccomendations more specifically now that you are more prepared to begin treatment....By the way it took me more than two years of consults beofore I felt secure in my decision..suddently I realized "If I'd just stopped obsessing and taken action I could have already been through everything and be living with my beautiful, healthy new smile.." ugh but anyway good luck and congrats..this is big!..keep us updated on the progress!!

#3 Post by **Mart** » Sun Jan 01, 2006 7:50 am

hi decisionmade!Thanks so much for your reply, its really put things into perspective and i'm really glad that i've decided to go through with this at this stage of my life. Anyhoo heres the update:

Since my last post i've called the ortho centre as you mentioned and was told that since i was an outpatient on my last visit (i had decided against treatment) i would need to be referred from the dentist once again. I expected this so i went back to my dentist and got re-referred around 2 1/2 months ago (and an extra filling, yey!).

Since then ive been accepted by the ortho and put on a waiting list for my treatment, which could be as long as a 13 weeks. I've recently been booked for an appointment on the 10th of Jan 06 for x-ray and consultation, which i'm really looking forward to becuase it will start the ball rolling so to speak.

From what i've seen this message board is prodominently American/Canadian and i guess my journey will differ slightly from theirs becuase i will be doing this through the NHS. Therefore I would really really like to hear from people in the UK who are also having this treatment, as i have no clue about costs, waiting times etc. Thanks for reading and sorry for the overdue update.

Mart.

#4 Post by **cassad** » Sun Jan 01, 2006 9:20 pm

Hi Mart.

I was in the same position as you with an underbite. I had surgery 12 days ago and it was the best desicion i have made. I can assure you once 72 hours are over after the operation everything is ok. I lost 4 kilos after the operation and im still on soft foods for another week. One question are you getting both jaws operated on? i had a maxiarially advancement(upper jaw moved forward). my upper jaw was moved forward 1cm. Hope this was helpful.

thanks
cassad

#5 Post by **Mart** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 4:39 am

when i went for my initial consultation 2 years ago, they said i had a class lll underbite and would definatley require lower jaw surgery and maybe the top jaw too. How is your recovery going so far? Did you have your surgery through the NHS?

Mart.

#6 Post by **Mart** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 8:18 am

I can't believe how much time has passed me by, wheres it all gone? Anyway yesterday i started my treatment! Woot! i had blocks put on most of the top and bottem and 8 spacers put in either side of my molars. two blocks came off in the process but i hope this doesn't delay things. As soon as she had finished putting them on i was rubbing them with my tongue, they feel so strange! Also tried to look in the reflections as much as i could on the walk home to see if it was that noticable i had blocks on my teeth, im still a little paranoid people are looking at them but im getting better at ignoring it.

I'm not sure if this is normal but i've been in quite a lot of pain since the spacers were put in, im finding it very difficult to eat pretty much anything

i can just about manage a banana

. Also speaking really hurts, i can tell i'm going to get a few nasty ulcers where it rubs the most, i think i'll get some wax at my next appointment on the 19th, so,far ,away...

Mart.

#7 Post by **Mart** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 3:58 pm

Thanks for the links, just finished reading Nahky's story, its lightened my spirits and i'm now excited that my treatment may turn out as well as his has. The pain from the spacers is easing slightly, only really hurts now when i eat and when i try to sleep (cant help but think about it:? ). here's a picture of my teeth on the day i got my bricks put on:

Notice the two naked teeth on the bottem right, these fell off just after glueing, she was worried she might have used the wrong glue

Mart.

#8 Post by **joao** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 6:54 pm

hi mart

I have an underbite pretty similar to yours.. i'm also gonna need surgery to correct it.. i'm going to get spacers at the end of month

Just want to wish u best luck on your treatment

#9 Post by **Mart** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 7:56 am

Hey Joao, glad to hear your also starting treatment, will be nice to have someone going through the same thing at the same time

hope your spacers dont give you any trouble.

Quick update:I've been looking forward to my appointment for today since monday, and i went and missed it. tried calling to arrange another but its all in their hands. I feel so annoyed at myself, i have an apointment on the 22nd at 3pm that i confused with todays, completely stupid of me. Worse thing is it was with my oral surgeon! Not the person you want to annoy! grrrrh stupid stupid stupid.

