Afraid to look different?

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#1 Post by **eveningninja** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 2:09 pm

For a while I was super excited to be getting jaw surgery because I've always hate my profile due to my underbite. My orthodontist from the beginning told me that he could fix my bite without surgery, but down the road I said I wanted the aesthetic effect of surgery. So it's been a while, and now I'm scheduled to have jaw surgery on August 7th.

Now I'm having second thoughts and wondering if maybe my profile actually doesn't look bad and my view of it has always just been somewhat altered by my insecurity and low self esteem. Looking back at old photos of myself I think I actually like the way I look, and am afraid jaw surgery will make my face look unnatural. I am half asian and have some facial flatness I guess, but I mean I guess that's how it's meant to be, right?

Any comments? Thanks.

#2 Post by **Jane** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 4:20 pm

Hi eveningninja

It is good to share your uncertainties and whilst it is normal to worry about any surgery before you have it, I would say that this surgery is something you should not enter into unless you are completely sure (a) you need it and (b) you want it. It sounds like the main reason the orthodontist referred you for surgery was aesthetic as you say in your post he could fix the functional issues without surgery. If you are not completely sure you want your facial appearance and shape to change you should not have the surgery (in my view) - because your facial appearance and shape WILL change. For the majority of people this is wonderful as they like the aesthetic changes the surgery brings, but even then it takes time to get used to the changes. But if you say you LIKE the way you look now and your ortho can sort out the issues you have with your bite/teeth, then I would say DO NOT go down the road of surgery. This is major surgery - and it takes a long time to completely recover, also there are risks as with any surgery and there is never any guarantee that you will like the results. Why on earth put yourself through this if you don't have to or want to?

I wish you all the best in making your decision and you are very wise to think this through and express your doubts at this stage. Talk to family and friends as well - especially take the advice of people you trust and who love you and who you know want what is best for you.

God bless xx

#3 Post by **AF104** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 4:56 pm

A 2 mm maxillary advancement isn't going to add much fullness. I don't see how a normalizing surgery would make you look "unnatural". Ultimately though the choice is yours.

#4 Post by **Emaciated** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 5:01 pm

This reference may feel a little too objective, but its good to hear the bad with the good I suppose, so I'll share this thread from another asian member who felt she lost some of her ethnicity from her surgery, if it shares another perspective for you.

I was concerned about the same thing, many of us are. I liked my face before surgery, even with the underbite, and always considered myself an averagely decent-looking guy. After the operation, I was weirded out with my new face at first but it has grown on me, and after a year I felt that I looked pretty much the same as before, but better. Me, but improved.

I don't know, if you want/need the surgery, I wouldn't let the aesthetics freak you out. The chances are in your favor that you'll come out looking better and will like your new face. People make and have babies everyday knowing the risk that the baby could be born deformed, but they do it anyway. The chances are pretty slim that you'll come out of surgery looking worse.

#5 Post by **changes09** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 5:31 pm

i am concerned also. I am black and white mix and my face is more african american in places and more white in others....I told my doc of this and he assured me "I know I will like you face, I know your husband will like you face, I hope that you will like your face." Baisically he was saying that it WILL look better, but in the end its what you think that counts.

#6 Post by **eveningninja** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 5:46 pm

I guess one of the things I'm worried about is that when I first started with braces and wearing elastics my top and bottom teeth kind of met evenly. As I wore elastics to close up spaces, my bite got a bit worse and became a bit more of an underbite, maybe about 3 mm. Then I continued to wear elastics (my underbite is now about 5 mm) because at the time I thought I wanted more of a facial change due to insecurity about how I currently look. So I mean... going from originally not even going to have surgery to having a 5 mm movement seems kind of drastic now that I think about.

Thanks for your input all, I read through some of that thread Karl.

#7 Post by **changes09** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 6:40 pm

my underbite is also a 5mm right now also...i would not want to live with this underbote. did your doc give you a prediction picture

#8 Post by **eveningninja** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 8:43 pm

Nope, I have no prediction picture, which in my opinion is part of the reason I'm so worried. Yeah I wouldn't want to live with this underbite either, but I was wondering if maybe I could wear elastics for a bit to reverse my underbite slightly so that the surgery doesn't have to be so drastic or something. That probably is a dumb sounding idea, but I've really just been thinking about how different my face will look and it's making me quite uneasy.

