jawsurgeryforums.com
General Category => Emotional Support => Topic started by: Dontknowwhattodo on July 25, 2014, 12:22:27 PM
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I read everywhere on this forum that people say orthodontics took their faces from them. In my opinion after going blind thats the worse that can happen to someone and how do you guys cope with it? how do you stop yourself from hurting this face that is not yours and how do you stop yourself from killing the orthodontist who took your face from you? I'm asking this because I can feel that I'm slowly dying out of depression because I cant believe orthodontics did and still are doing this to little innocent children and are damaging their faces. What did you guys do when you first find out about this? you know, when you found out that you could have had a normal face like others and dont feel bad about it and waste alot of time on internet trying to find ways to get back what was yours.
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The most reasonable thing you can do is to warn other people. If you have a case then you should sue them. If you're in the US then organizing a class action lawsuit seems like a good thing to do. I seem to recall reading about something like that.
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The most reasonable thing you can do is to warn other people. If you have a case then you should sue them. If you're in the US then organizing a class action lawsuit seems like a good thing to do. I seem to recall reading about something like that.
Yeah I want to do that, I want to warn other people. But then whats in it for me? I mean I don't want to be a hero who saves others lives, I want to live a good life myself. And there is no way I can sue the people who did this to me, I am 22 right now and it all happened 10 years ago in the country I come from... Unless I want to go back and kill them myself there is no any other way to punish them for what they did and probably still doing...
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Having your face change is not the worst thing that can happen to you. I understand that it's upsetting but your appearance is not what defines you as a person. In my opinion, which you can take or leave, helping other people gives meaning to your own experience. There's always a way to find positivity in your situation. You have to let go of your anger or it will consume you.
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I find that it's easier to be selfless when you're happy with yourself.
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Having your face change is not the worst thing that can happen to you. I understand that it's upsetting but your appearance is not what defines you as a person. In my opinion, which you can take or leave, helping other people gives meaning to your own experience. There's always a way to find positivity in your situation. You have to let go of your anger or it will consume you.
your face is your identity, you cant deny the psychological effects of the face on you yourself and other people. If you wake up in the morning and see something good looking, that gives you energy, if you go out and feel that your accepted and people like you and find you interesting, that makes your daily life much better and happier. How can you say ruining your face is not the worse thing that can happen to you? I mean yeah like I said the worst thing is going blind in my mind but then after that there is nothing worse than losing your face, nothing. Cause your face is your identity, your emotions, your thoughts, they dont matter as long as you cant show it in your face because its too ugly to allow you to do so. Doesnt matter how nice of a person you are when you look hideous.
But your right about helping others gives meaning to your experience, but how can I do that? How can I show what orthodontics has done to me? are there groups or people who are doing this so I can join them?
And you know at the end no matter how many people I help, and no matter what I do with the rest my life, my face is going to be the same s**t it is and there is no one to help me...
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I'm really sorry that you feel that way. I sincerely hope that you're eventually able to find a way to dig a little deeper. http://www.realself.com/review/philadelphia-pa-orthognathic-surgery-jaw-surgery-the-biggest-mistake-my-life That's my story and how I've tried to make the best out of a bad situation. I hope it helps you in some way.
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I'm really sorry that you feel that way. I sincerely hope that you're eventually able to find a way to dig a little deeper. http://www.realself.com/review/philadelphia-pa-orthognathic-surgery-jaw-surgery-the-biggest-mistake-my-life That's my story and how I've tried to make the best out of a bad situation. I hope it helps you in some way.
Hey Im really sorry... so why did you get the surgery? who was your doctor?
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I was born with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome which contributed to my maxillary and mandibular hypoplasia as well as microgenia. I was told if I didn't have the surgery I would end up with severe arthritis and I would lose teeth. My outcome was bad, so I understand how hard it is to have your face change but it's not my identity. I'm the same person I was before surgery, just stronger for it. Now if you'll excuse me it's Friday night and I'm going to take my hideous face out dancing while I still have both my legs intact :)
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Dontknowwhattodo,
I'm so sorry you are hurting, but your face is NOT your identity. Even if you believed it was, what would happen as you age? Would your 'identity' change, become less then, or even go away entirely? Again, I'm so sorry you're seemingly having a difficult time, and I hope you find what you're looking for, but your face is NOT who you are.
