Hi to everybody!!!
What a great idea a chatline for adults with braces!!!Well my situation is I got braces May 2005, I will be getting surgery either May- July???
I am having upper/lower jaw done. They are also going to be widening my upper palate by 8-10mm, it's really narrow!!!!! I have an open bite, and cross bite. It is alot of work but I do believe it will be worth it------even at 35!!question for anyone--don't you hate it when someone says to you;"Why are you getting this done?, I don't see anything wrong with you.
SURGERY ON THE WAY!!
Moderator: bbsadmin
SURGERY ON THE WAY!!
Billie
Be Blessed
Be Blessed
Hi Billie,
I totally know what you mean. People would always ask why I was getting the surgery done, what it was going to do for me & so many other questions & comments that were unwanted. THe best one was that my husband's best friend's wife kept telling me, "Wow! That's really going to suck." Like I don't know already that it's not going to be a cake walk. Anyway, turns out it wasn't anywhere near as bad as people made it out to be. I'm recovering just fine & I'm sure your surgery will go great too. Just take care of yourself, try to relax and don't let people's comments and questions get to you.
Take care,
Kimberley
I totally know what you mean. People would always ask why I was getting the surgery done, what it was going to do for me & so many other questions & comments that were unwanted. THe best one was that my husband's best friend's wife kept telling me, "Wow! That's really going to suck." Like I don't know already that it's not going to be a cake walk. Anyway, turns out it wasn't anywhere near as bad as people made it out to be. I'm recovering just fine & I'm sure your surgery will go great too. Just take care of yourself, try to relax and don't let people's comments and questions get to you.
Take care,
Kimberley
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Brandyleigh35
- Posts: 1018
- Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 4:25 pm
- Location: Alaska
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I completely agree also! I've only been braced for 2 weeks so far. I go for a SARPE next Friday, and then after more ortho work I will be having jaw surgery in May 2007. I'm doing this to correct sleep apnea issues that I have been having due to my retronathic jaw.
Already I'm so tired of people saying "why did you get braces, your teeth were already straight" I'm tired of telling people that I'm not doing this for vanities sake but to correct a medical issues. I wish someone could come up with a really great come back that would get people to buzz off. AS of lately I have just been telling people that my bite is out of alignment and causing me joint pain, so we are working to fix it. It does irritate me though.
Brandy
Already I'm so tired of people saying "why did you get braces, your teeth were already straight" I'm tired of telling people that I'm not doing this for vanities sake but to correct a medical issues. I wish someone could come up with a really great come back that would get people to buzz off. AS of lately I have just been telling people that my bite is out of alignment and causing me joint pain, so we are working to fix it. It does irritate me though.
Brandy
Hi everyone,
Brandy, I just wanted to say that I thought it was interesting you mentioned that you were doing the jaw surgery/ braces to correct sleep apnea. I was trsted for that, and though I don't have it - I did snore quite badly before I got my braces on. I think it did open up my air passages not having my teeth so crowded together. I'm sure that nowthat I've had the surgery that my breathing at night will be even better. I had a very narrow upper jaw & my teeth were quite crowded before. Sure, it looks better - there's no doubt about that. But, no one would ever go through all this for vanity sake.
When people I actually care about ask me why I had this done I explain that over time if your bite is really bad your teeth wear in uneven patterns that can lead to serious problems later in life. A lot of people get migraines, my dad, who has the same bite problem, has even experienced hearing loss. A big deal considering he is visually impaired. I'm doing this now as preventative medicine. I don't want to be going through this in my fifties, or when we have small kids in our life. This was a good time in my life to make a change for my health. I should have had it done years ago but my family simply could not afford it. I find once you do something really good for health, many other good habits follow. I've lost like 50 lbs since I first got my braces on. I still have another 50 to lose but all in good time.
I'm so proud of my braces. In fact, just this past August I got married in a surprise ceremony on the beach. (We had been together for 12 years and no one suspected a thing, it was so much fun!) In all my wedding photos I'm smiling, showing my braces. I've always had the Mona Lisa smile in all my pictures. It felt so good not be self-conscious of my smile.
Anyway, life with braces is good. And, I'm sure I'll be equally as thrilled once I'm fully recovered from the surgery.
Smile lots!
Kimberley
Brandy, I just wanted to say that I thought it was interesting you mentioned that you were doing the jaw surgery/ braces to correct sleep apnea. I was trsted for that, and though I don't have it - I did snore quite badly before I got my braces on. I think it did open up my air passages not having my teeth so crowded together. I'm sure that nowthat I've had the surgery that my breathing at night will be even better. I had a very narrow upper jaw & my teeth were quite crowded before. Sure, it looks better - there's no doubt about that. But, no one would ever go through all this for vanity sake.
