Underbite

[Mart]

yesterday i had all four wisdom teeth removed and an upper midline frenectomy procedure. I got to the ward at 8 AM as planned and the nurses put me on a waiting list for that day, i was number 6 out of 8 people and i was told i'd need to wait roughly SIX hours. we were all sat next to our beds in one room listening to music and reading. As the hours went by i began to get more and more nervous.

i was given paracetomol at 2pm and asked to change into the hospital gown, half an hour later i was walked down to the anesthetist the floor below, and when they lay me on the hospital bed in theatre i was far from relaxed, my hands and stomach were really tense and i was breathing really quickly, basically had a panic attack, such a wuss. they put three iv's in before they found a vein because my hands were so tensed up. (the nurse said they'd made a pin cushion out of me afterwards ) then all i remember is waking up in recovery, they told i had slept for ages and were curious what i had been dreaming about (lazy student). then i was wheeled back to the initial room to rest and meet my step mum who was waiting for me.

i sensed absolutely no pain when i woke up, in fact felt better then i did before i went to sleep! the only swelling i have is my upper lip, if i had just had the wisdom teeth out i wouldn't be swollen at all.

I'm trying super hard not to suck those clots out, but keeping myself from dribbling is difficult without a little sucking. all i all i got far too worried for my own good, but not knowing what to expect was my main main worry, i hope i will be more relaxed when i have general anesthetic again.

[freerideuk]

wow noo swelling thats quite amazing (well apart from the lip obv:P )

just that one step closer to surgery now

hurry up and catch up with me i don't wanna go through it myself lolz

xxxx

[Mart]

yesterday i had all four wisdom teeth removed and an upper midline frenectomy procedure. I got to the ward at 8 AM as planned and the nurses put me on a waiting list for that day, i was number 6 out of 8 people and i was told i'd need to wait roughly SIX hours. we were all sat next to our beds in one room listening to music and reading. As the hours went by i began to get more and more nervous.

i was given paracetomol at 2pm and asked to change into the hospital gown, half an hour later i was walked down to the anesthetist the floor below, and when they lay me on the hospital bed in theatre i was far from relaxed, my hands and stomach were really tense and i was breathing really quickly, basically had a panic attack, such a wuss. they put three iv's in before they found a vein because my hands were so tensed up. (the nurse said they'd made a pin cushion out of me afterwards ) then all i remember is waking up in recovery, they told i had slept for ages and were curious what i had been dreaming about (lazy student). then i was wheeled back to the initial room to rest and meet my step mum who was waiting for me.

i sensed absolutely no pain when i woke up, in fact felt better then i did before i went to sleep! the only swelling i have is my upper lip, if i had just had the wisdom teeth out i wouldn't be swollen at all.

I'm trying super hard not to suck those clots out, but keeping myself from dribbling is difficult without a little sucking. all i all i got far too worried for my own good, but not knowing what to expect was my main main worry, i hope i will be more relaxed when i have general anesthetic again.

[Tavonda2]

HI EVERY1 I'M NEW TO THE SITE, BUT HAVE BEEN READING HERE FOR A WHILE, I LUV THE SITE . IT'S BEEN 2 WEEKS SINCE MY SURGERY AND MY FACE LOOKS SO DIFFERENT TO ME AND IT'S REALLY DEPRESSING , ESPECIALLY W/THIS BIG GAP IN THE MIDDLE OF MY TEETH, WHICH I KNOW IS TEMPORARY, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE I'M MISSING A WHOLE TOOTH (IMAGINE), I LOOK DIFFERENT AS WELL, STILL A LITTLE SWELLING, BUT MY FACE LOOKS DIFFERENT, IT'S KIND OF SCARY, CAUSE I'LL ASK MYSELF, WHAT DID I GET MYSELF INTO, AND THINK IT'S 2 LATE 2 TURN BACK NOW. ANY1 W/ANY SOUND ADVICE WILL BE MUCH APPRECIATED. THANKS BUNCHES!