Chelie,
Have a great time tonight! I'm not normally a club person, but I was in Miami the other week and just couldn't help myself. I think I'm getting old, though.
I. Got. Winded.
Have a great weekend!
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I was born with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome which contributed to my maxillary and mandibular hypoplasia as well as microgenia. I was told if I didn't have the surgery I would end up with severe arthritis and I would lose teeth. My outcome was bad, so I understand how hard it is to have your face change but it's not my identity. I'm the same person I was before surgery, just stronger for it. Now if you'll excuse me it's Friday night and I'm going to take my hideous face out dancing while I still have both my legs intact :)
I read your story a few months back. You may have a fragile body, but you're tough as nails. Having said that, I feel like you're giving your doc a free pass. Mistakes happen, no doubt. There're risks with everything in life. But there are mistakes, and there is gross negligence. You should sue. Doctors have insurance for a reason.
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Yeah I want to do that, I want to warn other people. But then whats in it for me? I mean I don't want to be a hero who saves others lives, I want to live a good life myself. And there is no way I can sue the people who did this to me, I am 22 right now and it all happened 10 years ago in the country I come from... Unless I want to go back and kill them myself there is no any other way to punish them for what they did and probably still doing...
I have spent a lot of time in anger at my orthodontist, and knowing that he's still doing the same thing some 15 years later.
If it was extractions alone that caused the changes, it probably could have been a lot worse.
The most reasonable thing you can do is to warn other people. If you have a case then you should sue them. If you're in the US then organizing a class action lawsuit seems like a good thing to do. I seem to recall reading about something like that.
Statute of limitations makes that pretty much impossible, unless you realize the damage before you even reach adulthood. I think statute of limitations should be extended when the plaintiff was a child, but it doesn't work that way.
Having your face change is not the worst thing that can happen to you. I understand that it's upsetting but your appearance is not what defines you as a person. In my opinion, which you can take or leave, helping other people gives meaning to your own experience. There's always a way to find positivity in your situation. You have to let go of your anger or it will consume you.
Chelie has a good point. Although from her new picks she looks better than a lot of us, she's had a rough go of it, much more than just getting extractions.
I find that it's easier to be selfless when you're happy with yourself.
And when you are focused only on yourself it's hard to be happy with yourself. It is a conundrum, and isolation just feeds into it to the point where it is hard to escape.
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My very smart, tough as balls, southern grandmother always tells me, "If wishes were horses, beggars would ride."
Also, "Two tears in a bucket, motherf**k it."
Words to live by. Thanks grandma.
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Chelie,
Have a great time tonight! I'm not normally a club person, but I was in Miami the other week and just couldn't help myself. I think I'm getting old, though.
I. Got. Winded.
Have a great weekend!
Thanks! My club days are pretty much long behind me but I'm trying to have as much fun as possible before they do surgery on my leg. Lots of dancing and 5ks until then :) Plus it's hard to feel ugly after a bottle of Dom lol.
Chelie has a good point. Although from her new picks she looks better than a lot of us, she's had a rough go of it, much more than just getting extractions.
Thanks, I'm fortunate to have a really excellent prosthodontist. It's a completely different sight when I remove the obturator.
I read your story a few months back. You may have a fragile body, but you're tough as nails. Having said that, I feel like you're giving your doc a free pass. Mistakes happen, no doubt. There're risks with everything in life. But there are mistakes, and there is gross negligence. You should sue. Doctors have insurance for a reason.
I definitely don't feel like he's getting a free pass. I haven't made a final decision about whether or not to pursue a lawsuit. Right now the most important thing to me is that my story is heard and that people are aware that this is a potential outcome. I'm dealing with everything in a way that I feel is emotionally best for me at the moment. I understand that people think I should sue but it won't ever fix what has happened to me. The best thing that I can do for myself at this stage is to focus on my own recovery. If I ultimately feel as though a lawsuit will help me find some closure or resolution then I'll pursue that option.