When people I actually care about ask me why I had this done I explain that over time if your bite is really bad your teeth wear in uneven patterns that can lead to serious problems later in life. A lot of people get migraines, my dad, who has the same bite problem, has even experienced hearing loss. A big deal considering he is visually impaired. I'm doing this now as preventative medicine. I don't want to be going through this in my fifties, or when we have small kids in our life. This was a good time in my life to make a change for my health. I should have had it done years ago but my family simply could not afford it. I find once you do something really good for health, many other good habits follow. I've lost like 50 lbs since I first got my braces on. I still have another 50 to lose but all in good time.
I'm so proud of my braces. In fact, just this past August I got married in a surprise ceremony on the beach. (We had been together for 12 years and no one suspected a thing, it was so much fun!) In all my wedding photos I'm smiling, showing my braces. I've always had the Mona Lisa smile in all my pictures. It felt so good not be self-conscious of my smile.
Anyway, life with braces is good. And, I'm sure I'll be equally as thrilled once I'm fully recovered from the surgery.
Smile lots!
Kimberley
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Brandyleigh35
- Posts: 1018
- Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 4:25 pm
- Location: Alaska
- Contact:
Yes Kimberly I totally agree! I have a type of sleep apnea called "Upper Airway Resistance Sleep Apnea" My oxygen levels are ok, but when my breathing gets too shallow my brain wakes me up. Thus I was waking 25-30 times an hour and tired all the time. I have an appliance I wore that moved my jaw forward about 3cm which is all the space I need to breath and sleep completely silently. My doctors are all convinced that this surgery will totally eliminate my sleep apnea and even though I know its going to be a long year or two of unpleasantness, I'm committed to the end result and know it will be totally worth it.
Do you have TMJ issues with your bite? I would think the things you mentioned could cause headaches for you etc. What made you decide to embark on this journey?
Brandy
Do you have TMJ issues with your bite? I would think the things you mentioned could cause headaches for you etc. What made you decide to embark on this journey?
Brandy
Hi Brandy,
I didn't have any problems with TMJ or really much of anything. I just knew from the time I was a young girl that I needed braces - it was very obvious & the few times that family could afford to take me for a cleaning the dentists would sit my parents down and tell them I needed extensive dental work done to correct my bite. It just financially was not an option back then.
So, it came as no great surprise to me, when my husband and I decided that we could afford for me to get my teeth fixed, that the orthodontist said I would likely need jaw surgery. In fact, he would not agree to treat me unless I agreed that I would go through with the surgery because his work alone could not fix my bite.
I decided that I would jump in with both feet anddo it because I wanted to avoid problems later in life that were pretty much inevitable. I didn't want to have to go through this with small kids. Right now we had the personal and financial means to get it done. I'm really glad I did. Honestly, the whole braces/ surgery thing is no where near as bad as people make it out to be. Maybe I just have a high tolerance for pain, but I don't think so. I feel lucky that I had no complications with the surgery. I know people have posted here that have had less pleasant experiences than I had, but I haven't heard any really scary stories.
I have my four week post op check up tomorrow. So far, so good. I know my surgeon would like it if my bite was opening more at this point but I'm wrenching on my jaw to get it open more. I gently strech it three times a day after meals. I'm opening about two fingers wide now, enough to get actual food in & that makes me very happy. On thursday I get a new upper wire in, that should be fun.
I'll keep you all posted on how things are going,
Kimberley
I didn't have any problems with TMJ or really much of anything. I just knew from the time I was a young girl that I needed braces - it was very obvious & the few times that family could afford to take me for a cleaning the dentists would sit my parents down and tell them I needed extensive dental work done to correct my bite. It just financially was not an option back then.
So, it came as no great surprise to me, when my husband and I decided that we could afford for me to get my teeth fixed, that the orthodontist said I would likely need jaw surgery. In fact, he would not agree to treat me unless I agreed that I would go through with the surgery because his work alone could not fix my bite.
I decided that I would jump in with both feet anddo it because I wanted to avoid problems later in life that were pretty much inevitable. I didn't want to have to go through this with small kids. Right now we had the personal and financial means to get it done. I'm really glad I did. Honestly, the whole braces/ surgery thing is no where near as bad as people make it out to be. Maybe I just have a high tolerance for pain, but I don't think so. I feel lucky that I had no complications with the surgery. I know people have posted here that have had less pleasant experiences than I had, but I haven't heard any really scary stories.
