jawsurgeryforums.com
General Category => Emotional Support => Topic started by: Fallout on May 14, 2013, 03:34:51 PM
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Just over two years ago I had surgery (through the NHS) to correct my underbite. I had both upper and lower jaw surgery. I've been happy with my overall profile and the underbite has gone, but I really do not like my new smile at all. I had two years of braces before the big op and I was excited to have a smile that I could finally be proud of, but sadly this wasn't the case for me. I feel that my smile is now goofy. Initially I thought that the surgeon had given me an overbite, but I explained my concerns to him post-op and he completely re-assured me that the bite was perfect. He told me that that these things just take time to settle. Well, I waited and waited and I've been scratching my head ever since. I really have tried to accept my new smile but I really dislike it! It makes me look completely bizarre. It's upsetting that I didn't get that perfect smile that I was dreaming of and I am considering making an appointment to see the surgeon again.
I went through a hell of lot to get to that op and it's sad that I haven't ended up with what a deem to be a nice smile. I look far better with my mouth closed, and that's a bit sad really. My teeth are straight, the underbite is gone, but my smile when showing teeth is very horse-like. I really don't get it at all. Someone commented that it looks like I have false teeth in, and they're right, it does look a bit like that :(
I know it's been two years but if I'm unhappy with my smile then do you guys think I should try and make an appointment?
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you think he lowered your maxilla a bit too much?
trying to fix this little smile issue is only going to require more surgery, are you ready to go down that route again ?
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if you post photos we can tell you if there's ACTUALLY anything wrong
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You can just crop out the rest of your face if you want
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Yeah, I know there's not much advice you guys can give without looking at some photos. I'll attempt to take some photos later when I get home from work, but I'll probably crop the majority of my face out :D
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Ok, let's try this again. Session timed out on my first attempt and I forgot to copy/paste. Go me :/
Profile:
http://s22.postimg.org/j523xsgch/2013_05_15_18_51_52.jpg (http://s22.postimg.org/j523xsgch/2013_05_15_18_51_52.jpg)
http://s8.postimg.org/wyybrb99x/885535_306734116119030_1518456830_o.jpg (http://s8.postimg.org/wyybrb99x/885535_306734116119030_1518456830_o.jpg)
Mouth closed:
http://s16.postimg.org/gsch9fknp/2013_05_15_18_46_56_2.jpg (http://s16.postimg.org/gsch9fknp/2013_05_15_18_46_56_2.jpg)
Smiling with teeth:
http://s18.postimg.org/ydv640z3t/2013_05_15_18_49_21_2.jpg (http://s18.postimg.org/ydv640z3t/2013_05_15_18_49_21_2.jpg)
Teeth biting together:
http://s16.postimg.org/duk3th2dx/2013_05_15_19_11_38_2.jpg (http://s16.postimg.org/duk3th2dx/2013_05_15_19_11_38_2.jpg)
I hope those links work, I've never hosted photos online before. I feel like I'm possibly just being too fussy and striving for a perfect look. I know there are people out there with worse issues than me and I should probably just accept what I've got, but it's just a bit disappointing that I didn't get the smile that I was hoping for.
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GOSH...
your results are aesthetically speaking, great.
however, your occlusion is now f**ked, but i don't think you need surgery. you need braces again, im sorry to tell you that.
I believe that only with braces you could achieve a good occlusion but i may be wrong.
As in now you have a 3rd class relation and a crossibite (probably?)
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I had a bad feeling that my bite was off but I tend to bury my head in the sand about it. Yes, he took my braces off about 6 months after my surgery and they seemed to call it a day. I've had two appointments since my braces came off but they haven't once told me that I'd be needing more brace work or that anything was wrong at all. Is the bite really bad then? It's frustrating to hear that I might need more work done but I'm willing to do it if it will solve the problem. I'm far from being an expert but I can definitely see what you guys are talking about, the teeth don't really bite together on one side.
Should I make an appointment about this issue? I don't mind more brace work but the thought of having more surgery is definitely a little off-putting. It was bad enough the first time around, hah.