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My very smart, tough as balls, southern grandmother always tells me, "If wishes were horses, beggars would ride."
Also, "Two tears in a bucket, motherf**k it."
Words to live by. Thanks grandma.
Haha my tough as balls, southern grandma was fond of saying "Wish in one hand and s**t in the other and see what you get."
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You guys, I think the extraction concerns are somewhat overrated. Of course there is an association between suboptimal facial aesthetics and previous extractions, but this does not imply causation. Ask yourself why you "needed" extractions in the first place... I have an aunt who easily looks 10 years younger than she is and she told me she has had numerous dental extractions as a child. As have a few Hollywood celebrities.
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You guys, I think the extraction concerns are somewhat overrated. Of course there is an association between suboptimal facial aesthetics and previous extractions, but this does not imply causation. Ask yourself why you "needed" extractions in the first place... I have an aunt who easily looks 10 years younger than she is and she told me she has had numerous dental extractions as a child. As have a few Hollywood celebrities.
I said this before and I (obviously) agree. Those patients that were treated with extractions on a class 2 skeletal base would still have the same skeletal base even without extractions and wouldn't suddenly look good with 2 or 4 extra teeth. However, extractions to camouflage a class 2 skeleton can be detrimental to facial esthetics because they tend to overemphasize the nose by sucking back the soft tissue underneath it. They are usually reserved for patients with a steep plane (dolichofacial type) and aren't done on normal or horizontal growth vectors because they rotate the bite counterclockwise.
Those patients still need surgery regardless of extractions or not.
Also, orthognatic surgery doesn't always mean you get to keep all your teeth. I had all my teeth after compensation orthodontics and had to get two premolars extracted to decompensate my lower dental arch.
Extractions on a Class 1 skeletal base have very little effect on esthetics if they are being done to solve the problem of a crowded dental arch. Heidi Klum and Catherine Zeta Jones had 4 premolars extracted during their orthodontic treatment when they were teenagers and let's face it, a 40 year old Heidi Klum is still hotter with 24 teeth than your average 25 year old with 28 teeth.
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I said this before and I (obviously) agree. Those patients that were treated with extractions on a class 2 skeletal base would still have the same skeletal base even without extractions and wouldn't suddenly look good with 2 or 4 extra teeth. However, extractions to camouflage a class 2 skeleton can be detrimental to facial esthetics because they tend to overemphasize the nose by sucking back the soft tissue underneath it. They are usually reserved for patients with a steep plane (dolichofacial type) and aren't done on normal or horizontal growth vectors because they rotate the bite counterclockwise.
Those patients still need surgery regardless of extractions or not.
Also, orthognatic surgery doesn't always mean you get to keep all your teeth. I had all my teeth after compensation orthodontics and had to get two premolars extracted to decompensate my lower dental arch.
Extractions on a Class 1 skeletal base have very little effect on esthetics if they are being done to solve the problem of a crowded dental arch. Heidi Klum and Catherine Zeta Jones had 4 premolars extracted during their orthodontic treatment when they were teenagers and let's face it, a 40 year old Heidi Klum is still hotter with 24 teeth than your average 25 year old with 28 teeth.
With extractions alone it can have a negative effect, although it is usually only a minor change. In my case I'm sure headgear made my midface deficiency worse and had a very negative impact. I guess that would fall under what you were saying about camouflage treatment of class 2, but that's not really a camouflage treatment it's a two stage growth modification treatment. I had a surgeon tell me I probably could have gotten away with lower jaw surgery only if I didn't have headgear. Now it would probably require a higher level lefort to put me back to where I should have been.
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I don't know how I cope with the feeling of regret. Sometimes I ignore it and that seems to work. But then sometimes I don't cope well at all.