[freerideuk]

hey sounds as if you had scarpe

just keep thinking bout your end result

and just remeber that gap between your front teeth and the swelling is temporary and try keep your spirt up
xxx

[Mart]

I'd usually avoid talking about stuff like this on this forum, but i feel i don't have anywhere else to express it. This past month i have been feeling extremely low, i'd hoped i could have avoided this, but i guess with the reality of wisdom surgery in late june coinciding with a brake up with my girlfriend of 4 years, (the only person i could talk to and who was truly supportive of all this treatment in the first place) it has only now hit home that i'm completely alone on this journey. I have never been confident about the way i look, and now i can't stand to look at myself in the mirror, it feels like this orthodontic stuff has seeped into every aspect of my life and there's no escaping it. i feel as if i can't get a job, meet new people, feel good about myself because of my underbite, i know it sounds completely nuts, but thats how i feel. taking daily reality checks help, but just seeing a picture of myself can trigger deep depression that lasts for days. i desperately hope i can look back at this and laugh, but right now that seems close to impossible.

[lionfish]

Oh Mart, I'm so sorry to hear you're not feeling good. I understand that the ortho preparation for underbites can make things look worse leading up to surgery. The good thing is that this look is only temporary and soon it will be gone from your life forever, to be replaced by the most fabulous smile. Try and hold that positive thought.

[freerideuk]

hiya mart

i no you might not beleave me but i think i know how you feel completely about hateing your self i see pictures of myself and want to cry ,i am scared to meet new people incase they are horrible or make comments , i am scared to get involved with anyone as i find it difficult to discuss my underbite , my mums getting soo angry with me about not having a job but i just find it soo hard to get one because i no all have to ask for time off very soon to get surgery and return looking completely different and having to explain to people why,

right now am quite down but if you feel it is depression you should doo as meryaten says and stuff see you gp

but if you think your just a bit low feel free to confide in us or like have a wee chat with one off us as we know what it is like to go through this and how it can take hold of your life for a while and make you feel like everything is on hold

xxxxxxx

[phil]

Mart,

Going through orthodontics and surgery is no piece of cake. Compound it with other difficult personal issues, and it's completely understandable how you're feeling right now.

Please don't be afraid to ask for help. I think Meryaten's suggestion of talking with your GP about it might be a good start. There is nothing wrong with asking for help when so many big issues are pressing at you all around.

Best wishes to you. Hang in there, and keep in touch!

[Beth85]

Hey i also know how you feel...
I've had depression for about 5/6 years now & most of it is because of the way i look. I hate looking in the mirror & try to avoid having photos taken.

I too didn't have a job, for a long period of time, & when i did have one i had so much time off i gave up in the end. I am working now but for my mum as she has her own company, lucky for me.

It is hard especially for us underbiters i think cos your profile gets quite a bit worse before surgery (well mine has anyway)

But like people have said, you just have to stay positive & maybe try to distract yourself somehow.

We are all here to support you so any worries or questions you have, feel free to ask.

Oh and it won't be too long before you can look back on this & laugh!!!

Take care

Beth

[Happysmiler]

Mart, I think what you are feeling right now is the same as many of us do at times, hopefully it will pass, but if not as others have advised see your GP.

You are well on the way to getting your bite sorted out now, before you know it, it will be your turn for surgery and then onto recovery.

It is especially difficult because the othodontic process makes the bite worse first which is difficult to come to terms with, but as we all know it has to be done (although this doesn't make it any easier to cope with)

Just keep looking forward to that day (not so far away) when you will have a beautiful straight set of teeth and a wonderful smile/profile. You will certainly stand out from the crowd because there aren't too many brits with fabulous teeth so you really will have something special for the rest of your life. This is a small stage of your life which will be challenging but totally worth it.

If it makes it easier for you, stick with your friends who you feel comfortable with and trust for the timebeing, there's plenty of time for your to expand your friends and social life afterwards, if that what makes you happier.

