Went to the orthodontist people today and their biggest concern was my overbite.
They said that it could be ignored, but that my teeth would revert without a retainer like...all the time....and so the best option is surgery :|
They want to break my jaw and reset it with a metal plate.
I have like a month before my next appointment, which is when they want a decision....I know it's best for me so I'm probably going to go with it....but does anyone have any experience of this?
Pain scale?
Recovery time?
Side effects?
Stay in hospital?
Aesthetic facial changes?
Sorry...it just sounds like a big thing...just a *tad* scared!
Sorry, I should have written them in my first post really, I just wasn't sure what to write!
It is a big thing, and it's normal to be scared - I was! But I wouldn't change it for anything.
Hospital stay/recovery time - I was in hospital for about 4 days, I think? Went in on the Thursday, came home on the Sunday. Recovery time is obviously a lot longer than that - I had my jaw wired shut for about four weeks, which is annoying - 'cos obviously it makes it very hard to speak/eat, etc, but you get used to it and it's not too bad after a while.
Pain scale - was horrible at first, but gets better, and they give you a lot of painkillers!
Side effects - it can make the area around your jaw go numb - usually just temporarily but very rarely permanently (but that really is very rare!) Mine went numb for about a year and a half, and even that's uncommon, but it doesn't really affect anything anyway - just meant if I touched my lip/chin I couldn't really feel anything for a while! The other obvious side effect is swelling - that's the worst one, because it is understandably very swollen for a while, but it's only for a while, and it's a lot better afterwards!
Aesthetic facial changes - it made a huge difference to me, personally. I think I actually had an underbite rather than an overbite, so I'm not sure whether it would be the same (although I presume it must be similar at least?), but it's had a hugely positive effect on my face, hence why I wouldn't change it for anything!
Oh, and with regards with scarring/anything like that - I don't have any scars at it from it! They stitched my jaw up obviously, but the stitches were all on the inside, so it didn't make a difference at all. :)
I have an overbite. They straightened my teeth first and then tried to do all sorts for my bite. I refused. I'm living a happy and healthy life!! (even if i do have an overbite!)
Blah.
I have a phobia of teeth but I came in here for you, how nice am I :P
Ok, when I was little I had an 11mm gap between my front and back jaw, so I had a type of brace and then I had a block brace and then I had traintracks. For...years I dont know, 5, 6 maybe more years, and then they took them off (this all added to my phobia) and they told me I had to wear my retainer forever more otherwise they would move back and I would have to have my jaw broken so I would have to go back in a year and they would make the decision. So naturally I never went back :)
My jaw was both ways one was too far back and the other was too far forwards. I dont wear my retainer, haven't for years and my teeth have moved, but my phobias got worse and theres no way in hell im telling anyone. I have a friend who had her jaw broken although hers was a choice she made because she was so self-conscious about her looks, she found it really, really hard but she does look good. I do know that she really, really struggled though, its a big decision, one you should think about a lot.
See I had a twin block but it made me so ugly and hindered day-to-day life so much it was insane!
I was also told I could have a retainer basically forever instead of the surgery but for some reason that seems far less appealing.
As said I have a month to decided but still, it's playing on my mind. At this moment I'd say 80-90% I'm thinking of having the op, provided no garish reasons crop up between now and February!
I had a twin block to and I was hideous, but I was an ugly child and looks have never meant much to me anyway so it never really mattered. Yeah, I just...didnt bother with my retainer. Im not a teeth person.
i have an overbite which i should have had corrected but i never did and to be honest it doesnt really bother me, infact when i push my jaw where it would have been set i look a bit freaky. so if its purely for asthetic reasons then i'd make sure you'll be happy with how you look afterwards. if so then go for it.
I have an overbite, and when I was still in orthodontics, they tried to solve it by putting this contraption in my mouth that connected your upper and lower jaw with two metal bars. Apparently, that was supposed to make them somehow shift so that they were even with each other. It sucked though, because if you opened your mouth too wide, the bars locked in place and you couldn't close your mouth.
Anyways, it didn't work for me because I was only like 10 when they did it and I didn't care enough about my teeth to take care of them afterwards like I was supposed to, so I still have an overbite.
But maybe ask your orthodontist about doing something like that if you're not keen on surgery? It's a little uncomfortable at first, and your jaws get sore from moving, but it's something to think about anyway.
If you don't need it done medically, then, like other people have said, think about the aesthetics off it. I have an overbite, and ok, my teeth do not look wonderful, but I think if my jaw was where it's supposed to be, that would look worse, because the overbite improves the shape of my mouth / face.
i've never had tooth troubles of any sort so i can't say i know what it's like, and the operation sounds dreadful, but if you think it will be worth it i say go for it. the great thing about being operated on is that people bring you gifts.
it does sound better than permanently wearing a retainer. i don't think it could possibly make you any more gorgeous, though, so pshaw to that.
well, i have sown untidy furrows 'cross my soul,
but I am still a coward,
content to see my garden grow so sweet & full
of someone else's flowers.