So I can't answer that question but just letting you know that I (kind of) know how you feel. I didn't have extractions, but I originally had aggressive orthodontia with a palatial expander. Originally I had a very delicate, feminine face but with tooth crowding and a slight UNDERBITE. Rather than extract, they stuck in a top expander and cranked that thing until I had room for all of my teeth. The expander not only widened my jaw horizonatally asymmetrically, but it destroyed my overall face shape. I had a wider nose, weird looking midface (it's projected in the wrong places and sunken in other places), and now my face was disproportional. I had this much wider top half and tiny looking lower jaw. It also made the retrognathia worse! Basically they traded tooth crowding for this s**tty appearance and CREATING a slight overbite and a huge lip incompetence. I guess all your teeth fit in your face if you just let them hang out of your mouth.
I might have been better off with extractions, or at least leaving my teeth alone until my face was fully grown. Did I mention I had late stage growth after they took the expander out and braces off? It might have all fixed itself.
Now that I've had jaw surgery, right now I think my face looks better, but it will never be as delicate and feminine as the face I was born with. Also that original face didn't cost thousands of dollars.
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I don't know how I cope with the feeling of regret. Sometimes I ignore it and that seems to work. But then sometimes I don't cope well at all.
So I can't answer that question but just letting you know that I (kind of) know how you feel. I didn't have extractions, but I originally had aggressive orthodontia with a palatial expander. Originally I had a very delicate, feminine face but with tooth crowding and a slight UNDERBITE. Rather than extract, they stuck in a top expander and cranked that thing until I had room for all of my teeth. The expander not only widened my jaw horizonatally asymmetrically, but it destroyed my overall face shape. I had a wider nose, weird looking midface (it's projected in the wrong places and sunken in other places), and now my face was disproportional. I had this much wider top half and tiny looking lower jaw. It also made the retrognathia worse! Basically they traded tooth crowding for this s**tty appearance and CREATING a slight overbite and a huge lip incompetence. I guess all your teeth fit in your face if you just let them hang out of your mouth.
I might have been better off with extractions, or at least leaving my teeth alone until my face was fully grown. Did I mention I had late stage growth after they took the expander out and braces off? It might have all fixed itself.
Now that I've had jaw surgery, right now I think my face looks better, but it will never be as delicate and feminine as the face I was born with. Also that original face didn't cost thousands of dollars.
Interesting. I don't see why it's imperative to straighten teeth in every kid. What's so wrong with letting a teenager have crooked teeth and letting their face fully develop before messing with things. I guess you lose business if you let some kids slip through the cracks without straightening their teeth.
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Interesting. I don't see why it's imperative to straighten teeth in every kid. What's so wrong with letting a teenager have crooked teeth and letting their face fully develop before messing with things. I guess you lose business if you let some kids slip through the cracks without straightening their teeth.
Good question. OTOH, braces gave me black triangles presumedly because I have them at such a ripe old age. I think the gums adapt much better when you have braces as a teenager.
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I had braces when I was 11. Very shortly afterward, the braces were removed, my teeth began to shift. I wore my retainer every night but the orthodontist tried to say that I was non-compliant. In addition, I developed TMJ and other problems. I don't think braces are necessarily to blame but overzealous orthodontists are. They are too aggressive with young children, who need further development before imposing changes on their anatomy. I think that's what happened in my case. My growth was guided by the restrictive braces and now I have a narrow, elongated face, my jaw is crooked, and it's difficult to keep my mouth closed at rest. I can't chew gum and sometimes get dizzy after chewing hard foods. My orthodontist did not use an expander prior to treatment. This could have also been problematic for me.
Now in my thirties, I'm very unsatisfied with my appearance but I'm struggling with whether to get orthognathic surgery or not. My jaw pulls to one side now when my mouth is open and the angle of my lower jaw is too steep. However, I worry about making things worse with surgery. I do believe premature orthodontic treatment had at least, some effect, on my problems.
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The jaw surgeons I met told me that my abnormal growth in the face was because a rogue tooth had guided the jaws into the wrong position as I grew up so I can definitely see how braces could've done the same thing to you.