jaw surgery

[joey]

hi im new to all this but its great to see there are people out there in the same situation as me maybe we call all help each other through it! i had my fitted brace put on in march only got top on so far bottom one due to go on in 6 weeks, brace has been fine, cant believe how much my teeth and appearence have changed in 19 weeks results are already great so cant wait for finished look!!!
having jaw surgery and would love to hear from you if youve experienced the same, my situation being i have a deep overbite and need surgery to bring my lower jaw forward! need jaws wired shut for aporx 6 weeks as my surgen seems to think its more secure this way think id have prefered to be plated but nevermind i aint the expert here!
any stories welcome all i seem to read about on searches is all the bad things........... thanks joey xxx

[joey]

anyone sharing there stories be grateful for any info i can get ... im scared x

[nahky]

I cannot personally give you a stroy since i am in the same shoes as you. Have had braces for about 4 months. surgery sometimes in 9-10 months

I think you will find most poeple on the site are awaiting their time for surgery. You could try out the yahoo group support sites. There are lots of poeple there who have already had their surgery and are recovering.

I know when i finish, i will literally document my rise to beauty after the surgery kiddin

But i will do alot of blogging and take heaps of pictures. To help others of course as well as myself.

[Joanne]

I've had my braces on since December, will have them on for 20 months. Upper and lower jaw surgery about a year and a half into it.
Doing ok with the braces. Think I'm handling it a lot better than when I was 10 years old I'm 29 now. This'll be my first surgery ever though, so I'm nervous, but I'm keeping a lid on it; don't want to be scared. I know things will be so much better once this is all over.

[caryb]

Joey,

I'll be going through jaw surgery myself, as well. I am at the beginning stages, although my surgery will be opposite of yours as I have an underbite and openbite. My upper jaw will be moved out, up at the back, down at the front and widened. I've just had two upper bicuspids removed by my oral surgeon to make room and I will be getting braces put on August 24.

There is no shame in being scared of what will be occurring. I'm 34 and I've known for the last 20 years that surgery would be the only way to cure my jaw issues. I've been avoiding it all this time because of fear, but I'm now faced with problems it has been causing and must get it fixed before it gets worse. Funny thing is, I had no idea braces were involved in getting my jaw fixed until I made the decision. I've always considered myself fortunate enough to have straight teeth and not need them. So much for that thought.

I have no idea how old you are. But whatever age you are, now is the time to do it and don't put it off any longer. I regret not getting it done sooner, but I also know I wasn't ready earlier in life. I still question my decision everyday but I'm very thankful of the people I've met online for their advice and of my wife for the support she has given me.

I'd love to correspond with you as we go through this in similar time frames. Please feel free to email me and read my online journal that I've been writing into since I made the decision a month ago.

Cary

[joey]

hi thanks for replies, feels good to know there are people out there going through to same as me! im 26 and i wish id made the decision earlier in my life to get it sorted always knew there was a problem with my jaw ( i hate my side profile) but always thought it would 'be ok' but then i thought gosh im 26 now a few years of braces and 1 operation and then i'll be fixed! i'm depsperate for a lovely smile! ive kept a paper journal about it might transfer it on line!!!! just felt a bit weird at first being 26 and having a brace its something you assosiate with teenagers but so far everyone i have met has been fantastic aking me questions and showing support... well except one person who i over heard calling me jaws which upset me big style as it was 1st time id ventured clubbing since having it put on! but generally response has been good!

[2Timer]

Hi Joey. I had that surgery when I was in High School. I'm not going to lie, it sucked. But it was worth it. You should expect major swelling and quite a bit of discomfort for about a week afterwards. Your jaws will ache pretty bad. If you take the pain killers on a regular schedule, you should be able to stay comfortable. Keep some ice packs handy. They felt really good when the pain kicked in. You won't be able to brush your teeth so you'll have to use mouth wash instead. If you get the same kind I did, Peredex, it will stain your teeth pretty bad. Might want to try and use something else if they will let you. They say the stains will come off during cleaning, but they always came back for my sister (we had the surgery at the same time - she used the Peredex, I used something else).

Oh yeah, you will probably have some numbness for a long time after the surgery. It's not big deal though and unless you touch the spot that is numb, you probably won't even notice. The area just under my lower lip stayed numb for about 2 years after the surgery, but I never noticed it unless I touched it.

I don't want to scare you away from the surgery, but I don't want to sugar coat it either. They warned me about swelling, but the basketball sized head was a major shock! They didn't really prepare me for what to expect. I am definitely glad I did it though. The first week is the worst, but you'll sleep through most of that anyway. You'll also have a good excuse to eat as much ice cream as you want.

[nvcarissa]

I am going to be having my lower jaw moved forward as well. I am still at least a year away from surgery. I am nervous and excited. I guess we are all just going to have to hang together when the time comes.