Sadly (Or not so sadly, I looked awful) I don't have a pic of my smile pre-op. Naturally the maxillofacial clinic have all of those photos but I don't own any, sorry.
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edge to edge bite + posterior cross bite
what did you have done exactly? do you remember?
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edge to edge bite + posterior cross bite
what did you have done exactly? do you remember?
I only know that I had both upper and lower jaw surgery and that I had one of the worst cases of underbite that they'd seen, I'm unsure of the exact details of the surgery though. Sorry, I know that's not very helpful!
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Sadly (Or not so sadly, I looked awful) I don't have a pic of my smile pre-op. Naturally the maxillofacial clinic have all of those photos but I don't own any, sorry.
Are you an American?
I don't know the laws in other countries but any photos or records taken by doctors are yours by law. You have a right to a copy of your photos and records, all of them. Just ask and they should mail you them.
Yeah what is the deal with your bite? I would imagine it is quite uncomfortable. I think your smile is fine actually, I would give it some time your nerves and muscles might need to heal more. Just a thought.
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Are you an American?
I don't know the laws in other countries but any photos or records taken by doctors are yours by law. You have a right to a copy of your photos and records, all of them. Just ask and they should mail you them.
Yeah what is the deal with your bite? I would imagine it is quite uncomfortable. I think your smile is fine actually, I would give it some time your nerves and muscles might need to heal more. Just a thought.
No, I'm British. Born in the UK and lived here my entire life. Yeah, I could probably request that I have the photos and records sent to me. It's worth a shot.
I'm a bit sad that my bite seems to be off. Is this something that I should try to get fixed? I wouldn't say that it is extremely uncomfortable but it definitely doesn't feel or look correct when I bite my teeth together. Hopefully it just requires more brace work. I can deal with that, I think.
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No, I'm British. Born in the UK and lived here my entire life. Yeah, I could probably request that I have the photos and records sent to me. It's worth a shot.
I'm a bit sad that my bite seems to be off. Is this something that I should try to get fixed? I wouldn't say that it is extremely uncomfortable but it definitely doesn't feel or look correct when I bite my teeth together. Hopefully it just requires more brace work. I can deal with that, I think.
yes britain has similar laws, i believe the data protection laws. those are your photos, it's your tax dollars that are supporting the nhs. you own it.
crazy your bite is so wonky after surgery, was it like that immediately after surgery? did you have a split? lot of complications can occur then..
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yes britain has similar laws, i believe the data protection laws. those are your photos, it's your tax dollars that are supporting the nhs. you own it.
crazy your bite is so wonky after surgery, was it like that immediately after surgery? did you have a split? lot of complications can occur then..
Honestly, I'm not sure if my bite was like that immediately after surgery. I was in too much pain to even check if the bite was perfect. They said everything went well and I assumed everything was fine. Yes I had a split.
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That bite is post op? Yikes. Go see another ortho and surgeon. I'm sorry man!
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That bite is post op? Yikes. Go see another ortho and surgeon. I'm sorry man!
Yup, post-op. Well, 2 years post-op :P I'm going to try to make an appointment. I'd like to speak to a different surgeon to get a different opinion but I don't think you can really pick and choose when you're doing it through the NHS. You get who you're given and you're stuck with them, I think.
I'll keep you guys up-to-date :)
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maybe you'll solve it by ortho only...who knows!
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I hate to say it, but yes your bite is very much off :/ sorry you should definitely see an ortho and possibly a surgeon. Its definitely up to you in how much it bothers you, but Im surprised they took off your braces with your teeth lined up the way they are. ???
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Had my appointment today. From what I can gather, my jaw has grown since surgery, more so on the right side of my jaw. The consultant called it a relapse. That's why my bite is completely off, the jaw has grown and it has messed up my bite. The options now are 1 & 1/2 years of braces + jaw surgery, OR they will remove a couple of teeth and fix my bite that way. Obviously the second option will not fix my ever-growing jaw so it looks like I'll probably be opting for more surgery. I'm just concerned that if I opt for more surgery that my jaw will grow again and mess every thing up.
