I recently learned that I will need jaw surgery to correct severely impacted airways. I learned this because I went to an oral surgeon after my braces came off, because I still had a severely recessed chin. I learned from the oral surgeon that my orthodontist essentially gave me a cosmetic fix, and not a very good one. He moved my lower jaw forward slightly. I had been clear with my orthodontist that I wanted facial symmetry. I am no where near facial symmetry post-braces. I went into my orthodontic treatment wanting to correct the recessed chin to the point of having facial symmetry and to look normal, and I felt I made that clear to my orthodontist. I feel as if he should have known he could never give me those things. I am now dealing with frustration and anger that I wasted time and money on a cosmetic fix that does not even look good.
I went to the oral surgeon thinking I would simply need a cosmetic surgery if I were ever to look normal (not have a recessed chin.) He told me that I should get the jaw surgery to prevent apnea in the future. It is possible I already have it - I have always slept poorly. I am going to do a sleep study to gather more information. All my life I have had trouble breathing deeply - I always assumed it was anxiety. It turns out my airways are the size of cocktail straws.
I feel as if the medical world has failed me. How could my orthodontist give me this cosmetic treatment, when I have such severe underlying medical issues? Are orthodontists simply not trained to recognise those symptoms? How could my orthodontist suggest the treatment he did, when he surely knew he could never give me real facial symmetry? My oral surgeon has told me I am "way outside of the range of normal" in terms of facial structure. My jaw is simply set too far back in my skull; no orthdontic treatment could ever make me look normal. Maybe my orthodontist thought he was beinf helpful by saving me money? Maybe something was lost in translation - his defintion of normal/facial symmetry is different?
I am also angry at myself for not asking more questions, not exploring other treatment plans, not making sure my orthodontist were completely on the same page.
My orthondist is going to work with the oral surgeon to give me the proper treatment now, and I am grateful for that. But I am still dealing with immense feelings of frustration. Looking normal has been pushed farther into the future. More money will have to be spent. My self esteem is something I struggle witg because of the recessed chin.
Has anyone been through a similar experience? I am partly venting, but also would be glad to hear from people who have had similar experiences. How did you keep your morale up? How did you deal with frustration of being given the wrong treatment? Thank you for your thoughts!
