Advanced X-Rays of my face - can someone tell me my problems?

[AshesAshes]

Agree, CK.  That fact actually makes me physically ill. 

MrRochester I'll pm you.

[CK]

i brought it up with my new ortho and there was no critical response. acted as if it is a completely normal and acceptable form of treatment. sad.

[AshesAshes]

I've gotten a lot of that attitude as well.  I think because it's been around so long, and also the changes are so gradual and there's technically no way to "prove" that the adverse growth pattern was caused by headgear.  I only know it from looking at myself before/after treatment and seeing others who have had the same.

Still, there is a new wave of orthodontists focusing on forward movement of the jaws to maximize the airway and for optimal aesthetics. It's catching on but not near fast enough.

[pekay]

Wow...I just saw on that other thread that you had braces from 12-17 and headgear.  That is exactly what I had -- it worsened the recession of my jaws.  Not surprising we both ended up here!

How old are you and how was your recovery? fairly easy?

i brought it up with my new ortho and there was no critical response. acted as if it is a completely normal and acceptable form of treatment. sad.

and this guy does decompensation for surgery? wth?

[CK]

of all the dentists and orthodontists i met with there was only one who showed visible outrage at headgear and long-term braces. and she was a dental hygienist LOL. i think the thought process is if they cant fix it, they dont care that much. and bad mouthing orthodontics/dentistry in general is rarely good business.

[MrRochester]

In defense of my orthodontist, he originally told my parents that braces alone were not a great option and that jaw surgery and chin work would provide a far better result. My parents didn't listen and instead I endured almost a world-record breaking length of braces treatment. So my orthodontist only resorted to extractions+headgear when my parents rejected his recommendation of surgery.

[CK]

i was similar but my original ortho pretended braces would deliver the same result and surgery would only be needed if my bite was "perfect." probably would have been better off having no braces. what parent wants to have their kid subject to invasive, risky surgery?

[Tiny]

i was similar but my original ortho pretended braces would deliver the same result and surgery would only be needed if my bite was "perfect." probably would have been better off having no braces. what parent wants to have their kid subject to invasive, risky surgery?

My parents were horrified when I casually mentioned that I'd consulted an ortho and jaw surgery was mention as one of the options.  Because my step-father is an doctor and did quite a bit of anesthetics, he has seen le forts and BSSOs and is REALLY against me getting one.  He is generally dead against any of me or my siblings getting anything that involves a general.

Here in the UK we are really behind with orthodontics.  They hardly ever do jaws unless in really extreme cases.  There are a lot of overbites here - once person springs immediately to mind - Beth Ditto, the gymnast.  Gummy smile and big overbite,  clearly a person who would benefit from double jaw surgery - she was in braces at the olympics so let's see, but I would bet that she doesn't

[AshesAshes]

How old are you and how was your recovery? fairly easy?

and this guy does decompensation for surgery? wth?

I just turned 26, was 25 when I had the surgery in January this year.  Recovery was relatively easy as far as jaw surgery goes; I think I heal quickly because I de-swelled super fast from my both my wisdom teeth extractions prior to surgery and jaw surgery.

[pekay]

I just turned 26, was 25 when I had the surgery in January this year.  Recovery was relatively easy as far as jaw surgery goes; I think I heal quickly because I de-swelled super fast from my both my wisdom teeth extractions prior to surgery and jaw surgery.

how is the lower lip? fully numb, partially numb?

[AshesAshes]

Mostly numb.  Only able to feel light sensation.  It doesn't bother me too much.

[CK]

i didnt mind general. i think the most annoying part for me was being woken up. if they just let people come out on their my own it would be fine but they want to make room for other patients in the recovery so after x hours they start forcibly kicking people out.

[MrRochester]

The doctor called today and said that the nerve isn't in the way and he is ready to perform surgery.

I got cold feet, though, and was like "um um um, yeah, let me think about it some more". I'm such a wimp! I probably should find out how many millimeters he intends to advance my chin before agreeing to surgery.

What's really cool is that he was able to tell from the x-ray alone that my breathing in my nose is f**ked up. I never mentioned my nose to him, but he told me without my mentioning that I can barely breathe through my left nostril (I guess my septum must be very deviated even though it's not that obvious on the surface). This is totally true. Whenever I told my parents or mentioned this to other people, I think they thought I was being a drama queen or trying to get attention. It's nice to have a doctor tell you that it's not all in your head (unsolicited too since as I just said, I never mentioned my nose breathing difficulties to him).

[x]

The doctor called today and said that the nerve isn't in the way and he is ready to perform surgery.

I got cold feet, though, and was like "um um um, yeah, let me think about it some more". I'm such a wimp! I probably should find out how many millimeters he intends to advance my chin before agreeing to surgery.

What's really cool is that he was able to tell from the x-ray alone that my breathing in my nose is f**ked up. I never mentioned my nose to him, but he told me without my mentioning that I can barely breathe through my left nostril (I guess my septum must be very deviated even though it's not that obvious on the surface). This is totally true. Whenever I told my parents or mentioned this to other people, I think they thought I was being a drama queen or trying to get attention. It's nice to have a doctor tell you that it's not all in your head (unsolicited too since as I just said, I never mentioned my nose breathing difficulties to him).

Yeah mouth breathing is so awful, my dentist even referred to living with it as a 'decreased quality of life' cause it affects your mood, concentration, enjoyment of life. You're basically slowly suffocating lol. I'd definitely get any nasal obstructions removed regardless of what you decide to do with your jaw surgery.

[MrRochester]

I realized today I'm ineligible for surgery anyway. I take low dose accutane (isotretinoin) and that messes up your bone growth formation and calcification. I can't have surgery even if I desperately want it. I told my surgeon that I was taking low dose accutane, but he didn't seem to even know what it was (he's a maxfac). However, after looking up studies on accutane and bone growth problems and surgical complications, it's not worth the risk.

This is actually a relief in a lot of ways. I think I was searching for a way to avoid having surgery and now that I can't have it, I've been unburdened in a lot of ways.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1626958

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6237578

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15803349

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2591100

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10456346