Medical advances in orthognathics?

[Guest guest]

Is there good medical literature to read up on about orthognathic surgery? Are

any new

techniques being developed, tested or perfected? What has changed in the last

20 years

of this type of surgery?

I guess the main way to classify my feelings are of being really scared of this

surgery. I

have a class III malocclusion and a crossbite, which basically means that my

upper and

lower teeth line up exactly (instead of lower teeth being recessed slightly from

upper

teeth). This never really bothered me until recently, because chewing some

foods (like

thinly sliced salami) is very difficult. My upper and lower teeth won't come

together, and

there is about 1mm gap between them. When I bite, my teeth only meet along 2-3

molars

in the back.

It doesn't seem to affect my appearance negatively...and I already had braces

for 3.5 years

when I was younger so my teeth are straight. My dentist is concerned that I

will lose teeth

(eventually) because there is excessive wear and tear on my back molars, since

they are

constantly hitting each other when I bite.

I guess my question is in trying to figure out the pros and cons of waiting,

skipping or

having orthognathics done. Compared to a good friend of mine who had the

surgery, my

case is very minor; he still complains (3 years later) of numbness throughout

his mouth.

I'm not sure if it's worth trading one problem for another...especially if

medical advances

in the not-so-distant future will alleviate some of these problems associate

with the

surgery today.

Plus, some orthodontists that I've seen have said my problem *may* be treatable

without

orthognathics at all, but maybe it can't. Has anyone else been in this position

(and been

told the same thing), and if so, what did you do? Are there realistic

alternatives to

orthognathic surgery for minor malocclusions and a crossbite? (my orthodontist

says I

have a tongue thrust, though, which is another problem and possibly a cause of

my teeth

not meeting)

Thanks so much to everyone. I am 23 years old, so I guess I can wait but I'd

like to learn

much more about this topic to make the best informed decision possible.

[Guest guest]

Is there good medical literature to read up on about orthognathic surgery? Are

any new

techniques being developed, tested or perfected? What has changed in the last

20 years

of this type of surgery?

I guess the main way to classify my feelings are of being really scared of this

surgery. I

have a class III malocclusion and a crossbite, which basically means that my

upper and

lower teeth line up exactly (instead of lower teeth being recessed slightly from

upper

teeth). This never really bothered me until recently, because chewing some

foods (like

thinly sliced salami) is very difficult. My upper and lower teeth won't come

together, and

there is about 1mm gap between them. When I bite, my teeth only meet along 2-3

molars

in the back.

It doesn't seem to affect my appearance negatively...and I already had braces

for 3.5 years

when I was younger so my teeth are straight. My dentist is concerned that I

will lose teeth

(eventually) because there is excessive wear and tear on my back molars, since

they are

constantly hitting each other when I bite.

I guess my question is in trying to figure out the pros and cons of waiting,

skipping or

having orthognathics done. Compared to a good friend of mine who had the

surgery, my

case is very minor; he still complains (3 years later) of numbness throughout

his mouth.

I'm not sure if it's worth trading one problem for another...especially if

medical advances

in the not-so-distant future will alleviate some of these problems associate

with the

surgery today.

Plus, some orthodontists that I've seen have said my problem *may* be treatable

without

orthognathics at all, but maybe it can't. Has anyone else been in this position

(and been

told the same thing), and if so, what did you do? Are there realistic

alternatives to

orthognathic surgery for minor malocclusions and a crossbite? (my orthodontist

says I

have a tongue thrust, though, which is another problem and possibly a cause of

my teeth

not meeting)

Thanks so much to everyone. I am 23 years old, so I guess I can wait but I'd

like to learn

much more about this topic to make the best informed decision possible.