What was your initial diagnosis?

[Rain Man]

When, why, and how were you first told you needed jaw surgery?

Here's my story.....kind of long.....

I have an overbite that has gotten bigger over the years. I had braces as a teenager, but the overbite came back.....I didnt follow through on wearing my retainer. Im 35 years old now.

I saw an orthodontist about four years ago--he said I needed braces....but I was in graduate school at the time and had no $$$ to get them so I put it off. Last year, I went back to my orthodontist and he didnt say anything about surgery, nor did I ask.....he just said I needed braces, as well as four teeth extractions. I was kind of relieved he didnt say anything about surgery, but still I put off the braces, for professional reasons .......but now Im feeling a tightness in my jaw after eating hard or chewy foods, so Im really ready to get the braces now......assuming this alone can still fix my problem.

When you were first told you needed jaw surgery, what kind of symptoms were you experiencing and why couldnt braces alone fix everything?

Ive been googling info on overbites and everything about jaw surgery scares me to death. Ive had surgery on my knee and calves and was not worried at all--but for some reason, Im scared like a baby about my teeth and jaws.

Thanks for any input.

[lioninthelake]

My diagnosis: Class III maloclusion, posterior open bite and crossbite

In plain English it means I have an underbite wherein my upper jaw is too small and my lower jaw is a normal size. There can also be underbites where the upper jaw is a normal size but the lower jaw is too large. My upper jaw needs to be widened and shifted down and forward to correct my bite.

My understanding of my need for surgery is that my mouth has a problem with jaw alignment, not tooth alignment (except for overcompensation due to jaw misalignment). Surgery on the jaw changes skeletal structure, whereas orthodontics alone would not. My orthodontist said that if I wasn't willing to get the surgery, there would be no point to orthodontics because my tooth alignment was fine to begin with.

I knew I had to get this done about 10 years ago but I hesitated because of cost and because it seemed like a drastic procedure. Since then, my bite has just been getting worse and I'm more financially settled so I decided to take the plunge. Cost hasn't been as bad as I thought but I'm in Canada and my surgery is only going to cost me $2500 per jaw (and my OS is still leaning toward upper surg only). Our provincial government insurance covers all in-hospital costs.

I agree that it's very intimidating to know that someone is going to be operating on your jaw and face. I'm also nervous about my appearance changing. I've become familiar with every little detail about my face and I don't want to feel like I'm looking at a stranger in the mirror! Everything I've read tells me that change is very subtle so that takes away about 90% of my concern but there's still that last little 10% of anxiety...

[Rain Man]

thanks, and all the best for your surgery!

actually, now that i think about it, currently, this is the FOURTH time i am going to visit the orthodontist again, since 2001. ive KNOWN i need braces all that time, and as recently as last year, braces was the treatment prescribed. one orthodontist did say it could be treated with surgery or braces......but now im feeling a jaw tightness that i havent felt before, which makes me wonder if i waited too long, to the point where braces alone wont help. is this possible?

the last doc i saw said my teeth are too big for my jaw, or my jaw is too small--same difference. said i would require 4 teeth extractions and braces. but he never mentioned surgery. the teeth themselves are strong/clean, but arent aligned properly--there's overcrowding and i have slightly buck teeth--the buck teeth account for alot of the protrusion. it's been so frustrating all these years, watching my teeth in my car's rearview mirror as they've slowly moved forward. so long as i dont smile while biting my teeth, i look normal. but the tired jaws from eating is really getting to me now.

does this sound familiar to anyone? i know i need to get a professional opinion (AGAIN!), but does this sound like something that warrants jaw surgery?

[Rain Man]

well i had buck teeth when i was a kid, but that was corrected when i had braces as a teen--but then i failed to wear my retainer and now, 20 years later, my teeth are messed up again.

the last two orthodontists i saw said four teeth would need to be extracted (one in each quadrant). i have a cousin who's an orthodontist, so it wouldnt hurt to get his third opinion.

i know that the overbite has increased in the past year, though. i look at my teeth everyday in my car, in the rearview mirror! 4-5 years ago, the teeth started shifting, including the lower teeth, where crowding has pushed one forward.

i just really want to believe that this is just overcrowding, which a few extractions and braces can take care of!

[Rain Man]

well, now i feel stupif. this just reveals how clueless i am.

i think ive confused overjet with overbite. it's the overjet that's been changing most. my two front teeth have been crowded by the other teeth and have been moving forward. i remember my orthodontist measuring the protrusion and saying it was 4mm--that was a little over a year ago, now theyre further out now, maybe 5mm. but i dont recall what the overbite measurement was......my five back teeth are aligned on top of each other--it's the other front teeth where the overbite is, so i never chew with my front teeth, always the back.

if you take a look at myy teeth here--apologies if they scare you--does this look like i obviously require jaw surgery? of course i know this is just everyone's unprofessional opinion, but do the structure of my teeth look familiar to anyone who's had surgery?
http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/groups/orthogn ... DBJPe1R4QM

thanks for the feedback.