I have my four week post op check up tomorrow. So far, so good. I know my surgeon would like it if my bite was opening more at this point but I'm wrenching on my jaw to get it open more. I gently strech it three times a day after meals. I'm opening about two fingers wide now, enough to get actual food in & that makes me very happy. On thursday I get a new upper wire in, that should be fun.
I'll keep you all posted on how things are going,
Kimberley
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Brandyleigh35
- Posts: 1018
- Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 4:25 pm
- Location: Alaska
- Contact:
Yeah my story is similar. The ortho had wanted to break my jaw and pull it forward when I was a kid. My teeth were straight and my smile was nice. You couldn't really notice the underbite and at that time in my life I was not hip on surgery at all! My brother had horrible teeth (even had an extra set of front permanent teeth.) my parents could not afford braces for both of us, and since my brother's situation was far worse the was the one that got them. Truthfully I'm rather glad I have waited, as I think there have been a lot of advances in the field of jaw surgery and I'm convinced that my results will be much better getting it done at this point in my life.
Please do keep us posted, I would love to hear how you are progressing. I too have a high tolerance for pain I think, so I'm not predicting it to be any really big deal either. Shoot I mean after having a baby, how bad can it really get? LOL....
People get really freaked out about that surgery stuff though, all my friends are like asking me "Aren't you scared? Worried? Nervous?" and I have been telling them "not yet!" I'm one of those people that just thinks some things are out of our control so why worry about them. I have done the research, I have a good surgeon I feel confident with, the rest is up to the powers that be, so worrying about it isn't going to change anything its just going to make me crazy. I'm convinced that it will all be fine and I have nothing to worry about.
May I ask when your surgery was done? How long have you been recovering? Sorry to be so nosey....I'm just curious.
Brandy
Please do keep us posted, I would love to hear how you are progressing. I too have a high tolerance for pain I think, so I'm not predicting it to be any really big deal either. Shoot I mean after having a baby, how bad can it really get? LOL....
People get really freaked out about that surgery stuff though, all my friends are like asking me "Aren't you scared? Worried? Nervous?" and I have been telling them "not yet!" I'm one of those people that just thinks some things are out of our control so why worry about them. I have done the research, I have a good surgeon I feel confident with, the rest is up to the powers that be, so worrying about it isn't going to change anything its just going to make me crazy. I'm convinced that it will all be fine and I have nothing to worry about.
May I ask when your surgery was done? How long have you been recovering? Sorry to be so nosey....I'm just curious.
Brandy
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Brandyleigh35
- Posts: 1018
- Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 4:25 pm
- Location: Alaska
- Contact:
Sorry Kim,
I reread your other post and saw when your surgery was done. My doctor says I won't have to have a catheter. He said that the norm is usually if the surgery is going to take longer than 6 hours that a cath is required. Mine won't be that long and he says I won't have to have one since he is only doing my lower jaw.
How are you doing with the numbness? Are you starting to get some feeling back in those places that were numb? or are you still pretty numb?
I had not heard about the acrylic for the braces before......I had been wondering about that when they do my SARPE. Guess I will ask my ortho as I have to go in Thursday for spacers again.
Brandy
I reread your other post and saw when your surgery was done. My doctor says I won't have to have a catheter. He said that the norm is usually if the surgery is going to take longer than 6 hours that a cath is required. Mine won't be that long and he says I won't have to have one since he is only doing my lower jaw.
How are you doing with the numbness? Are you starting to get some feeling back in those places that were numb? or are you still pretty numb?
I had not heard about the acrylic for the braces before......I had been wondering about that when they do my SARPE. Guess I will ask my ortho as I have to go in Thursday for spacers again.
Brandy
Hi Brandy,
The numbness in my lower lip and chin are still very present. It gets better at times. So, I'm confident that the feeling will come back. I know that it some people it can take a long time, like 6 - 18 months & some people never get the feeling back but everything would still be functional. But yeah, I do get twinges of feeling in my chin & sometimes one or the other side of my lower lip is completely not numb anymore. I find that the numbness in my face is worse in the morning after I've been laying down andsleeping all night.
So, after almost four weeks I do think that things are coming along well. I would like to open my mouth more, but really only because it seems like my doctor seems to expect it. I'd also like to to fully get the hearing back in my left ear - when the problemswith my sinuses clear up I'm sure that will too.
You know, I wish I had spent some more time on this forum before I had my surgery done. Maybe it was a good thing I didn't, I might have obsessed a bit more on the details of things. I don't know. I'm kind of a "go with you gut" kind of girl & I jump into things and deal with the outcome later. It's been a good approach to life for me so far. You're right, if you're going to do it anyway, there's no point in worrying about it. I was lucky in that my surgeon gave me adate within a very short amount of time after my one year of getting braces checkup. I was on that operating table within two weeks. I wanted to get it done and over with & he knew that & happened to have a cancellation. So, there wasn't much time to freak out. There's a difference between knowing it's coming up in a year or so & having an actual date.
