anyone had upper jaw surgery for cosmetic reasons?

[Thulsa Doom]

I'd appreciate any input on this.
I've been thinking for quite some time about having orthognathic surgery done on my upper jaw to move it down. I've read a little about it online already. The surgery would be for purely cosmetic reasons. Unlike most people, I can't see my upper teeth when I smile. Not at all. My smile is more like an odd-looking toothless smirk than a nice normal smile. Kind of like Robert DeNiro, for example (who I've been told I resemble somewhat). I can talk, chew, etc. just fine. But honestly, I think I'd be quite a bit better-looking if I'd get this done.
I'm 28 years old, male, and otherwise in pretty good health.
I know of course the possibilities for pain, being unable to chew for a while, the high cost, etc.
I won't be doing this any time soon as I don't really have the money now, but I'd appreciate any advice from anyone who's had this or a similar procedure done.

[AF104]

You should have a consultation with a surgeon. You may have more of a deformity than you realize and they may be able to help you receive insurance benefits. They'll also be able to tell you what they can do for you.

[Thulsa Doom]

Thanks. Maybe it is more of a deformity than I realize. I was planning on eventually consulting a surgeon; I was just hoping to get some input from someone who's actually had this done as well.

[monarch]

My son had a different surgery than yours, so this may not help too much. He had a BSSO for functional purposes, and it was totally worth it. It did improve his physical appearance as well, although I don't know if he would have gone through all of that just for cosmetic purposes.

However, it seems to me that a certain number of people on this board who have surgery for cosmetic purposes, end up somewhat unhappy with the final result. Although your smile may not be "hollywood-perfect", it is yours, and everyone knows you by that smile. An example would be the movie-star Jennifer Gray, the girl from Dirty Dancing (with Patrick Swayze) who had a nose job. She went from being cute and memorable, to being a nobody. Yet, her new nose is "perfect." Even she admits that her nose job was a mistake, and she didn't ever get any more good movie roles.

I definitely agree with AF104 about having a consultation with an orthodontist and/or an oral surgeon. They can give you the info you need about if you have functional issues, or if it is just cosmetic, and what improvements you might expect.

Is there any chance you could post a picture here? (You could block out your eyes or part of your face if you prefer to be more anonymous.)

[Thulsa Doom]

Thanks. I appreciate you taking the time to offer your input. I'm familiar with the actress you referred to. I know my mouth/smile is one of my distinctive characteristics, but I still don't like it. I think that a trait can be distinctive, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a good thing (although I know this is a matter of opinion of course). I think it's worth mentioning that it does run in the family apparently, since my dad and brothers all have a similar mouth structure. I think I will post a picture. It's not going to look very freaky or bizarre to anyone looking at it, but you'll be able to clearly see what I'm talking about with the teeth not showing. I'm not considering doing this to change anyone else's perception of me - anyone who thinks good or bad of me doesn't do so because my mouth is a certain way - but rather for my own self-image. I don't think of it as trying to attain perfection, but just to look more normal.

[sarah1985]

I'd appreciate any input on this.
I've been thinking for quite some time about having orthognathic surgery done on my upper jaw to move it down. I've read a little about it online already. The surgery would be for purely cosmetic reasons. Unlike most people, I can't see my upper teeth when I smile. Not at all. My smile is more like an odd-looking toothless smirk than a nice normal smile. Kind of like Robert DeNiro, for example (who I've been told I resemble somewhat). I can talk, chew, etc. just fine. But honestly, I think I'd be quite a bit better-looking if I'd get this done.
I'm 28 years old, male, and otherwise in pretty good health.
I know of course the possibilities for pain, being unable to chew for a while, the high cost, etc.
I won't be doing this any time soon as I don't really have the money now, but I'd appreciate any advice from anyone who's had this or a similar procedure done.

oh my god.. never 4ort i would read some ones sroty and it be the same as mine 100 per cent...
i am awaiting my appointment with ortho and surgeon and my local NHS hospital.... hate waiting...

[sarah1985]

I'd appreciate any input on this.
I've been thinking for quite some time about having orthognathic surgery done on my upper jaw to move it down. I've read a little about it online already. The surgery would be for purely cosmetic reasons. Unlike most people, I can't see my upper teeth when I smile. Not at all. My smile is more like an odd-looking toothless smirk than a nice normal smile. Kind of like Robert DeNiro, for example (who I've been told I resemble somewhat). I can talk, chew, etc. just fine. But honestly, I think I'd be quite a bit better-looking if I'd get this done.
I'm 28 years old, male, and otherwise in pretty good health.
I know of course the possibilities for pain, being unable to chew for a while, the high cost, etc.
I won't be doing this any time soon as I don't really have the money now, but I'd appreciate any advice from anyone who's had this or a similar procedure done.

oh my god.. never 4ort i would read some ones story and it be the same as mine 100 per cent...
i am awaiting my appointment with ortho and surgeon and my local NHS hospital.... hate waiting...

