Here we go again.

Message

#1 Post by **Robyn** » Wed Oct 20, 2010 3:55 pm

Hello all,

I've been an avid reader of this site ever since I began thinking about going down this route again. The posts on this forum have been a source of inspiration and information; it was so nice to know that I wasn’t alone! Unfortunately, yesterday, I had my first joint consultation with the orthodontist and surgeon and I quickly started to feel rather lost.

So I don’t confuse you all I shall begin with a bit of background history. At the age of thirteen I had both bottom and top jaw surgery to fix a severe overbite. The details are pretty fuzzy but it involved moving my entire top jaw backwards and cutting the bone belonging to six of the front teeth and repositioning it. I did not get braces prior to the surgery or after and my jaws were wired shut for about 2/3 months. When the wires were cut it became immediately apparent that something had gone wrong. My top six teeth seemed to have collapsed downwards and slanted slightly inwards completely covering my bottom teeth so pressuring them to slant inwards too and a huge expanse of gum was showing i.e. when I smiled naturally all that could be seen was the gum of the top jaw.

Fast forward another thirteen years, relocation to a new country and here I am with a bucket load of experiences that have made it all too easy to become socially reclusive. The fact that I look pretty normal with my mouth closed makes it especially easy to see the shock register on people’s faces when I find the courage to speaketh. Why did it take me thirteen years to try to sort it out? Well, I guess I didn’t think anything could be done to fix my jaw related problems as the surgeon who originally operated on me said nothing could be done. In fact, I didn’t even start this journey myself. I got sent to the maxillofacial and oral surgery department of the local hospital because the dentist was worried that a root canal related abscess was more than just an abscess. The consultant who saw me asked me at the end of the appointment if I was happy with my teeth, and when I responded with an unladylike snort of laughter, then said, ‘we can fix that, you know’.

Anyways, before I start telling you about what I had for breakfast this morning I shall switch back to the main point of the post, the surgeon is intending to undo what the previous surgeon did whilst also correcting the initial overbite problem. To begin with I would wear a removable brace for a rough estimation of 6-9 months as my bottom lip would prevent train tracks from doing any correcting of orthodontic problems. The brace will create a gap between those six teeth and the rest of my teeth by pushing all my teeth (bar the six teeth in front) backwards so the surgeon can remove the top of my jaw, cut that six teeth jaw section out, move it upwards by a centimetre and then plate the whole thing up without damaging any roots. They would then begin straightening out my teeth and manipulating my bite. They didn’t have more options. This was the only one.

The bit that no one else on this board seems to have experienced, and the reason why I feel so lost, is when he said there was a risk that the six teeth part of my jaw would not regain blood circulation which would mean my gum would die and those teeth would fall out. He wouldn’t even mention a percentage of the risk factor as he’s never done oral surgery like this before. I asked him what would be done if that did happen and he mentioned something about very complicated procedures but didn't go into any detail.

I have a couple of dental problems that need to be fixed including inner resorption of two collapsed teeth on my bottom jaw due to trauma from whatever my previous surgeon did to my bottom jaw and during that time I have to decide whether to go ahead or not. I always thought that, apart from the risk of dying due to complications with the anaesthesia side of it which is extremely low, any of the mentioned complications were worth it but this? If I were to be completely honest the slight amount of drooling I sometimes experience, problems biting and difficulty breathing when I have a cold isn't my motivation. I'm so used to it now I hardly notice. It's all about the way it looks...

Meh. I’m pretty depressed about it all now as I've been on a happy high from the moment I was told something could be done.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

#2 Post by bb » Wed Oct 20, 2010 6:17 pm

It's good that he was frank in telling you that he'd never done this particular procedure before.
I strongly urge you to get 2-3 more oral surgeon consultations. Bring your x-rays with you. Make an informed decision.
Let us know what happens.

p.s. Friends say this and family says that- but that doesn't matter one iota. What really matters is what you want to do.

#3 Post by **sarz** » Thu Oct 21, 2010 11:29 am

I am sending you my sympathy. Hope that you get some answers about your treatment soon. Thinking back to my initial consultation, I came out with a similar feeling to you. I was also told that I was a complex case. I didn't have what your having done in regards to moving six teeth, but during two of my surgeries I had a surgical subluxation of some teeth ( basically they were wriggled and shifted in the bone whilst I was under ) there was and is a risk that these teeth may die, due to permanent nerve damage, I'm playing a waiting game! Don't feel disheartened, I know it's not easy! Wishing you good luck in whatever you decide to do!

#4 Post by **Robyn** » Fri Oct 22, 2010 10:58 am

Thanks for the bits of wisdom, guys

Feeling much less blah now. I'll let you know what happens.

#5 Post by **Christina28** » Fri Oct 22, 2010 2:25 pm

First of all, I'm sorry you have had to go through this. It must be extremely difficult. As to advice, I would urge you to get other opinions prior to making a decision especially since this is a "redo" surgery. As to the teeth dying, that is a risk in jaw surgery not just in your case. Of course, the risk can be higher or lower dependent upon the specific situation. The bone is being cut and the tooth root can be damaged. One thing you might ask about in this regard is using PRP- Platlett Rich spam spam during surgery which can help with healing.

As to the specific surgery itself, I'm having a bit of trouble following what you are describing. If you feel up to posting pics, it might be helpful.

#6 Post by **Christina28** » Fri Oct 22, 2010 2:26 pm

Sorry, meant Plattelet (sp?)Rich spam spam. It is made from your own blood.

#7 Post by **Christina28** » Fri Oct 22, 2010 2:27 pm

Websit will not allow me to post correct term. Not sure why.

#8 Post by **Robyn** » Fri Oct 22, 2010 3:29 pm

Will definitely ask about that, thanks for the information. Sorry if my explanation wasn't clear. I'm not 100% sure how it's going to work so it's hard to put it across clearly, I guess.

Not sure if these pictures are going to help explain anything but I'll try

From the side my teeth look like this. The brace will create a gap after the small tooth that's showing. This picture is confusing me a bit as the collasped six teeth jaw bit showing in here doesn't look as bad as it looks in reality. On my x-ray the six teeth are very noticeably lower than the rest but I don't have the x-rays with me.

Erm, this is an extremely horrible picture but it explains a bit more about my mouth structure. This is what my mouth is doing when my lips are closed hence the putting off of train tracks until after surgery.

This is how I smile naturally. I'm surprised there's a bit of one tooth showing, actually. When I laugh it looks a lot worse.