Last week, my orthodontist asked if I'd like to try elastics to finish closing my bite, instead of surgery. I know the major trade-off is relapse, so I'm curious if anyone else has gone down this path.
Today, I saw the oral surgeon I was planning to use. (I had made the appointment before my orthodontist brought up the idea of avoiding surgery.) He sounded open to either idea and plans to call my orthodontist to discuss it. One possibility is to try elastics. If they close my bite, then we could leave the braces on and see how much I relapse (not sure of the time frame, but I'm assuming several months). If I don't relapse, I could get the braces off and be done. If I do, then I'd have surgery anyway. However, he thinks I may still have Class III malocclusion in the back teeth that elastics won't solve. I had been focusing on how close my front teeth are (although I still can't get them to touch, it's only a mm or 2, compared to the 9 or 10 I started with!) I figured that if they relapsed to less than 2 mm, I should be happy. But, if everything doesn't fit together right, I wonder if I'm still at risk for long-term damage to teeth & jaw.
I was excited last week about the idea of avoiding surgery, but my appointment today with the oral surgeon makes me wonder if I'm heading towards surgery regardless. The only good thing is that the surgical plan isn't quite as bad as I imagined: upper jaw only, not wired shut (elastic bands), probably back to work in a week.
I'll update after I hear back or see my orthodontist next.
molly
Elastics instead of surgery??
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Re: Elastics instead of surgery??
I would do the surgery. I relapsed when mine was closed after braces and now I am going through the process of getting the surgery. You're already so close! Just go through the surgery and be sure that it's closed for good!
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gutsygumshoe
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Re: Elastics instead of surgery??
I agree with the person above, I would do the surgery. I had braces with elastics to try and correct my overbite at age 12/13 and relapsed, was back in braces with elastics at 16/17 and relapsed again, so I've been in braces for the last three years waiting for surgery. I was told though when I first started orthodontic treatment as a kid that it was highly likely that surgery would be the only way to properly correct it. Trust me it's so disheartening to spend all that time in braces and for everything to look awesome, only for it to all move back over time and end up nearly back where you started!
Re: Elastics instead of surgery??
2 months in elastics and my ortho still thinks I may be able to avoid surgery. My correction based on brackets and wires alone was really close, and within a month, my front teeth touched for the first time in years. I just got a power chain on the top yesterday, so that's a bit sore, but otherwise things are going well. I'm not enjoying elastics, but seems so much better than surgery.
One reason I think my situation may be different is that my open bite was caused by an appliance I wore to prevent clenching at night. I don't have an underlying anatomical problem. I'm hoping that the correction seen by just the brackets & wires can be maintained with retainers. Even if my bite regresses to that after I stop wearing elastics, it's so much better than where my teeth were a year ago.
thanks,
Molly
One reason I think my situation may be different is that my open bite was caused by an appliance I wore to prevent clenching at night. I don't have an underlying anatomical problem. I'm hoping that the correction seen by just the brackets & wires can be maintained with retainers. Even if my bite regresses to that after I stop wearing elastics, it's so much better than where my teeth were a year ago.
thanks,
Molly
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Re: Elastics instead of surgery??
I would go for surgery.
Class 3 maloclussions are almost impossible to correct (if its skelletal) with braces and elastics alone.
Class 3 maloclussions are almost impossible to correct (if its skelletal) with braces and elastics alone.
Been in braces foreverrrrrrrrrrrrr!!
Re: Elastics instead of surgery??
If I was presented the choice, I'd take the surgery too to lessen the chance of relapse.
Don't make any plans to be back to work in a week. While certainly I was not abjectly miserable after a week, I wasn't in any shape to get back to a full-time schedule. I answered some e-mails and such, but there's no way I could have worked all day.
Don't make any plans to be back to work in a week. While certainly I was not abjectly miserable after a week, I wasn't in any shape to get back to a full-time schedule. I answered some e-mails and such, but there's no way I could have worked all day.
Re: Elastics instead of surgery??
Hello!
What an AMAZING progress you have made! I can understand why your ortho thinks he can close your bite without surgery.
My ortho always told me that open bites have a high relapse rate, whether they are closed surgically or with elastics. The method (surgical or elastics) doesn't matter so much in his opinion, other factors (like tongue trusting) are more important. I am not sure whether this is true or not....
If you can get a good result and stable bite without surgery, then praise yourself happy!
I wish you very good luck with your decision.
Greetings from Anna
What an AMAZING progress you have made! I can understand why your ortho thinks he can close your bite without surgery.
My ortho always told me that open bites have a high relapse rate, whether they are closed surgically or with elastics. The method (surgical or elastics) doesn't matter so much in his opinion, other factors (like tongue trusting) are more important. I am not sure whether this is true or not....
If you can get a good result and stable bite without surgery, then praise yourself happy!
I wish you very good luck with your decision.
Greetings from Anna
Re: Elastics instead of surgery??
Contrary to what everyone has responded, I think you should try everything else before trying surgery.
By the way, you did ask at least 3 other doctors about your case, you know that surgeons first recommend surgery as best solution and orthodontists recommend braces as the best solution.
If your doctors agree that there is a chance that elastics might work I say give it a shot before going straight to surgery.
By the way, you did ask at least 3 other doctors about your case, you know that surgeons first recommend surgery as best solution and orthodontists recommend braces as the best solution.
If your doctors agree that there is a chance that elastics might work I say give it a shot before going straight to surgery.