[treevernal]

Hi Thulsa Doom,

I went into my consult thinking I was a purely cosmetic case. I had braces years ago and my orthodontist back then didn't even mention orthognathic surgery as a possibility. But having gone to a consult recently with an orthognathic surgeon, I became aware of about 4 functional issues I had which have rendered the surgery medically necessary.

So yeah, once you go on a consult you may just discover some functional issues which could give you some insurance coverage.

Best of luck and keep us updated!

-Dan

[mjj929]

Look into veneers. <--Most logical and easy solution.

To lower your jaw is not a conventional surgery and would require bone grafts (usually from your hip). As well, your septum is connected to your maxilla, and down grafting it to show more teeth WILL affect your nose (possible loss of projection).

Hope this helps!

[Tribal]

I second what mjj929 said... go for a consult with a cosmetic dentist. You are more likely to get the 'perfect' results you want from there then going through jaw surgery which is a little less precise and difficult to impossible to reverse.

[Davide]

I have the same problem as you, maybe even worse. Because of the way my lips part, when I smile I show very little tooth in the front and quite some gum in the corners of my mouth. I got one of the weirdest smiles I've ever seen, and I totally hate it.
I will soon undego BSSO to correct my overbite/overjet, and I've been asking my OS to also operate the upper jaw just for cosmetic purposes. To achieve the smile of my dreams my jaw would need to be tilted down forward by means of a bone graft and impacted in the back. It's a procedure that technically can be done but there are quite some risks in terms of stability of the jaw other than adding exponentially to recovery and financial costs. That's why my surgeon is trying to talk me out of it.
Recently I've been reading about lip lift and stomapexy, two procedure performed by plastic surgeons that address the aging lips. The lip lift elevates the upper lip to a more youthful position allowing to show more teeth. It is performed by cutting a flap of skin above the upper lip and lifting the lip to a higher position. The stomapexy completely reshapes the contour of the lips (upper and lower) by operating on the muscles that surround the mouth. There isn't much information on stomapexy and it seems like there is just one surgeon in Washington DC who performs it.
At this stage I'm still not completely ruling out upper jaw surgery, but definetely considering less invasive procedures.
Davide

[enigma]

Hello there,
Well just thought i would share my personal experience on this althought i have a different problem.
I went to my orthodontist at 27 because my front teeth are so prominent and have been for my whole life that i have never been able to shut my mouth so i have the whole buck tooth effect going on lol (least i can about it now) so i thought long and hard about braces to be quite honest my appearance has effected my self esteem my whole life as kids can be cruel and it sticks with you when your older. So it was a HUGE thing for me to go and get braces i felt that it would make me stand out even more but personally i was not happy i had two beautiful kids and a partner but i was not happy every photo i looked at, when i met new people just not happy and very self conscieous about myself.
So i went to ortho who told me lo and behold braces simply wouldnt do the trick that i have also got a gummy smile which to be honest never really bothered me but still. At this point i was given the option to have just the bottom jaw fixed but after much thought i figured well if i get the bottom done what if im still not happy? And i decided not to risk it lol so 25th Jan im booked in for my upper jaw to be moved up and my lower jaw to be made longer.
To be totally honest in all the photos i have seen on here i have yet to see someone with a protrusion as near as bad as mine (i would have been quite happy with lots of their faces to start with lol)
But its an individual choice for me its more cosmetic (ortho says it will help my bite though too) But ask yourself this ok its cosmetic but under what part of your personal health does your self confidence go?
Im nervous about my surgery but im going forward and looking forward to my new smile lol

[Thulsa Doom]

It's been a while since I've been on here. Thanks to everyone for your input. Unfortunately, in the four months since my original post, I haven't yet had a consultation with any orthodontist / orthognathic surgeon; I still don't have the money or health insurance. Hopefully, this will change soon, though. In the meantime, I'm trying not to get too depressed. Incidentally, if you want to read more about my stupid mouth saga, here's another post:
http://archwired.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=32527
I'm sure I will be back on here eventually when I finally have a consultation and have some sort of procedure done.