Mart x

#10 Post by **Spooky** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 11:02 pm

Hi Mart,
Kudos to you for taking the first step. I was 30 when I first got braces although I was detected with an underbite problem back in my teens. I just went through double jaw surgery 7 weeks ago. I've detailed my braces and surgery story on my weblog.

http://janniesjourney.blogspot.com/

You are welcomed to read it to see what I've been through...

#11 Post by **Lark** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 9:11 am

Mart,

I also have a class III malocclusion and started the whole process just under a year ago... let me tell you... time has FLOWN. I can't believe that after waiting almost ten years for this surgery...itâ€™s FINALLY happening in 3 weeks! I will be having double jaw surgery and this board has helped me tremendously! If you're anything like me...the braces at first seem like the worst thing in the world especially with the bite that we have..because they seem to accentuate our already not so great profile... You'll definitely have low points... but hopefully you'll have a lot of high points when people notice how improved your smile is becoming! Congrats on deciding for yourself to start treatment!

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#12 Post by **Mart** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 12:28 pm

Meryaten- lol thats not half bad, much more creative than my excuse.It's been getting very breezy out but nothing major compared with the weather you can get in the USA, did you hear about the tornado in London recently? really freaky... Oh btw my girlfriend sarah is a primary school teacher and the other day her school had to send the reception kids home because the wind was blowing them over! lol!

Spooky- first of all congratulations, i can't wait to be in your position. your blog will be a great help so thank-you for documenting it for us. I hope you feel completely back to normal asap. nice avatar btw

Lark- Were your teeth pretty straight when you first started braces? i've been told between 1 1/2 to 2 years until surgery. Oh i know what you mean about braces being the worst thing for us undies, the braces have added a few more mm's to my underbite, lovely... lol but i knew things will get much worse before they get better, c'est la vie.(now i have that bwitched song in their head) Best of luck with the surgery!:D

here's what my pie hole looks like now:

I had four molar bands added, two brackets replaced on the bottem where they fell off last appointment and two arch wires added, which btw are really tight, but feel quite nice so far. Let me also add that for all you fellow brace newbies with just the brackets on, it feels sooo much better with the arch wires and ligs on, infinately better infact! much smoother and comforatable. Just after my appointment i was fiddling around with my finger and cut myself on the end of the arch wire, stupid me

Btw i've only been twice but i love the random conversations my ortho has with her assistants, made more weird by the fact that i havn't heard the whole story most of the time.

Marty x

#13 Post by **Lark** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 2:32 pm

Mart,

Yep.. my teeth were pretty straight...just a few angry snaggle tooth-ish ones

I had my upper braces on for about 6 months and then they put the lower ones on. I guess the upper needed a little extra work! I should post some before braces pictures on my blog...but seeing them is painful now that they are straight..lol.. I'm hoping my ortho gives me a copy of the ones from my original consultation.. those are terrible! Anyway.. feel free to read my blog... http://crazyjaw.blogspot.com

#14 Post by **nahky** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 10:59 pm

Hi Martin.

I appluad your choice to be pro-active in your own treatment and taking the intiative to commence with such a big journey.

Im glad my thread has been of help to you. Im also glad i have documented most things aswell. Because i read over the at times and the memories come rushing back. It just makes it all so worth it, looking at my progress now.

Your teeth and bite remind me of my own set. Yours will be looking good quickly i'd say.

As for those missed appoitments, you're not alone with them. I have so many appoinments in certain periods im bound to miss one or mix it up with another.

I'll try to update my thread as things move forward (which they havent much since unfortunately)

Congrats on embarking on the orthognathic journey mate! certainly is a rollercoaster ride...

#15 Post by **Mart** » Sun Feb 11, 2007 7:26 pm

Howdy. I'm glad to say its been an uneventful few weeks for my pie hole except for a few mouth ulcers which weren't too bad. i've also been keeping myself busy and spent last week fine arting it in Berlin! visited the usual suspects- touched some berlin wall, visited the Guggenheim, Sachsenhausen, Jewish Memorial, Berlin Tower, bars and local pubs! Discovered currywurst, Berlina Beer, Apfelkorn and my alchohol limit.

pic update 12/02/07-

btw cheers for the advice and kind words Meryatenm, Spooky, joao, Lark n Nahky, i find it difficult talking to family and friends about all this stuff so i truly appreciate it.

Mart.