[keithsd]

I had lower jaw only surgery about three years ago and it wasn't that bad at all. more of a bunch of annoyances to deal with than anything else. I was totally surprised how easy it was, after getting pretty darn nervous beforehand believe me.

in the hospital was a breeze thanks to the morphine. afterwards, the worst part was going to the bathroom again after a several days of liquid diet (oh yeah that was not fun). I was kind of nauseus for about four solid days, which forced me to spend that time lying in bed, but then I didn't take the drugs they gave me to prevent it. one of my tmj joints bugged me off and on, it felt like I was forcing my jaw unnaturally far to the side, so as far as actual pain that was all I had. the surgery area was more of a burning feeling like a sunburn than any real pain I can remember.

[joey]

thanks for all your replies its good to know that there are people out there going through the same thing, havent got anyone in "real life" to talk to about it cos i know no one else who has had this done lots of my friends have had braces ( funny cos ive only found out that they had braces since theyve noticed mine and ive knew these people for years....see it aint that noticable ) so... lots of my friends have had them on but i know do not know one person who has had jaw surgery so this website is a blessing!!

[bracedmommy]

I am also looking at having this surgery in the next 12-14 months. I also have a severe overbite. I have known that this was going to be needed for many years and should have had it corrected years ago, but my parents felt that it wasn't needed, (still really don't get it). Then I was just fooling myself about it the rest of the time. I am now 28 years old and wishing I had done this a long time ago. I am at little bit of an advantage where I know people who have had this done in real life, a few being my own OD, and my sister. I wish you much luck along this journey, and just know that you are definately not alone in this.

[Teigyr]

I will be having the surgery next summer. I'm already nervous!!! My lower jaw will be moved forward. I think in the scheme of surgeries, it ought to be one of the simpler ones.

For those who have had this done, when do you recommend going back to work? What about air travel? My parents live out of state so I would like to go see them as early as possible.

I wasn't excited at all about getting braces just because it is the start of a long process that will get worse before it gets better. I'm glad it's started, though.

Jane

[cbraces]

hi im new to all this but its great to see there are people out there in the same situation as me maybe we call all help each other through it! i had my fitted brace put on in march only got top on so far bottom one due to go on in 6 weeks, brace has been fine, cant believe how much my teeth and appearence have changed in 19 weeks results are already great so cant wait for finished look!!!
having jaw surgery and would love to hear from you if youve experienced the same, my situation being i have a deep overbite and need surgery to bring my lower jaw forward! need jaws wired shut for aporx 6 weeks as my surgen seems to think its more secure this way think id have prefered to be plated but nevermind i aint the expert here!
any stories welcome all i seem to read about on searches is all the bad things........... thanks joey xxx

Wow 6 months. I have worked at an orthodontist office now for 8 years. We have many ortho/jaw surgery patients. I have never heard of that in my career. Where are you located?? Usually the braces are on for about 12-16 months to align the teeth in the ideal position for the surgery, then the surgeon will make the cut and align the jaws. Here in canada we use rigidfixation and the jaws are no longer wired shut. You need to wear elastics for approximately 6 weeks are you are also on a soft food diet but the braces usulally come off 2-4 months after the surgery. Good Luck!

[csblackburn]

I will be having the surgery next summer. I'm already nervous!!! My lower jaw will be moved forward. I think in the scheme of surgeries, it ought to be one of the simpler ones.

For those who have had this done, when do you recommend going back to work? What about air travel? My parents live out of state so I would like to go see them as early as possible.

I wasn't excited at all about getting braces just because it is the start of a long process that will get worse before it gets better. I'm glad it's started, though.

Jane

Jane,

I'll be having surgery about the same time as you next Summer. I'm as nervous as you are as I've put off having surgery for about 15 years. I was told that I would need it when I was 14 but I've been far to scared to get it done until I finally got fed up.

Personally, I'll be having upper jaw advancement, expansion, lowering of the front and raising of the back. The Oral Surgeon has not ruled out having my lower jaw set back, but he will wait to see where the teeth lineup with the orthodontics.

I, like you, am not excited about braces. I didn't even know they were part of the process until after seeing my dentist when I had made the decision to go through with this. I tried to see if there was an non-orthodontic solution at first, but soon realized that I was just being ignorant. I'll be getting braces put on tomorrow after having 12 spacers jammed in my teeth for the past 6 days. Hopefully braces won't be as bad as I think they will be.

As far as going back to work, I've heard between 2 and 4 weeks depending upon your health and how you feel. From what I've read, lower jaw surgery is a little faster to recover from than upper jaw surgery. But, I'm not a surgeon and don't pretend to be one.

Keep in touch and best wishes.

Cary

[ladybug]

Hi everyone!! Just found out today that I too will need surgery. I just scheduled my consultation. I have had my braces for almost 15 months, and I have a class 2 open bite, along with a 8 mm overjet, and crossbite. I will have to have my lower jaw moved forward, and possibly my upper moved up and back. I was a bit shocked to hear it at my adjustment today...but the doc said that there is only so much that elastics can do, and now that my teeth are pretty straight...the surgery is the next step.

I am worried about the pain, and the cost. Anyone have a ballpark idea of the cost? Is 1 1/2 to 2 weeks enough time to recover before I go back to school?

Thanks, and good luck to everyone.