I wish everyone who has this big event coming up in their life the best of luck. You will really feel better once it's all said and done.
Bye for now,
Kimberley
The numbness in my lower lip and chin are still very present. It gets better at times. So, I'm confident that the feeling will come back. I know that it some people it can take a long time, like 6 - 18 months & some people never get the feeling back but everything would still be functional. But yeah, I do get twinges of feeling in my chin & sometimes one or the other side of my lower lip is completely not numb anymore. I find that the numbness in my face is worse in the morning after I've been laying down andsleeping all night.
So, after almost four weeks I do think that things are coming along well. I would like to open my mouth more, but really only because it seems like my doctor seems to expect it. I'd also like to to fully get the hearing back in my left ear - when the problemswith my sinuses clear up I'm sure that will too.
You know, I wish I had spent some more time on this forum before I had my surgery done. Maybe it was a good thing I didn't, I might have obsessed a bit more on the details of things. I don't know. I'm kind of a "go with you gut" kind of girl & I jump into things and deal with the outcome later. It's been a good approach to life for me so far. You're right, if you're going to do it anyway, there's no point in worrying about it. I was lucky in that my surgeon gave me adate within a very short amount of time after my one year of getting braces checkup. I was on that operating table within two weeks. I wanted to get it done and over with & he knew that & happened to have a cancellation. So, there wasn't much time to freak out. There's a difference between knowing it's coming up in a year or so & having an actual date.
I wish everyone who has this big event coming up in their life the best of luck. You will really feel better once it's all said and done.
Bye for now,
Kimberley
My ortho was exactly the same and he told me that if somehow I lost my insurance during treatment and could not do the surgery, he would remove the braces then and there.In fact, he would not agree to treat me unless I agreed that I would go through with the surgery because his work alone could not fix my bite.
I saw my ortho today and my surgery will happen sometime in May or June. Counting down at this point. I can't believe I am more than nine months into this odyssey.
Braced 5/11/05, BSSO with advancement 6/21/06, Debanded: 8/1/07. Click on www for my braces story.
Wow, you're lucky that insurance will cover you for the surgery. Mine was totally out of pocket. I heard my checking account say "ouch" when I wrote the check. I was told by my surgeon's office that they haven't seen a Cdn dental insurance company cover it. I guess that's one thing the States has on our medical system - private insurance must be pretty good there. I have to say in general my husband's work's health plan is pretty good but not in terms of specialized dental work.
Do you know how much it would have cost if you had to pay out of pocket? Also, unlike my braces, where the ortho would accept payment overtime - the surgeon needed it all up front.
Kimberley
Do you know how much it would have cost if you had to pay out of pocket? Also, unlike my braces, where the ortho would accept payment overtime - the surgeon needed it all up front.
Kimberley
Kimberley,
I can say that my surgery is around $12,000 with insurance. I will pay $1,500 or whatever my max is for the year. Oddly enough, it would have been $6,000 cash. This is in US dollars, of course. It seems odd that the amounts would be different but maybe they don't get reimbursed for everything that they bill?
I am enjoying your posts! It is good to read that you didn't have much bruising. You know, it was interesting to read that you lost weight after getting braces. I never really thought about how I ate but realized after filling out surgeon forms, I DO/did have problems biting into things and therefore kind of crammed more food into my mouth than I should. I still can't chew things that well because my braces have moved my already poor bite into an even worse one in preparation of surgery. I look forward to getting this over with!
When you couldn't brush, could you use a waterpik or anything like that? I am just envisioning that nasty taste from not brushing and ICK!!!
Jane
I can say that my surgery is around $12,000 with insurance. I will pay $1,500 or whatever my max is for the year. Oddly enough, it would have been $6,000 cash. This is in US dollars, of course. It seems odd that the amounts would be different but maybe they don't get reimbursed for everything that they bill?
I am enjoying your posts! It is good to read that you didn't have much bruising. You know, it was interesting to read that you lost weight after getting braces. I never really thought about how I ate but realized after filling out surgeon forms, I DO/did have problems biting into things and therefore kind of crammed more food into my mouth than I should. I still can't chew things that well because my braces have moved my already poor bite into an even worse one in preparation of surgery. I look forward to getting this over with!
When you couldn't brush, could you use a waterpik or anything like that? I am just envisioning that nasty taste from not brushing and ICK!!!
