I need jaw surgery and braces in Charlotte NC, advise Needed

[Lauren83]

I will start by sharing the fact that I never had a dentist, except to pull out teeth when I was really young 3 to be exact but he pulled 4 bc he pulled a wronge one and had sever damage done on the bottom teeth bc of an underbite. I was in my 20s. I always had an underbite and it has destroyed my front bottom teeth and back molars. I also have a open bite, clench and grind all the time and broken teeth. I wear a splint at night and now in the day too. I had to have a molar pulled after a root canal cracked it andnow having teeth around it over senssitive with pain and become in loose. I did all this with out of pocket payments and now have dental insurance with blue cross of NC. I was told by orthodontist that they are unsure if braces will fix them by a few and the surgeon told me I will need both, again this was when I had no insurance so there were no claims. Also no dentist want to crown my broken teeth, not like I can afford any, or do bonding and bridges anyway bc of my bite being this way. I am 28 and on my own and not working bc of school. Please share if you have similar situations, or live in Charlotte NC that can offer some advise please and tell where you ended up going to fix it!!

[alixcorrin]

Hello!
Sounds like you've had quite the experience. I as well have an underbite (I'm 20). I've had braces in which were unable to correct my underbite, but did straighten my teeth. My orthodontist warned me it would (maybe?) wear down my second molars in the back, but I guess that's a risk I'm willing to take.

I guess my advice to you would be to try out braces first, see how much they can align things. You may find out that your teeth can be aligned to fix your problems. You may need an expander to widen your jaw (I've had that as well it's not bad at all) or headgear. Go to a few different orthodontists and surgeons as well to get a few extra opinions if there are a few in your nearby area! You may find one more positive than the other. It just depends on who it is and who wants money!

And if you do choose to take the surgery route, definitely research! Make sure it's something that can help your overall health. It's a fairly large surgery depending on what they have to do to your jaw.

I personally choose to keep my underbite. I wouldn't say its significant, but my lower jaw protrudes like 2-3mm which gives me a slight open bite. I couldn't tear open a package with my front teeth to save my life! (unless I do with a canine tooth) My jaw also locks up from time to time and clicks.

Best of luck to you. Hopefully braces will be the key so that you can fix your mouth to make you feel better! :) Any questions let me know.