I'm quite down about all of this really. I hoped that the first surgery would fix my problem, but clearly not. Sigh.
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Had my appointment today. From what I can gather, my jaw has grown since surgery, more so on the right side of my jaw. The consultant called it a relapse. That's why my bite is completely off, the jaw has grown and it has messed up my bite. The options now are 1 & 1/2 years of braces + jaw surgery, OR they will remove a couple of teeth and fix my bite that way. Obviously the second option will not fix my ever-growing jaw so it looks like I'll probably be opting for more surgery. I'm just concerned that if I opt for more surgery that my jaw will grow again and mess every thing up.
I'm quite down about all of this really. I hoped that the first surgery would fix my problem, but clearly not. Sigh.
Is there any update? I fear I have the same issue after double jaw surgery back in 2009. My top and bottom teeth are biting on top of one another? Did you have a class 3 before the op? Are you have treatment still?
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I would be interested to know what happened in this case. Is this a case of jaws moving or teeth?
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I have had the exact same experience. I would describe my smile exactly the same...I look like I am wearing false teeth and have a "goofy horse smile". Mine's even worse because I can't close my lips. Eating is very difficult because I have to basically eat with my mouth open otherwise I have to strain my lip muscles too much to chew with my lips closed.
The most frustrating part is that when I speak to my surgeon he has the exact same reaction...just wait a while (it's been a year now). My upper jaw is also longer which looks weird.
I'd like to get a second opinion but as most of the surgeons all know each other I doubt I'd get an honest answer. I wish there was some kind of minor surgery to fix things up but I doubt it.
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I'm here :) The last appointment I had was earlier this year (January I think) and my next appointment is in November this year. They're waiting to see if the jaw grows any more before taking any course of action. It's quite frustrating and if I had the money then I would just go private. I haven't been satisfied with the results, the bite is off and I'm still very self-conscious of how goofy my top teeth look.
Alas, I don't have the money to go private, so I'll be waiting until November.
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I have had the exact same experience. I would describe my smile exactly the same...I look like I am wearing false teeth and have a "goofy horse smile". Mine's even worse because I can't close my lips. Eating is very difficult because I have to basically eat with my mouth open otherwise I have to strain my lip muscles too much to chew with my lips closed.
The most frustrating part is that when I speak to my surgeon he has the exact same reaction...just wait a while (it's been a year now). My upper jaw is also longer which looks weird.
I'd like to get a second opinion but as most of the surgeons all know each other I doubt I'd get an honest answer. I wish there was some kind of minor surgery to fix things up but I doubt it.
I'm sorry to hear that you've also been left with the goofy horse smile :( I'm not sure what the solution is for us.
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How old are you?
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How old are you?
I'm 24.
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I'm 24.
Jaws can still grow at 24?!
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Jaws can still grow at 24?!
Yeah someone is f**king mental here. Jesus Christ dude, it must be some sort of relapse.
Okay, I can help you cause I know everything about this surgery now. Was your bite normal after surgery? And did it eventually become edge to edge? If so, then it's some sort of relapse. If not, they just didn't do a good job and you need ortho again. But if your bite was perfect i.e. all teeth touched, front teeth came down over bottom teeth etc. and then your teeth moved eventually to this edge to edge relation --it's a case of relapse and/or instability. Tell us.
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Yes, it was fine post-op, it relapsed in the past couple of years. My op was in 2011.
I had my appointment today. The bite is still way off on the right side. I was asked if I have any major problems with eating, which I do not and I told them that. So, they have decided on my behalf that I do not need braces to fix the bite and they have discharged me. I am not happy at all! Surely they are required to fix the bite? I suppose I should have just lied and told them that it's causes me problems with eating! A few years of braces and a major operation and I'm still left with a crappy bite. I'm so annoyed.
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Yes, it was fine post-op, it relapsed in the past couple of years. My op was in 2011.