I totally understand where you are coming from, there is never a situation when I am faced with meeting new people or in a group environment when I don't feel 'different' to others because of my underbite, it knocks your confidence totally, but that is not going to be for long! - its not so much what people say or do, just how I feel. In fact what actually made me decide to go ahead with treatment (at my grand old age of 38 years) was when I went to a Christening and was convinced that some guests were talking about my underbite (which I am sure they were!!) - I'm sure they didn't mean any harm by it, but the damage was done.

Take care and use this board for its excellent back up it provides, you are well on the way now, it won't be long

Happysmiler

[Ms Malocclusion]

Hi Mart. First, I'd like to say thank you for being brave enough to share your experience and post photos.

I want to let you know that I can understand your feelings about your looks somewhat, because I have a pretty noticable underbite myself. I'm having an 8mm setback in December. I've learned over the years, that when something goes wrong, I immediately want to blame my face (and underbite) for it. For instance, since I haven't met prince charming yet, I think to myself "It is because I am so ugly" or if strangers seem to stare at me I think it is because they are trying to look in my mouth to find out what is wrong. Which of course makes me feel self conscious. In reality, most people have a hard time finding the perfect romantic partner for them. even beautiful famous people, without underbites, have rocky periods. So our underbites can't be the only problem.
And when we feel so uncomfortable with all new people we meet, because of our feelings about our underbites, that ackwardness shows and probably make the other person feel strange themselves.

I hope this makes sense. I just want all of you to know that I totally know what you mean when you say you hate to have your picture taken. And I know what it is like to be called names because of my underbite.

But I also wanted to explain how I've found that an underbite can become a psychological place to dump any fears and dissapointments.

And I wonder, once my underbite is gone, where will I put all of my social fears and romantic disappointments, if I can't blame my looks? Because I am pretty sure those problems won't go any after surgery. I mean, I'll still have dating heartaches and public speaking fears to deal with. I just can't fall back on my underbite crutch.

I don't want to minimize anyone's feelings. Because having an underbite is really hard to deal with, one feels like an outcast or deformity at times.

But I just don't want anyone of us to obsess that we are somehow not good enough because of our jaws. We should try to look outside that to find answers to our problems.

I apologize if this seems uncaring or blunt, because I only shared this because it has taken me YEARS to figure this out.


I hope that you can find a way to deal with this bad stuff (loneliness, break ups) without feeling like HAPPINESS and SUCCESS are out of reach because your surgery is so far off.

[HighandLo]

What you've said is completely true. Ms Malocclusion. We are more than our smiles. Thanks for having the courage to remind us .

I have also felt that my crooked jaw made me less desirable - even when people say they don't really know what I'm taking about! But, I had surgery for me and I'm glad I did. It was important to me.

Lo

[ohmyjaw]

Hi Mart,

I can tell you that once you get the treatment done, it's like a huge black cloud is gone from your life. That's how it felt to me. I always felt different becaues I was the only person I knew with crooked teeth. It really affected my confidence.

I do feel changed now. It really is one of the best things that could have happened to me. Now that my teeth are taken care of, I can focus on other things.

I also have to remind myself how lucky I am. There are many people born with physical deformities that can't be fixed, and they have to find a way to live with it. That takes more courage than I would ever have.

Finally, what Ms. Malocclusion said is exactly right. When your underbite is fixed, there are still going to be rough times. I have had break-ups, loneliness, unable to find a job, (and all kinds of other stuff I won't go into right now!) to deal with.

I hope you can hang in there until your surgery. I would suggest talking to someone, like a trusted friend, or a crisis line, or like meryaten said, a chat with a doctor might be a good idea.

[Spooky]

Hi Mart,
The last time I posted to your thread is back in Jan 2007. I was in the same situation as you...huge underbite. Now having gone through amost 2 yrs of braces and a double jaw surgery, I have to say that IT IS ALL WORTH IT!! I can't stress that enough. So just hang on there...all of this is only temporary. Eventually, it will be all over and then you will look fantastic and get your self-esteem back!! I know it sucks when people around you don't understand, but hopefully you can find comfort on this site.

Check out my journey :

http://janniesjourney.blogspot.com/