Metal Mouth Message Board

so, I'm trying to evaluate my need for orthogonic surgery, and I've knoticed that I've been progressively havintrouble breathing for the past few years, and it's gettting hard to swallow. it almost feels like the foods caught in my throat for whatever reason. I've also had braces before, although im not really sure what they were for. it was back when i was 14 that i had all that done lol. I was just wondering if any of you guys could help me asess my need through pictures, or give me a list of other functional issues a recessed lower jaw could cause. Thanks.

This is a very interesting topic. I wonder if your "difficulty" in swallowing is similar to mine.

I always thought I had acid reflux, but according to an oral surgeon I consulted the most likely cause is that I am currently unable to chew food properly, and as a result I swallow things that have not been chewed enough and my esophagus goes into spasm.

I suggest you bring this up to your oral surgeon...If this is something you suffer from, there is a very good chance your surgery will be approved for medical reasons. This is actually a dangerous condition.

FYI, surgery is a LONG process and it will be 2+ years (or even longer) before you're able to get the benefits. I took Prevacid off and on and I have noticed it has helped and I have never had this swallowing problem while on the drug. Just thought that may be potentially useful to you.

Good Luck,
Chicago29

You should have an oral-phase swallowing study performed by a speech/language pathologist. If you pay out of pocket it's only about $100. They can give you a good idea of how abnormal your swallow may be. The report they give you will also be a great tool in helping you get insurance authorization(it's really a difficult endeavor for some people). As for the breathing issue it goes without saying that advancing the jaws increases the size of the airway. I had the maxilla advanced 8mm and impacted 3mm(you would think that an impaction reduces breathing but it doesn't due to normalization of the airway musculature) and the mandible advanced 8mm. I've also had a 10mm tranverse(width) expansion of the maxilla at the palate(surgically assisted rapid maxillary expansion. sometimes people substitute "palatal" for "maxillary"). I've found my breathing to be significantly improved. For example I can walk up moderately steep hills without having to open my mouth to catch my breath. There also seems to be less stress on my heart(no arrhythmias). So, my advice is get the braces and whatever surgery is recommended. You'll breath better, sleep better, chew better, swallow better, look better and feel better. You'll also prevent future problems with sleep apnea. Good luck.

AF104 is right about the possibility of sleep apnea, and that the surgery can help that. I had upper and lower jaw surgery 6 weeks ago and the day I came back home I no longer snored. I know I need a sleep study to be sure, but I am convinced the apnea is gone. My breathing in general, especially through the nose, is greatly improved too, and my energy levels are higher. Do whatever you need to do--it can greatly improve the quality of your life. And this is a better time to do it--when you are young. The healing will probably be faster than for us older folks.

well I'm not an adult yet, I'm only 17, and whenever i brought these issues up to my mom she thinks I'm crazy. but i went to the doctors recently for having trouble breathing through my nose, she said it was probably allergies and prescribed me some medicine, and said if it doesnt work there's something wrong with my anatomy and they'd have to check it out.

i was wondering if my regular doctor would tell me if it was my jaws constricting my air way, or if i'd absolutely have to go to a surgeon for a consultation, because as of now there's no way I can. lol

The average family doctor or pediatrician doesn't know much about jaw anatomy. I would suggest seeing an orthodontist or oral surgeon for X-Rays.

you can take several routes to figure out your problem. you can take things in your own hands and see a dentist orthodontist or and oral surgeon.

If you go the family practice route they will probebly send you to ENT (ears nose and throat)

yeah, i asked my mom about it and she said they'd probably send me to the ears nose and throat guy. I don't understand how doctors don't know how to spot obvious anatomy flaws. so lets say i go there, would the ears nose and throat guy be able to see a problem?

Joey, there is no way of knowing that until you see the doctor yourself. I have found through experience that a lot of doctors aren't very thorough about diagnosing anything outside of their realm of expertise. I went through over 2 years of braces as a teen and still could not close my mouth without pain...nobody told me about jaw surgery. Many years later I began experiencing very bad tension migraine headaches and desperately went from doctor to doctor(one of which was an ears nose and throat) and nobody could diagnose me. I finally realized it was my jaw causing the headaches and since my surgery, I have been headache free. If you could find a way to see an oral surgeon now, it can save you a lot of additional problems in the future. Best wishes.

blah how gay, i guess if i go to this ears nose and throat guy, and im still having trouble breathing and swallowing, ill just drive myself out to a surgeon in tampa. how much do consultations generally go for?

Mine would have been $350 without insurance for a consultation, cephalogram(the principal diagnostic tool for jaw problems. it's a side view x-ray of the head), and a panorex x-ray(which is a frontal view of your face.) An ENT would probably be useless. The one I see never recognized my jaw problems.

how exactly would I go about getting insurance to cover a consultation.

by the way i have aetna

Well, I don't have Aetna so I don't know if it's an HMO or not. If it is then you need a referral from your primary care physician. I doubt they would give you a referral unless you have objective information suggesting a jaw problem. Just saying "I think I could have a jaw problem." isn't likely going to be good enough. You should probably consult with an orthodontist first. They'll take the same types of x-rays and it will probably only cost you $225 or so.