Ortho changed his mind on me having surgery.

[Scott19]

Ive been in braces for about 9 month's now, 2 of those months being in elastics. At my last adjustment about 2 weeks ago my original ortho had just retired and a new orthodontist took over.

He had told me that the elastics may have fixed my bite completely. (Which my top teeth were hanging over the bottom teeth by about 1mm at the time.

The problem im having now is that the teeth still can rest over the bottom teeth but almost seems like an effort just to pull my bottom jaw backwards now that the elastics are gone.

Finally..My teeth are looking so good now..but the added strain on my jaw(from having to force the jaw into position) is causing much discomfort and was wondering what might be done to either push my jaw maybe 1mm forward or 1mm back? Thanks!

[smile2006]

Moving the jaw 1mm can certainly be done with surgery, however, 1mm is a very small correction. When I was considering my options for surgery I was told that anything less than 2mm wasn't reccomended as the risks of surgery (recovery, cost, slight change of long-term numbness etc.) likely outweigh the benefits. Mine ended up being an 8 mm correction. I'd think twice before you engage in surgery for 1mm. A consult with a surgeon might be good to ease your mind and make sure the right decision is made. The uncomfortable feeling/pain you have might be related to you getting used to your new bite as well. Good luck!

[nvcarissa]

I would talk to your ortho about it. Perhaps he can tweak something to bring your bite into better alignment. Or it may be that you were over-corrected with your elastics and that time will take care of things. It can't hurt to give the office a call and let them know about the discomfort you are in right now. They may be able to tell you that it's a normal part of the process or may work on correcting the issue.