I had my appointment today. The bite is still way off on the right side. I was asked if I have any major problems with eating, which I do not and I told them that. So, they have decided on my behalf that I do not need braces to fix the bite and they have discharged me. I am not happy at all! Surely they are required to fix the bite? I suppose I should have just lied and told them that it's causes me problems with eating! A few years of braces and a major operation and I'm still left with a crappy bite. I'm so annoyed.
Hi there, I am sorry to hear about your trouble dealing with the NHS over an unsatisfactory post-op result. I, as I'm sure you are aware, have also had an issue with and edge-edge bite. Most likely, your bite went to this position very soon after your braces came off. It is a typical response of NHS doctors to behave in this fashion, I actually think they cannot cater for this type of procedure give the budget cuts and increased demand on the system for essential life saving treatments, however, that is not a relevant topic of debate for this forum.
I wanted to message you to try and give you some support. I have had an extremely uncomfortable time dealing with the surgeon and his orthodontic team who treated me from 2006-10. They are dismissive of my bite and tried their utmost to convince me that nothing was wrong. Unfortunately, the hard facts are that you are not going to get much joy out of them whatsoever. They are extremely wishy-washy when it comes to this type of stuff. I believe there is an issue with your bite, what are they saying has happened? If it is a relapse - do they believe this to be orthodontic or surgical? In my case, my top jaw was not widened through a SARPE procedure but was instead compensated for by tipping top teeth outwards....these just moved back once treatment ceased. Again, we believe this happened with 12 months of my braces coming off.
I have had a second opinion from a Prof. Haers who believes he can correct this problem, although this is going to cost me my own cash! The NHS team have tried to tell me that Prof Haers is a radical doctor and his procedure is not going to work, but the are just arse covering.
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Thanks for your support, elysium87. I think you're right, they probably don't want to correct the bite due to budget cuts, which is unfortunate but understandable. I'm not silly enough to think that I'm a huge priority for the NHS. I know that my bite isn't life-threatening. It's just extremely disheartening because of every thing I went through to correct the bite.
I'm not actually sure if the relapse is orthodontic or surgical. I was in the appointment for no more than 10 minutes and they didn't go into any great detail. They're really poor at explaining these things, they just seem to want to get you out of there as quickly as possible. I never seem to leave these appointments with a good understanding because I'm simply not in there for long enough and the nurses and surgeons just seem to whisper amongst themselves!
I'm sorry to hear of your similar troubles. I fear that I will also have to go the private route eventually, but I can't afford to do that at the moment.
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Thanks for your support, elysium87. I think you're right, they probably don't want to correct the bite due to budget cuts, which is unfortunate but understandable. I'm not silly enough to think that I'm a huge priority for the NHS. I know that my bite isn't life-threatening. It's just extremely disheartening because of every thing I went through to correct the bite.
I'm not actually sure if the relapse is orthodontic or surgical. I was in the appointment for no more than 10 minutes and they didn't go into any great detail. They're really poor at explaining these things, they just seem to want to get you out of there as quickly as possible. I never seem to leave these appointments with a good understanding because I'm simply not in there for long enough and the nurses and surgeons just seem to whisper amongst themselves!
I'm sorry to hear of your similar troubles. I fear that I will also have to go the private route eventually, but I can't afford to do that at the moment.
Unfortunately, they are trying to fob you off. I was subjected to a nasty meeting at my hospital because I asked for my medical records. They had 4 consultants in the room and tried to intimidate me in to thinking nothing was wrong with my bite. Even though it clearly is. Anyways, they also discharged me and now it is the private route if I want to fix this. I feel so angry that I endured 4 years of braces and a major surgery, plus 2 months of recovery just for a substandard result.
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Unfortunately, they are trying to fob you off. I was subjected to a nasty meeting at my hospital because I asked for my medical records. They had 4 consultants in the room and tried to intimidate me in to thinking nothing was wrong with my bite. Even though it clearly is. Anyways, they also discharged me and now it is the private route if I want to fix this. I feel so angry that I endured 4 years of braces and a major surgery, plus 2 months of recovery just for a substandard result.
