My name is DIvya, I'm a 23 yo female with skeletal open bite and a posterior crossbite. I just started my orthodontic journey with various devices and braces. I had Phase 1 braces as an early teen and was told that jaw surgery was the only way to correct my open bite and narrow arch fully. I never intended to do the surgery as it's just not a comfortable option for me. Over the last year I decided to revisit orthodontics as my jaw has started to feel a bit strained. I went on 20+ orthodontic consults and everyone told me the same thing- I had to have surgery to correct both issues. I wasn't ready to accept that so I did my own thorough research for 3-4 months until I found two relatively new technologies (there's not too many studies published on either) that should eliminate the need for jaw surgery in my case altogether, if they work as anticipated. I found a special palate expander called MARPE that is able to "unlock" and widen a mature adult's maxillary bone to correct crossbite. I then saw that a combination of TAD mini-implants and elastics can facilitate the closure of an open bite by intruding/extruding teeth to fix the occlusal angle. Then I found a research university close to me that actually uses MARPE (most orthodontic practices haven't even heard of it yet), and after a consult have started my orthodontic treatment with them. Disclaimer: I am not an orthodontist and do not claim to be an authority on any orthodontic issues. Everything I share is from my own personal research (I'm pretty good at it, if I say so myself!) and my own experience.
I've started a blog to track share my progress along the way including photos, appointment summaries etc!
Hope you'll follow along at http://smileofsteel.weebly.com