Author Topic: Surgery very very soon, what to do...  (Read 750 times)

westerndigital

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Surgery very very soon, what to do...
« on: May 15, 2016, 11:57:13 PM »
Greetings fellow AW members. Where do I begin...four years ago I started treatment to get double jaw surgery with an orthodontist and oral surgeon. My upper jaw is missing a canine and my lower jaw is I would say shifted 4-5mm to the left out of position. I also have jaw popping, courtesy of all of this (no pain though). The original treatment plan was that I would get three cuts to expand my upper jaw and the lower jaw was going to be moved into place. My incisor was shaved so that it would resemble a canine to make up for the missing tooth. Unfortunately life got in the way, I changed jobs, and I had to move about two months before I was to have the surgery (braces were removed and I was fitted for retainers). I've been wearing retainers since, locking everything in place.

Several months ago, I started seeing an oral and maxillofacial surgeon about 10 miles away. I suppose I did it bass ackwards this time, I just asked for the surgery. I said I really didn't care about the aesthetics, I just wanted a good bite and we didn't talk much about orthodontics. After several scans and studies, we agreed to do lower jaw surgery that is scheduled this week. However, I'm not sure about this process any more. I think the thing that bothers me the most is I don't have a good idea of the treatment plan. I really can't tell you what my surgeon plans to do or the how. I've spoken to others about this and everyone is sending up red flags but to me upper jaw surgery has it's own risks as well. I haven't met one person that has said this is a good idea. I mean it's crazy it seems like I shouldn't do it but at the same time I feel if it doesn't work out I can just get it corrected (albeit with time and another surgery). Again I'm not risking upper jaw surgery and as far as I can tell the only risk I have is numbness.

What do you guys/gals think? Thanks.

kjohnt

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Re: Surgery very very soon, what to do...
« Reply #1 on: May 16, 2016, 12:12:02 AM »
Post pictures and xrays.

The shaving an incisor to resemble a canine sounds weird and you'd have probably been better off with a dental implant for the missing tooth.

Finally, and most importantly, please sit down with both your surgeon and ortho and have them explain in full detail what they plan to do.  So many people go through these and leave it up to chance that the surgeon's idea is the end-all-be-all.  Then consult with a reputable surgeon and compare findings.

molestrip

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Re: Surgery very very soon, what to do...
« Reply #2 on: May 16, 2016, 02:13:46 PM »
With a reputable surgeon that's a fine plan but with someone unknown, it's a bad idea IMO. Get the details and share them here. The more I learn about this stuff, the more I think single jaw surgeries are a bad idea. I'm sure there are cases where they make sense but the only ones I've seen so far are underbites.