Hi everyone, I currently have some major dental issues, my teeth are crooked, crowded, etc... My jaw didn't develop right, so I have what appears to be a huge overbite. Anyway, I have been meeting with Orthodontics and yesterday I met with an oral surgeon..this is the plan they gave me. I need to have 3 or 4 teeth extracted due to the crowding and due to my lower jaw not growing properly. Then I will need to have braces for 15 months, then I would need to have lower and top jaw surgery, and then possibily more orthodontics work just to fine tune everything. I am not as concerned about the jaw surgery as I am about the braces. I work in a busy office, I have contact with people all day, it seems braces would be very embarassing for me, not to mention the retainer which will probably cause me to talk with a lispe lol. In my mind right now I am thinking that I should do it because after the 1 1/2 to 2 years i will be so much prettier, what are some of your thoughts? Any experience or advice or thoughts would be appreciated

Braces today are not like yesterday's braces. They are hardly visable and if you have dental issues and people see your braces they will not think negatively but positively as seeing you getting needed work done. Braces do not have a negative stereotype. Many people of all ages get braces.

As for jaw surgery. My daughter had her upper jaw moved forward 4mm in August. She is doing wonderfully. No major issues with this except for just right after surgery which would be normal for any surgery. Your face will go temporarily numb and once the feeling returns you will not be sore anymore. So my daughter said this surgery wasn't that painful.

There are numerous help websites for Orthognathic surgery but remember some of these sites have people who post more that have problems than people who have had no problems. It can be scary to read some of the posts but it helped me be prepared for what to expect.

Were you given any other options then surgery?

No, my bite is so bad, surgery is the only way. I can get my teeth to look perfect but my face will still be way off. My lower jaw is back further than it should be. I met with the orthodontists on Wednesday, and he reassured all my fears, so I'm doing it!! In 2 years I should be a totally different person. I am very excited. I have always hated the way I look, just been scared to do anything about it.. I can't believe I'm finally doing it, I can't wait for the finish

I'm curious to know if you've had the surgery yet and what the outcome was? Any advice or information to share abotu your experience?

I met with an ortho yesterday who recommended that I go through with this procedure. I feel crazy for wanting to have surgery and am anxious about what the recovery is like. I plan on calling today to book a consult with the surgeon.

Thanks in advance for anything you can share :)

I'm curious to know if you've had the surgery yet and what the outcome was? Any advice or information to share abotu your experience?

I met with an ortho yesterday who recommended that I go through with this procedure. I feel crazy for wanting to have surgery and am anxious about what the recovery is like. I plan on calling today to book a consult with the surgeon.

Thanks in advance for anything you can share :)

Hi Ravishing. No I haven't had the surgery yet. I have just started braces. The thing about the surgery is that you have to get your teeth lined up first. So I'll be in braces for about a year before I can ever get the surgery. Why did the ortho recommend surgery for you? Do you you have an overbite? If you have any specific questions you would like answered, just let me know.. I've done ALOT of research on this surgery lol.

I do have an overbite. I went to the ortho yesterday and they took lots of pictures and x rays. He also did an exam. He said that my problem is more skeletal but my teeth are part of the problem as well.

I have one crooked tooth on top, a small jaw and crowding on the bottom. I was also born without one of my bottom k9 teeth so everything kind of shifted to fill in that place. He said that ideally jaw surgery would be my best option and cut about 4 months off of my treatment plan compared ot braces alone.

My other option is to have 3 teeth extracted (2 on top and one on the bottom) and get braces. He expected that I would have them for 2 years.

My husband and I have been talking over the 2 options. The surgery sounds like it would make a bigger impact but I'm nervous about it - especially after some of the stuff I've read online about the recovery. I've read a lot about depression and people around you reacting weird. I think my husband would be ok with it but his mother is kind of evil and I don't want to hear about it!

As long as insurance covers the surgery, I'm not looking at much of a difference in cost as far as the ortho work. That also kind of makes me lean more towards the surgery. I feel like if I'm going to do it, I might as well do it right. Plus its kind of cool that there's a chance it will cut some of the time that I would have to wear braces.

Ask your Orthordontist if they do Clear braces or Ortho Clear. Ortho clear look like blenching trays. So people really can't tell you are wearing braces or not!

Ortho clear and invisalign wouldn't work in my situation. However, I would consider clear braces at least on the front.