Hi all
So, this past week I've been in London I have consulted with two very good private orthdontists and one surgeon. Given that the surgeon allayed most of my fears about the surgery and all 3 of them confirmed that it would be impossible to fix my bite through regular orthodontics I have now decided that I do want to go through with the surgery. (For those who don't know, I have a class 2 div 2 deep bite and short face, underdeveloped mandible and will be getting either orthodontic decomp and then BSSO advancement of around 6-7mm, or decomp and lefort 1 with CCW and set back of 1-2mm, plus BSSO advancement of 6-7mm)
My problem now is explaining why I want to get this surgery to my parents, friends and boyfriend. Each person has their own reasons for not wanting me to get the surgery, namely
- my stepfather is a doctor has seen BSSOs and Le Forts as part of his anaesthetic rotation...30 years ago. So he thinks it's a much more brutal procedure than it currently is - the surgeon I consulted does BSSOs in 45-60 mins and 1 night in hospital (rather than 3hrs, blood transfusion and ICU...)
- my father, who annoyingly likes to nosy into my financial affairs, will not want me to spend so much of my cash on a surgery he sees as cosmetic.
- my boyfriend doesn't want me to change my face. (Which he thinks is beautiful but as a guy who is class 1 and never had braces, with great facial bone structure and strong jaw (the bastard), I don't think he knows what it's like to a have messed up bite/be a chinless wonder)
- my sister can be spiteful and I am sure she will not be supportive of the surgery...I think most sisters are unlikely to support anything that could potentially make the other sister a bit more attractive. She was pretty b*tchy about my rhino (mainly I think because she wants one but her bf would be very against it). Both my sister and mother are class 1 with good bites and no problems with gum recession despite very sporadic dental visits.
- both sets of parents are anti cosmetic surgery of any kind. Of course, parents think their kids faces are fine even when they have bone deformities.....
In my case it is a little tricky as although my bite is s**tty I have not yet developed major functional issues or TMJ. My main issue, functionally, is the gum recession I have around my lower incisors as a result of my deep overbite. My ortho has advised to have a gum graft on 2 teeth and has said that I may well lose these teeth at some point in the next 10-15 years due to the gum recession; my father has a similar bite and has lost these exact same teeth. Surgery will improve the gum situation; I really would hate to lose teeth. I am only 26 and have never had a filling despite poor enamel on my 4 remaining molars (4 were removed at 15, the wisdom teeth developed with decent enamel). I do not eat sugar or fruit juice
at all but am very prone to plaque and have to go to the dentist every 4 months at a minimum for descaling. The gum recession on one tooth is significant; they are over erupted by about 1mm which doesn't help. Because of the deep bite, I will also develop worn back teeth over time leading to bite and facial collapse.
I am not sure what I can do in this situation other than say 'it's my teeth and my face and I want to do the surgery, so basically STFU'. Wanting improve my profile and lack of chin is not going to cut it as a valid reason, and I doubt potential tooth loss/tooth wear is going to convince them that I should get the surgery. However, it's a hard recovery and I really would like to go into it with the support of at least a couple of people close to me
How did everyone else explain their surgery to their parents and SOs? What was their reaction? Did anyone have parents who were against it and go through with it anyway?
