Double Jaw Surgery - Appearance Afterwards?

[Lil'Bop]

Hey I'm a seventeen year old from England who's currently lost somewhere in the REALMS OF SPAM of the NHS waiting list. I've been waiting for this surgery for so long, it's unbelievable, but with all luck I should be having it sometime in 2013.

Long story: When I was younger I never noticed that I had a problem with my jaws. I just assumed that everyone couldn't bite down on lettuce. As I wasn't all too bothered with my appearance, I never noticed it until my dentist brought it up when I was thirteen. He told me that I needed lower jaw surgery to fix my underbite, and, ever since then, I notice it all the time. Even when I go back to photos of me from when I was five, I see there's something wrong with the positioning of my jaws, something not quite right. Though the more I look back on it, the more I realize that it was my growth spurt when I was ten which was the time when everyone started to treat me differently. Before then, I'd never been popular per se, but I was friends with everyone and was (mostly) treated with kindness.

After I shot up, though, my jaw jutted out too and that was the time when I started to lose friends and boys started to tease me about my appearance. I have no idea if the two things are related or not, but the fact remains that since I was ten I've always been treated awfully about the way I look, and my confidence has plummeted. And the more I look at myself the more I see all the flaws - the top half of my face is fine, and I find that I actually quite like my eyes, when all is said and done, but everything from the bridge of my nose down is like a bombsite, as far as I'm concerned. Since I went to the dentist when I was thirteen it's become apparent that it's not only my lower jaw that needs fixing, and because of the lack of growth in my upper jaw all my features appear sunken and deflated on my face. They're actually not that bad features, I find - chin aside - but my cheeks have no structure and are...how do I put this...flabby? even though I'm actually average weight for my height. I also have a severe crossbite, and when I smile I look ridiculous - my lower jaw is going one way, the rest of my face the other! I can't stand having my photo taken anymore because of this, and when we had to have them done for our student IDs, I took one look at my photo and burst into tears. It's so horrible.

So what I'm asking - for all of you who've had the surgery - is how much does your appearance change after you've had it done? I'm having my upper jaw moved forwards quite a bit (not sure how much) and my lower jaw moved back slightly, as well as fixing my crossbite and (I hope) a chin reduction. They're also repositioning my upper jaw - moving it up, I think - and I may need my nose moved around if it all goes iffy after the surgery. I'm well aware that all surgeries are different, and all results of the surgery are going to be different, but I'd love to hear back from anyone, please. It's affected my confidence so bad. I don't want to look beautiful, just to look...well, normal. Like the kid in the photos back before her jaw started to go weird.

Thank you

[survenant]

Great post, I can relate, I have pretty much the same problem as you but i'm in my late 20s.

[angelstrings]

I feel the same way, and I'm even older than you 2, at 34!!! But, if it's the last thing I do, I'm fixing this, and I don't care if I have to go back into braces...I don't care. I'm doing it. I've gotten a roommate to cut down costs, and Monday I am contacting a financial advisor. Keep going girl!

[keeponsmiling]

Lil'Bop your story is heartbreaking and all too familiar to a lot of us on this board. I'm really annoyed that my dentist told me when I was 15 that my overlapping front teeth and narrow top arch weren't worth fixing. If only I'd known at the time how much my jaw would worsen as I got older, and I wonder how different my life would have been as a teenager if I wasn't so self-conscious about not being able to eat properly and my appearance. (For the record, I'm 33 and have an open bite, overcrowding, goofy front teeth, gummy smile, long face, crossbite, cant in my lower jaw and a huge chin.) Obviously braces have made a big improvement, but these issues need surgery to resolve them. It sounds like you have a really good treatment plan lined up, but as an NHS patient myself I would definitely start asking questions about whether they are going to operate on your chin. It's not something all surgeons will routinely consider. I had to transfer treatment to a new hospital when we moved and I was so relieved when my new surgeon said he would do genio. The previous one had never mentioned it and I was too scared and embarrassed to ask, even though I was really worried that without it my appearance wouldn't be very much improved. The NHS is slow to get going - my first appt was back in May 2009 and it was a year before I finally got braces - but once you're in the system things do speed up. Somewhere on this forum someone posted a link to a video with loads of before and after shots on it. I'll try to find it for you.

