Metal Mouth Message Board

Hello
I'm a 30 year old male and all my life I've breath through the mouth, that probably causing the problems that I see now. So I have a big overbite maybe 1 cm or so.

Here is a picture with my profile
http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/7193/profile1h.jpg

The main 2 problem that I see are:

1)aesthetically - I really don't like my profile at all, I hate how I come in pictures. Also my smile looks fake and "forced"from all angles.
2)breathing through mouth - this cannot be good. I'm afraid this will bring me health disadvantages later on...

So I've been thinking of getting surgery to correct this, but I see some major problems and I need some advice.

1)If my upper jaw (maxilla) will be cut and pushed back - what will happen to my nose? I think my nose is pretty bad/large as it is already, will this make it worse/larger/ All the lower part of the nose will come backward as well causing my nose to look more "hawk" as it is ?
2)If they also bring my lower jaw forward - my chin is pretty big, I'm afraid this will make it stick out and look bad ? Can something be done about it during surgery as well or is not worth it ?

The third problem is that I live country with so-so medical system (Romania) . I may be covered by insurance here and I could find a good doctor, but I would prefer to be operated by someone with good experience in this field. Any idea how much the cost is in Europe (Maybe Uk, Austria, etc) for a upper and lower jaw surgery (without insurance ? )

Hope can someone who has gone through this could answer or advice me on some of these questions...

Thank you

I can't imagine a surgeon would move your upper jaw back.
It looks like moving your lower jaw forward would be the best.
My surgeon took photos of me and measured angles of my chin, upper lip and nose plus other angles and distances -and based on what is a "normal face", he came up with the best solution for my face.

Your surgeon will be able to do the same for you. When he gives you his advice, ask him to explain how he came to that conclusion.

Do you have an overbite? Do you need braces too?

Mouth breathing is something i know. I sleep with my mouth open during night and breath by it during night. But during daytime i breath thru my nose. The good news for you is that with mouth breathing your system is used to less oxygen thus reducing the risks of heart attack. It's probably caused by a malocclusion but with your profile i cannot tell by your teeth. True, you have an overbite and since your mouthndoesnt close properly you tend to breath by it. Surgery will fix the overbite but your surgery will probably be of both jaw to correct the problem. Your os should be able to give you a simulation of what you will look like after surgery. Sometime genioplasty ( chin adjustment surgery ) or rhinoplasty ( nose surgery might be needed but your surgeon will do those at the same time as the jaw surgery if needed. Again i'm not a surgon and only one will be able to properly answer your questions. There must be a renown surgeon in your country or near by.

Just want to add that your nose doesn't look bad to me at all. If you get the lower jaw moved forward a bit the nose will probably end up looking incredibly normal. And your chin can also be pushed back a bit too...I think your profile has really great potential...I would pay good money for that chin as it is!!

Thank you for all the great answers, this is really a friendly forum

bb: yes, I have an overbite, the front teeth are ~ 1cm (~ 0.4 inch) in front of the lower ones. All the individual teeth are pretty OK, straight and no problems (that I see), I have no problem eating. I will try to post a picture later with them.

I thought about the upper jaw because it seem to me that is "advanced" ? But yes, you are right I'm not sure, I will have to consult an surgeon. Until recently I though it all was a lost hope, I had no idea so many people had the same problems that I do and that these kind of operations are done with such great results.

Hyrule: about breathing through mouth, the problem that I see is that I'm looking "bad" in public and also sometimes I feel tired and without energy (in the morning, or during the day) and I suspect this is because I don't get enough oxygen. I also hate how my mouth or throat feels in the morning because of this. My fear is also that with age, I will start looking older and worse because of this mouth breathing.

I will search for a surgeon around me, problem is a lot of good ones had left the country, and I'm not sure if I can afford 20-30.000 Euros (I have no idea how these operations cost in other parts of Europe) to pay for the operation in Vienna or London or some place where they have very good medical centres.

gavinfilan: thanks, I always had very low confidence. Replies like your make me feel a little better

I agree with Gavinfilan that I don't think your nose (or chin) looks bad at all. I'm not a doctor obviously, but I think that once you get surgery and you achieve a healthier bite, the rest of your features will probably balance out naturally. For now, though, don't despair. Keep looking and asking questions and hopefully you will find a good surgeon that offers reduced rate surgeries. I don't have insurance either and at first I thought I would never be able to afford this surgery. It is very stressful to need surgery and worry about paying for it without insurance while not compromising on quality of care. But after a long time of searching and asking around for referrals, I finally found a surgeon who seems both experienced and affordable. Unfortunately I cannot give you advice about surgeons in Europe since I am in the US. But I just wanted to encourage you not to give up and keep looking!