#9 Post by **Winter2009** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 8:56 pm

I am asian and had BSSO on Monday. I don't look different at all. Not that noticable .... although my face is still swallon but I still look the same. I think it's only dramatic difference if you're doing both and have a long face preop and need to be shorten. All the pictures I've seen for those who have upper jaw surgery they looked pretty good afterwards. Still the same but just look so much better.

Here is a very helpful link. Since the day I was committed to this surgery I've been searching the internet for infos.

http://thenaturalbite.com/category/photos/

#10 Post by **eveningninja** » Fri Jul 31, 2009 6:54 pm

Thanks for the link. I'm still really quite worried though. I dunno... argh... it seems like I can never be satisfied, although I'm pretty sure at this point I wish I was only having a 3 mm surgery instead of 5 mm.

#11 Post by **fromjersey** » Sat Aug 01, 2009 6:51 am

I'm having trouble visualizing or finding what a 5 mm. underbite looks like. Are there photos I'm missing? Very difficult for me to make judgments without seeing what we're talking about here.
Helen

#12 Post by **eveningninja** » Sat Aug 01, 2009 12:58 pm

Well it's just that I used to think both my jaws were in a bad position, aesthetically. But now I'm starting to think my lower jaw is in a fine position and it's just my top jaw that is underdeveloped. As I continued to wear elastics, my underbite went from about 3 mm to 5 mm displacement. So where my surgeon maybe would have just operated on only my top jaw with about 3 mm of movement, now it will be a double jaw procedure of about 5 mm total, splitting the difference between the top and bottom jaw.

Do you think it's worth asking if we can move my teeth back a bit before the surgery so that only the top jaw will be operated on? Or maybe see if we can just do a 5 mm top jaw operation? My surgeon seems to think that my cheekbones are not strong enough to aesthetically support that much forward movement of my top jaw. I don't know if I really know what he means, and he never really explains anything to me when I ask him stuff like this.

#13 Post by **Jane** » Sat Aug 01, 2009 2:22 pm

I would say that you should be cautious about requesting the surgeon to move only the top jaw - especially if he has already indicated it is not the best option for you aesthetically. From experience, over-correction of the top jaw - even if it gives a good bite - does not look good. My daughter had to have a second surgery because the surgeon only moved her top jaw forward instead of moving both top and bottom Her bite was good but it was a disaster in terms of appearance. She was left with a very prominent profile, the space from her nose to her top lip lengthened, and she had a gummy smile which she never had before - it looked all wrong. Please don't worry about asking your team to explain everything to you and try and bring someone with you as well as it is a lot to take in - it is so important to know what they are going to do, and to understand what this will mean for you. I wish we had asked more questions first time round and I wish we had been aware of some of the things that can go wrong too, so we could have ensured it didn't happen to her. Very best wishes. God bless xx

#14 Post by **eveningninja** » Sat Aug 01, 2009 2:55 pm

Thank you for your input. As it stands right now my teeth don't even show that much when I smile, unless I'm laughing really really hard, so I wouldn't mind, in fact I hope for, some added showage.

#15 Post by **cgold** » Sat Aug 01, 2009 6:17 pm

Hi Members

I was wondering if I could get some important advice from you. I have a minor class III underbite which makes my teeth meet edge to edge.

I have seen many orthodontists and oral surgeons and only one orthodontist (whom I working with now) said she could correct my bite with braces and elastics meaning she would flare my top teeth out and bottom teeth in. This would camoflage the look of my underbite but not add fullness to my mid face deficiency. Im having a real hard time trying to make a decision as to which way I should go so this is why I am seeking others opinions. My family and friends thinks I look great like I am now but could I look even better after surgery.

I just wondering if it is worth the pain of having jaw surgery for more projection in the midface or should I get my teeth flared in and out which would not be the best ideal solution for my gums.

I have attached some flicker links below so you can get a better idea of my -profile and teeth alignment. Your advice is much appreciated as I must make a decision ASAP

Metal Mouth Message Board

Afraid to look different?

Afraid to look different?

ADVICE NEEDED PLEASE!!