[keeponsmiling]

Found it - check out Minerva's post on 29 Nov 'Lots of before and after pictures'. It's incredible (thanks Minerva!)

[Lil'Bop]

[quote="keeponsmiling"]Lil'Bop your story is heartbreaking and all too familiar to a lot of us on this board. I'm really annoyed that my dentist told me when I was 15 that my overlapping front teeth and narrow top arch weren't worth fixing. If only I'd known at the time how much my jaw would worsen as I got older, and I wonder how different my life would have been as a teenager if I wasn't so self-conscious about not being able to eat properly and my appearance. (For the record, I'm 33 and have an open bite, overcrowding, goofy front teeth, gummy smile, long face, crossbite, cant in my lower jaw and a huge chin.) Obviously braces have made a big improvement, but these issues need surgery to resolve them. It sounds like you have a really good treatment plan lined up, but as an NHS patient myself I would definitely start asking questions about whether they are going to operate on your chin. It's not something all surgeons will routinely consider. I had to transfer treatment to a new hospital when we moved and I was so relieved when my new surgeon said he would do genio. The previous one had never mentioned it and I was too scared and embarrassed to ask, even though I was really worried that without it my appearance wouldn't be very much improved. The NHS is slow to get going - my first appt was back in May 2009 and it was a year before I finally got braces - but once you're in the system things do speed up. Somewhere on this forum someone posted a link to a video with loads of before and after shots on it. I'll try to find it for you.[/quote]

I do want to ask questions, but I've only met my surgeon once, and when I brought up the chin thing he told me my chin wasn't that bad! I looked a bit like this when he said that: I think my chin is really prominent, and not only that, but it's a very strange shape, almost masculine looking. I'm gonna keep trying to speak to him, though - the wait is driving me mad! I was referred by my dentist (finally!) over a year ago, and I haven't even got braces yet. Every time I go to an appointment it's just a check up. I'm glad I'm now in the system, but there's at least a five month gap between every appointment and I'm wondering just how old I'm gonna be when they finally operate.

Thank you for getting back to me, anyway, and thank you for the video link. Makes me feel a little better that I'm not alone in all this madness

[Bullfighter]

... I do want to ask questions, but I've only met my surgeon once, and when I brought up the chin thing he told me my chin wasn't that bad! I looked a bit like this when he said that: I think my chin is really prominent, and not only that, but it's a very strange shape, almost masculine looking. I'm gonna keep trying to speak to him, though - the wait is driving me mad! I was referred by my dentist (finally!) over a year ago, and I haven't even got braces yet. Every time I go to an appointment it's just a check up. I'm glad I'm now in the system, but there's at least a five month gap between every appointment and I'm wondering just how old I'm gonna be when they finally operate.

Thank you for getting back to me, anyway, and thank you for the video link. Makes me feel a little better that I'm not alone in all this madness

Get your chin done at the same time - you'll be under anesthesia already, and will only have to deal with the recovery from surgery once.

You'll likely be very happy with the results of jaw surgery in terms of cosmetics and lettuce-chomping.

Just be sure you're OK with the prospect of some lingering numbness associated with lower jaw surgery. I've recovered surface sensation over 100% of my chin and lip, but there is some underlying stiffness (apparently nerve damage yet to recover).

[Lil'Bop]

Thanks everyone I'll mention the chin thing again when I go and see him...if I do sometime this century.

Another question, quickly: do people notice there's actually a problem with your appearance? Whenever I bring it up everyone tells me that they don't notice it. I honestly don't see how they don't - it's so obvious and prominent! I got really angry once with this guy who told me he didn't notice it, and when he asked me to show him, he told me to stop jutting out my jaw. It makes me wonder if I just generally am unattractive and having surgery won't make much of an difference...

[Bullfighter]

Thanks everyone I'll mention the chin thing again when I go and see him...if I do sometime this century.

