Braces go on this week, here we go!

[MaxPunishment]

So after putting off this procedure for over a decade, I'm finally getting braces this week in preparation for a dual-jaw surgery which will most likely by done by Arnett in a few months time.

I've been visiting orthodontists for as long as I can remember and the work that all of them have done has been minimal as all have agreed for some time that I would require maxillofacial surgery as an adult. However, I've put off the braces/surgery for years just because I didn't want to have the stigma of wearing braces as an adult.

I've always been incredibly self-conscious about my appearance, which I suppose directly led to my obsession with nutrition and fitness instead of dealing with my jaw issues. However, I've reached a point in my life where I'm not as concerned about others' opinions of me and it no longer makes sense to put this off as my jaw issues could degenerate to a worse condition in the future where this surgery will no longer be a carefully planned, elected procedure. Not to mention 90% (if not more) of my insecurities about my appearance come from my jaw/teeth, which is why I almost always avoid posing for pictures and when I do, I hardly ever smile in them (hopefully some of you can relate to this feeling prior to your own procedures).

I'm oddly really looking forward to getting this underway. I genuinely feel like a gigantic weight is being lifted off of me now that I'm finally doing this. I have 100% confidence in my orthodontist, I really trust his opinion and I'm completely dedicating myself to this process from this point forward to ensure the best possible results. I've really enjoyed reading about everyone else's experiences in the weeks leading up to this, so I plan to post some of my experiences moving forward to encourage others who are on the fence about this to move forward with this procedure.

Let's do this!

[Big Tex]

Good luck. Based on my experience so far, the process takes a little longer than you think (or have been told). I got my braces in March 2011 and was expecting surgery in September 2011, or November at the latest. I wasn't ready until January. And I was hoping to get the braces off 6 months later in July, but it's October, and I still have them.

Having said that, the surgery was worth it. It was really tough for the first 3-4 days, but once you survive that, it gets better. Now I just need to be debanded.

[Tingrinteacher]

That's really quick! Here in England, I'm waiting 15-18 months with braces until my double jaw surgery!

[azjaw]

My orthodontist told me 6-18 months before I would be ready. I decided to hope it would be 6 months and go ahead with it. It has already been almost 12 months and it looks like it will probably end up being 18 months total before I am ready. It is a long process but having braces really isn't that bad. They hurt for 3 or 4 days each time I get a new wire put on. Last time was the worst when they expanded the wire to my back molar but it still stopped hurting after about 4 days. I was really worried I would hate how I look with braces and thought I would be self-conscious but they really don't look that bad and I never really worry about them.