Jane
Hi Jane,
That's interesting that they would charge your insurance company one amount and you another if you were to pay cash. I bet the insurance company wouldn't like to hear that. So, with the exchange rate it soundsthe cost is pretty much the same. I've forgotten though if you are getting upper and lower done or just lower. Seems to me I remember my surgeon saying that certain things, like the hospital stay & surgery room costs, were covered by my provincial medical coverage. In any case, it's expensive no matter how you look at it.
I don't have a waterpik, so I'm not sure how they work. I can't imagine it being much help because you can't open your mouth at all while it's wired shut. Honestly, it was the feeling of the teeth more so than the taste that bothered me. Seems like many people here on the boards like their waterpik, I might actually pick one up. What has been your experience with it?
Just an update, if you haven't read my other posts. I just the acrylic stuff off my top brackets on Weds. The Dr seemed to be happy with my progress in opening. He said that I might have to go back to get the screws taken out of my bottom jaw in a month or so. But he'll know more in the my next appointment, 4 weeks from now. The Ortho put a new wire on my top braces yesterday. He used a small flexible wire, which was good because I was worried about it being too tight. Especially since I just acquired the ability to chew again, however limited it may be. I think he was supposed to put elastics back on but he might have misunderstood when I told him the surgeon wanted to leave them off to get my mouth to open a bit more. I'm pretty sure the surgeon was expecting my ortho to put them back on. I better call on Monday, I don't want to mess this up.
I had enough energy yesterday to head off to the mall & get my niece a birthday gift. Now, if I only had the energy to go mail it, I'd be set.
She lives in Texas, so I imagine I'll have to send it Xpress if it's going to get there by next friday. She's only turning 1 though, so I'm sure she won't miss it. Especially since her grandparents totally spoil her... I was just happy to get out of the apartment. I was feeling a little bit of cabin fever.
Have a great weekend,
Kimberley
That's interesting that they would charge your insurance company one amount and you another if you were to pay cash. I bet the insurance company wouldn't like to hear that. So, with the exchange rate it soundsthe cost is pretty much the same. I've forgotten though if you are getting upper and lower done or just lower. Seems to me I remember my surgeon saying that certain things, like the hospital stay & surgery room costs, were covered by my provincial medical coverage. In any case, it's expensive no matter how you look at it.
I don't have a waterpik, so I'm not sure how they work. I can't imagine it being much help because you can't open your mouth at all while it's wired shut. Honestly, it was the feeling of the teeth more so than the taste that bothered me. Seems like many people here on the boards like their waterpik, I might actually pick one up. What has been your experience with it?
Just an update, if you haven't read my other posts. I just the acrylic stuff off my top brackets on Weds. The Dr seemed to be happy with my progress in opening. He said that I might have to go back to get the screws taken out of my bottom jaw in a month or so. But he'll know more in the my next appointment, 4 weeks from now. The Ortho put a new wire on my top braces yesterday. He used a small flexible wire, which was good because I was worried about it being too tight. Especially since I just acquired the ability to chew again, however limited it may be. I think he was supposed to put elastics back on but he might have misunderstood when I told him the surgeon wanted to leave them off to get my mouth to open a bit more. I'm pretty sure the surgeon was expecting my ortho to put them back on. I better call on Monday, I don't want to mess this up.
I had enough energy yesterday to head off to the mall & get my niece a birthday gift. Now, if I only had the energy to go mail it, I'd be set.
She lives in Texas, so I imagine I'll have to send it Xpress if it's going to get there by next friday. She's only turning 1 though, so I'm sure she won't miss it. Especially since her grandparents totally spoil her... I was just happy to get out of the apartment. I was feeling a little bit of cabin fever.Have a great weekend,
Kimberley
out and about
Hi Kimberely,
I had a question about your surgery, did you have alot of bruising? I know a lady in her 50's that had surgery and she had bruising all the way down to her chest and lots os swelling.
Note:did you get my messages?
Thanks.
I had a question about your surgery, did you have alot of bruising? I know a lady in her 50's that had surgery and she had bruising all the way down to her chest and lots os swelling.
Note:did you get my messages?
Thanks.
Billie
Be Blessed
Be Blessed
out and about
Hi Kimberely,
I had a question about your surgery, did you have alot of bruising? I know a lady in her 50's that had surgery and she had bruising all the way down to her chest and lots os swelling.
Note:did you get my messages?
Thanks.
I had a question about your surgery, did you have alot of bruising? I know a lady in her 50's that had surgery and she had bruising all the way down to her chest and lots os swelling.
Note:did you get my messages?
Thanks.
Billie
Be Blessed
Be Blessed