Another question, quickly: do people notice there's actually a problem with your appearance? Whenever I bring it up everyone tells me that they don't notice it. I honestly don't see how they don't - it's so obvious and prominent! I got really angry once with this guy who told me he didn't notice it, and when he asked me to show him, he told me to stop jutting out my jaw. It makes me wonder if I just generally am unattractive and having surgery won't make much of an difference...

It depends on how far from "normal" your features are.

Before my surgery, most people said my nose was large, but the reality was that my lower jaw hadn't fully developed, so the "facial balance" wasn't right. I'd never had anyone say my chin was too small, though. Post-surgery, everything is in better proportion and I'm thankful I didn't have my nose shortened, narrowed, etc. Lesson learnt: don't trust other people to "diagnose" your appearance.

The other thing to consider is that we each study our own face a lot more closely than other people do. You are the one that you need to satisfy. "Unattractive" compared to airbrushed and PhotoShopped supermodels and actresses isn't a very useful comparison, but a good maxillofacial surgeon can assess what facial features are a mismatch to the standards of what is considered an attractive face. If your chin juts out or is crooked or whatever, that is pretty fixable, and you will notice every day if it is changed. If others don't notice, then maybe they aren't observant enough. A lot of people can't tell a great wine from a good one, after all.

What I would caution, though, is that you can't expect that improving a your jawline/chin is going to transform you into your vision of perfection. You still have to be OK with your appearance, and not depend on others to render a verdict. It may be relatively subtle. In cases where the change is large, some people have trouble adapting to their new appearance, so I think conservative is better when it comes to appearance-affecting surgery. Especially for someone very young such as yourself.

(All my opinion, worth no more than the pixels used to display it, etc. etc.)

[Braceybex]

Hi
I'm also having double Jaw surgery some time in 2013 - I think in terms of appearance you can only look better afterwards, my consultant has spent time talking me through the difference I can expect, i'm sure if you ask they will take the time to explain the outcome. good luck - how are you doing with the braces? and how long have you had them on for so far?

[deepbeep]

I wouldn't worry about your jaw. It might seem off due to overall look. When everything is in the right place after surgery, it will probably look fine.

[Lil'Bop]

My features are...well, actually, on their own (as in, if you removed them from my face) they're not that bad. I like my eyes; my nose is small; my mouth is quite full (though part of this is probably down to my lower jaw being where it is). My chin is another thing altogether, but I try and hide it these days with scarves, etc.

The thing is, there's one angle of my face where my jaw isn't noticeable at all, and from this angle I actually quite like the way I look. I'm no supermodel, but it's quite a cutesy look, if you get what I mean. But from any other angle I look really odd, and many people have told me to stop looking so angry and bored. Whenever I'm not smiling I look really pissed off, which I wonder sometimes is because of the positioning of my jaw. I don't know.

At this stage I think any change to my face can only be a good one, and I'm not naive enough to think I'll be 'unrecognizable', so to speak (though that would be funny, seeing people's jaws drop when they realize who I am ). I just want to look like the way I did before, in photos of me from when I was younger. Having this jaw problem has affected me horribly over my teenage years, and when I think about all the experiences my friends have had (parties, gigs, prom) that I haven't experienced because of my confidence, I just feel even worse about myself. Bleh. 2013 couldn't come sooner.

(Sorry for the rant. It's just so nice to get some comments from people who've had it).

[Lil'Bop]

[quote="Braceybex"]Hi
I'm also having double Jaw surgery some time in 2013 - I think in terms of appearance you can only look better afterwards, my consultant has spent time talking me through the difference I can expect, i'm sure if you ask they will take the time to explain the outcome. good luck - how are you doing with the braces? and how long have you had them on for so far?[/quote]

I haven't had braces yet! I was referred to my orthodontist over a year ago, and they still haven't given me them! I'm going crazy waiting - especially because of how far inwards my lower teeth are positioned. I worry over how long I'll be expected to have them in...eh. What about you?

Good luck to you, too! And yes - you can only look better afterwards That's what I keep telling myself, anyway.