Attention those with open bites

[Guest guest]

I'm 5 weeks post op and I just learned something I wish I knew b4 my

surgery. So I thought I'd share it with all of you who may be in the

same situation I was in.

To correct an open bite they do thing main things. They raise the

upper jaw. And they may or may not need to break the lower jaw so

that it rotates properly in place.

However, the question is how far up do they decide to push the upper

jaw. This isn't something I thought was open for debate. But it is!

Benefits of pushing an upper jaw higher:

- your lips are more likely to meet in a resting position after the

surgery. (Mine still don't touch and will likely never touch at rest

because my jaw wasn't heightened enough).

- the middle of your face shrinks. This may be an attractive feature

if you experience " long face syndrom "

- you see less of your upper gums and less of your upper teeth when

you smile (may or may not be a good thing)

Drawback of pushing an upper jaw higher

- it has the potential to cause more problems since they remove more

bone.

Something to think about for those needing to correct an open bite.

Personally, if I knew this before hand I would have asked them to

move my jaw slightly higher, but I'm content (not like I have a

choice) with the way things went.

[Guest guest]

Just curious,

what kind of problems??

MIndy

> I'm 5 weeks post op and I just learned something I wish I knew

b4 my

> surgery. So I thought I'd share it with all of you who may be in

the

> same situation I was in.

>

> To correct an open bite they do thing main things. They raise

the

> upper jaw. And they may or may not need to break the lower

jaw so

> that it rotates properly in place.

>

> However, the question is how far up do they decide to push the

upper

> jaw. This isn't something I thought was open for debate. But it

is!

>

> Benefits of pushing an upper jaw higher:

>

> - your lips are more likely to meet in a resting position after the

> surgery. (Mine still don't touch and will likely never touch at rest

> because my jaw wasn't heightened enough).

> - the middle of your face shrinks. This may be an attractive

feature

> if you experience " long face syndrom "

> - you see less of your upper gums and less of your upper teeth

when

> you smile (may or may not be a good thing)

>

> Drawback of pushing an upper jaw higher

> - it has the potential to cause more problems since they

remove more

> bone.

>

> Something to think about for those needing to correct an open

bite.

> Personally, if I knew this before hand I would have asked them

to

> move my jaw slightly higher, but I'm content (not like I have a

> choice) with the way things went.

[Guest guest]

Hi Marco,

I also had upper/lower/genio for an overbite/overjet, had a gummy

smile, etc.

Please give it more time, five weeks is nothing in the overall

recovery time. My lips didn't close properly before surgery (it was

an effort, I was a life-long mouth breather) but after some weeks,

they finally did, as a matter of fact, I woke up one morning with my

lips tightly sealed. Part of the healing problem is the residual

swelling in the upper lip, it really can take a long time to go down,

and it's part of what's preventing the lips from coming together. Of

course, if your surgeon has said they didn't move the upper jaw

enough, that's another matter. But if this is your own conjecture,

give it more time.

I was also concerned about how much upper teeth was showing.

Initially post-op, I could see no more than the tips, just like a

baby teething. Over time, I was able to open more and more, and now,

I can show my upper teeth (which are large, by the way) completely,

but only up to the gums, no further. Once again, it's the residual

swelling that will take time to go down.

You may find things are totally different in 3-6 months time.

Hope that helps.

> I'm 5 weeks post op and I just learned something I wish I knew b4

my

> surgery. So I thought I'd share it with all of you who may be in

the

> same situation I was in.

>

> To correct an open bite they do thing main things. They raise the

> upper jaw. And they may or may not need to break the lower jaw so

> that it rotates properly in place.

>

> However, the question is how far up do they decide to push the

upper

> jaw. This isn't something I thought was open for debate. But it

is!

>

> Benefits of pushing an upper jaw higher:

>

> - your lips are more likely to meet in a resting position after the

> surgery. (Mine still don't touch and will likely never touch at

rest

> because my jaw wasn't heightened enough).

> - the middle of your face shrinks. This may be an attractive

feature

> if you experience " long face syndrom "

> - you see less of your upper gums and less of your upper teeth when

> you smile (may or may not be a good thing)

>

> Drawback of pushing an upper jaw higher

> - it has the potential to cause more problems since they remove

more

> bone.

>

> Something to think about for those needing to correct an open

bite.

> Personally, if I knew this before hand I would have asked them to

> move my jaw slightly higher, but I'm content (not like I have a

> choice) with the way things went.

[Guest guest]

Thanks , those are wise words indeed.

Perhaps I will wake up one morning (like you) and find my lips

sealed. That would be awesome!

But my surgeon did say that do not expect that 100% to happen.

> > I'm 5 weeks post op and I just learned something I wish I knew b4

> my

> > surgery. So I thought I'd share it with all of you who may be in

> the

> > same situation I was in.

> >

> > To correct an open bite they do thing main things. They raise

the

> > upper jaw. And they may or may not need to break the lower jaw

so

> > that it rotates properly in place.

> >

> > However, the question is how far up do they decide to push the

> upper

> > jaw. This isn't something I thought was open for debate. But it

> is!

> >

> > Benefits of pushing an upper jaw higher:

> >

> > - your lips are more likely to meet in a resting position after

the

> > surgery. (Mine still don't touch and will likely never touch at

> rest

> > because my jaw wasn't heightened enough).

> > - the middle of your face shrinks. This may be an attractive

> feature

> > if you experience " long face syndrom "

> > - you see less of your upper gums and less of your upper teeth

when

> > you smile (may or may not be a good thing)

> >

> > Drawback of pushing an upper jaw higher

> > - it has the potential to cause more problems since they remove

> more

> > bone.

> >

> > Something to think about for those needing to correct an open

> bite.

> > Personally, if I knew this before hand I would have asked them to

> > move my jaw slightly higher, but I'm content (not like I have a

> > choice) with the way things went.

[Guest guest]

Hi Marco,

Got my lips, um, I mean, fingers crossed for you : )

> Thanks , those are wise words indeed.

>

> Perhaps I will wake up one morning (like you) and find my lips

> sealed. That would be awesome!

>

> But my surgeon did say that do not expect that 100% to happen.

[Guest guest]

> Thanks , those are wise words indeed.

>

> Perhaps I will wake up one morning (like you) and find my lips

> sealed. That would be awesome!

>

> But my surgeon did say that do not expect that 100% to happen.

My surgeon also said to me that every healing process begins in the

mind. If you believe it will happen, you're in better position to get it. Not

that it will necessarily happen. You just put all chances on your side :-)

Ray