scared of making the wrong choice!

[belistic10]

i am yet to get braces on but out of the few options i was given, surgery was one of them. I have a overbite,over jet and increased facial height due to excessive vertical growth of my upper jaw. I kind of ruled out surgery quickly due to #1 not having any insurance for this currently so i would have to go do that before being able to do it and #2 i have two young children so dont see it as being much of an option. I would have had to have had 2 lower first bicuspids removed for this approach.

But i chose the braces only approach which involved removing 4 different bicuspids..

I am soooo scared of making the wrong choice here, and not being happy with my end results i have already had extractions to prepare for braces only approach but i am just worried this wont improve my profile at all and i do hate my longer face yet i feel stuck with not being able to do surgery.. & feel i need to be ok for our kids
I am tempted to ask the orthodontist on monday when i get the braces on, if i do the braces only approach and decide after that i am not entirely happy, is surgery still an option??? i just feel lost at the moment, and all the big decisions are overwhelming.

has anyone else had a similar facial structure and chosen to HAVE the surgery?

[littleviolet]

I was given the same options, braces & lower jaw surgery to move my jaw forward, or braces and extractions to make my top jaw the same size as my small bottom jaw. My orthodontist was honest with me and said he did not want to do the second option on me, it would give me a correct bite, but it would ruin my profile & give me a "mousey mouth" look. He said jaw surgery would give me a perfect bite & profile. I chose the surgery option. I was not on health insurace, so that was the first thing I did, I joined up to the top cover as you have to be it for a year before you can use it. So that worked out well for me, because I have to have braces on for a year before surgery anyway. The health insurace is not covering all of it, I still have to for pay most of it... but I think it's worth it to have nice teeth for the rest of my life (im 21 now). The surgery is costing me about $6000.

Im actually really exited about the surgery! I know people who have had it (lower jaw only, like me) and the recovery is not that bad. I'm having a month off work, but I don't think i'll even need that much off, some people go back after 2 weeks! I understand it would be harder with kids... but I think you could do it, if you have some help for the first week or so

I think you should talk to your orthodontist about your concerns, before you go ahead with the treatment. I think it can be hard to reverse it... they'll have to open up the gaps where they took extractions and put implants in place, so you have your full set of teeth then correct your bite with surgery.

[yellowhat]

Hi.

I've got a long face and gummy smile. I have decided to have the operation to impact my top jaw (and possibly bottom jaw, if necessary) My ortho said that she could give me a perfect smile with braces, but I'd still have a long face and my lips would not meet when my face is relaxed.

I'm 28 and have a little boy and I'm a teacher. I feel that if I don't have the op, I'd spend the rest of my life wondering what if....

[Yoga20]

extractions aren't the end of the world, I have two coming up and can't wait to get going!!!

[kefcorp]

yeah, extractions are sometimes necessary. I had to get seven (all bottom molars) before I could get braces, before I could get surgery, before I can get implants to replace them. of course it sucks, but I just think of it as one little hurdle on the way to where I want to be.

[belistic10]

sorry maybe i should have explained better, i have had the extractions already. but just concerned about what the end result will be with just braces. But i am on that road now so guess i will have to wait it out just a scary thing really, hope i have made the right choice. Trusting an orthodontist with something so important is frightening, though they did reassure me that he is very skilled at taking into account facial aesthetics etc, and he is meant to be one of the best in S.A so hope they are right.

[MrNovember]

Hi Belistic, from what I understand braces can fix your teeth, but would not have a big impact on your jaw or the structure of your face. The only way to achieve a significant change is through surgery. If that's what you really want, go for it. It sounds like the more difficult option for you, but if you can manage it than I that's what you should do IMO.

[belistic10]

thanks unfortuantely now i have already started the braces approach, and i would have had to have different extractions if going surgery as well. But next appointment i might ask them, if after the braces are all finished if i still want to do surgery anytime in the future is it still possible without having to go back to having braces again?! right now with 2 very young children i cannot do surgery and we cannot afford to either on one wage, the braces will put enough pressure on our finances. I hope i will be happy with the end result, without surgery, so guess i will have to wait and see. The other thing that worries me about doing a surgery is that currently i have no issues with my jaw hurting,clicking or anything like that so hesitant to operate on it.

[MrNovember]

Hi belistic,

I think you would definitely be able to have surgery at a later date. Braces shouldn't close any doors for you; it may just modify the original plan slightly. I had braces when I was younger. I didn't need braces again to have the surgery; I had ortho tads (temporary anchorage devices) put in instead.

[bracesland2000]

I personally believe it is ALWAYS wise to get multiple opinions, not just three but more if you can before making permanent life changing choices.

It's weird because when we look at homes we except the idea of seeing many options, but when looking to have permanent changes made to our faces we act like "doctor knows best" when it becomes very clear that doctors have different opinions of good outcomes and you need to find the one that matches yours.

I also think, from an esthetic point of view many people have their upper jaws brought forward to match the lower, and while in some cases it works quite well, many cases you'll find the person ends up with a midface thickness that widens the nose, and just adds more to the profile and lip area than is ideal, where a more skilled surgeon can cut the upper and lower to balance this out, either by minimizing upper jaw protrusion or eliminating any addition of it altogether.

Especially in cases where extractions are on the table as an option get second opinions, be sure to ask for projections of how your profile will look after.

[bracesland2000]

This is also from my own bad experience, but I recommend people avoid surgery if you like how you look and really seek out options, there are more than you'd think.

Sometimes surgery is life changing for the better, the changes can be wonderful but many people I think opt for surgery without taking into account the intense recovery period, the potential for complications, and the significant changes it makes to your face. Doctors don't act like it's a big deal, any of this stuff because it's not their face.