Surgery or braces / alternatives?

[kboykb]

Hey everyone!  I have an issue that's been tugging me back and forth for a while.  I have skeletal crossbite - my right lower jaw grew more than my left so it's caused my lips / lower face to shift to the left.  The orthodontist said he could fix my crossbite completely with braces and elastics, but the jaw issue cannot be touched without a BSSO.  I'm debating if I want to spend the 5k on braces or just go all the way.  I understand my condition is not nearly as severe as some others. 

Some pics are below - I even considered getting braces and a left sided lower lip reduction.  It seems the crossbite has caused my left lower lip to gain much more tissue than the right side.  The last 2 pics are just me "holding" my jaw in a good position to mask the shift, which is what I do 50% of the time I'm around other people.  It gets annoying doing this 24/7.

Thanks for any help :-)



[attachment deleted by admin]

[Gregor Samsa]

Would surgery be covered by your insurance? Being in braces is the worst part of having surgery in my opinion so if you're going to be in braces either way then I think you might as well go for the surgery if it's not too expensive. Many orthodontists want to solve everything with braces alone (more money for them) so I think you should consult with a good surgeon before you decide on anything.

[kboykb]

My insurance doesn't specifically deny orthognathic procedures in the fine print so there is a chance.  I'm going to schedule a consult with one of the surgeons after the holidays to see what he/she says.  Thanks

[Ginger]

Our jaw asymmetry is pretty similar, and I have the same dilemma... fix the teeth and leave the jaw, or fix both? One of the main reasons I wanted braces was to fix my jaw, and then I found out braces alone wouldn't take care of it. I'm in braces now and debating surgery, but leaning towards it.

It sounds like the physical appearance of your jaw bothers you. Do you think you'll be happy with the outcome of the braces only option?

[sean89]

You have the whitest teeth I have ever seen!

[Nataliepryor]

My theory was to fix it all and spend the rest of my life enjoying the results!

I would have thought crossbite would require SARPE / surgery? If you have stopped growing, this is generally the only option. May depend on measurements?

If you are masking the problem and think about it often, it may be worth pursuing. Very individual decision.

[NStich]

I agree, get it fixed if you can.  The sooner you do it the more time you will have to enjoy the results.