Making up your mind

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I didn't want braces either. I chickened out of them at about your

age (nothing was mentioned then about orthognathic surgery, so I'm

glad I waited). At the time, it was more about wanting independence

from my parents - I was at university at the time, and it would have

meant more visits home. This was about 30 years ago, so you can do

the math.

I had my surgery almost 2 years ago. The braces are necessary as the

ortho will have to do some finetuning of your bite - straight teeth

don't necessarily mean they are in the correct position for when

your jaws are properly aligned. The ortho will do some movements

that may make your bite worse, and then fine-tune after the surgery.

Don't rush the decision. Have your wisdoms out, but don't compare

that to the orthognathic surgery - when I had my lower wisdoms out,

I had more swelling and experienced pain. Orthognathic surgery is

completely different. It is an investment in time and you'll learn

patience along the way if you don't already have it.

Talk to your parents, maybe speak to other patients of your ortho

and surgeon, do some more research on some of the other sites (links

below), and ask lots of questions. You don't have to have this done

at your age, you might still be growing, for example. What you

should be asking is what might the results be if you DON'T have it

done. Weigh that carefully against the risks of having this surgery.

There's another yahoo group with lots of carefully organized links

and member photos at

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/orthogathicsurgerysite2 and a

geocities info website I set up at

http://www.geocities.com/orthognathicinfo - this site has tons of

links as well as FAQs and Personal Surgery Experiences. Check them

out!

(I'm Canadian with dual Irish citizenship)

> hi everyone im 19 and from ireland. i have a prominant lower jaw

> therefore i can have surgery to correct it. at times it doesnt

> bother me and other times it does. i love my teeth as they are

nice

> and straight therefore i dont want braces but ive been told they

are

> a necessity. i think also the fact of having to wear them for two

> years before the op. also scares me. i am also afraid that i may

end

> up looking awful as i dont look that bad at the moment if i do say

> so myself : ) overall im not sure whether or not to go through

with

> the whole thing. i have an appointment to get my wisdom teeth out

on

> the 28th june so i need to make my mind up soon... has anyone any

> advise... thank you!!!!