I think they do try to intimidate us! There is always 5 or 6 people surrounding me when I go to these appointments. How difficult would it be to have a one-one-one with my surgeon? I have actually booked another appointment and I'm going to express my disappointment this time, regardless of how many people are present at the appointment.
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I have had a second opinion from a Prof. Haers who believes he can correct this problem, although this is going to cost me my own cash! The NHS team have tried to tell me that Prof Haers is a radical doctor and his procedure is not going to work, but the are just arse covering.
I have to speak up here and say that I've heard similar about him from a number of impartial professionals, it was a huge red flag for me. Perhaps you should consider a consultation with another surgeon just to compare and contrast plans so you know you've made the best, safest choice possible?
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I have to speak up here and say that I've heard similar about him from a number of impartial professionals, it was a huge red flag for me. Perhaps you should consider a consultation with another surgeon just to compare and contrast plans so you know you've made the best, safest choice possible?
What have you heard about him?
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What you just said, that he is radical. He will do more than strictly necessary, great if it works out but it doesn't always. Also, he spreads himself thin over many orthos instead of having a close working relationship with one or two.
If you're all set to use him then forget what I've said but if you're wavering at all then get a second opinion and compare plans.
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Well he is recommending what I was told I needed 10 years ago before I had my first surgery. My original NHS ortho told me I needed SARPE surgery first, unfortunately, when it came to treatment time I was handed off to another less experienced ortho who decided to use a quadhelix expander instead.
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Well then I'm sure everything will be just fine.
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Well then I'm sure everything will be just fine.
Yep, I mean basically I know what he is recommending is what is needed to treat the problems I have. The only variable is the cosmetic side of things that different surgeons may have a different opinion of. I mean, the NHS ortho told me he can file my teeth and tip the backwards to fit under my top teeth....that is barbaric.
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Thread derailed! I'm telling the mods!
Just kidding, I don't actually care :P
I'm still feeling disgusted and frustrated with my bite and the appearance of my smile. Do the NHS not give a crap about achieving an aesthetically pleasing smile when they do this op? I genuinely don't know what went wrong but my smile is absolutely bizarre. I daren't smile with my teeth in public or in photos. It genuinely looks god-awful to me.
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Thread derailed! I'm telling the mods!
Just kidding, I don't actually care :P
I'm still feeling disgusted and frustrated with my bite and the appearance of my smile. Do the NHS not give a crap about achieving an aesthetically pleasing smile when they do this op? I genuinely don't know what went wrong but my smile is absolutely bizarre. I daren't smile with my teeth in public or in photos. It genuinely looks god-awful to me.
I completely understand you. I hit months of depression after finding out my bite relapsed. It effected my work, my relationship. No one can understand until they have been through 4 years of hardcore orthodontics and surgery only to end up with a substandard result. I hit bottom. Prof Haers told me the NHS are too bite focused and do not consider other elements. For example, I cannot breathe through my nose and this forced me to be a mouth breather, increasing risk of relapse. I am not sure what has happened in your case, have they not provided you any information as to why your bite has ended up like this? You can and should complain to PALS at the hospital. Are your front teeth edge to edge?
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So what does one do when things go wrong with this kind of surgery? I went to see another surgeon to try and get a second opinion, but all I got was $250 bill for a Skype consultation in which he just told me how good he was. He then told me that it would cost $1000 for some 3D imaging thingy before he could tell me anything, plus a $250 fee every time I walked into his office. Oh and I'd have to have braces all over again!
Not only is going through the whole process again horrible but after paying out $18000 (after health insurance coverage) the first time, I simply can't afford it again.
I'm having speech problems so I'm going to get an appraisal from a speech therapist. I bite my lips when I eat and the skin where the titanium screws are is really itchy (not sure if it's related). It's been 18 months since my surgery so the wait fro improvement period is definitely over.