Guest guest Posted September 10, 2004 Report Share Posted September 10, 2004 Hi Sue, Class III is where lower teeth are positioned ahead of (or in front of) upper teeth. Lower jaw usually needs to be shortened, or moved back, although upper jaw could also be moved forward, or both moved in opposing directions. Class II is where upper teeth are positioned far ahead of lower teeth. It's more common than Class III. In my case, which was Class II, my lower jaw had not grown enough, so it had to be advanced. That's done by breaking it in two places, where it is widest, and shifting it forward so there's still bone on bone, then my surgeon fixed it in place with screws & plates until the bone healed itself. I also had my upper jaw impacted (Leforte I) which means it was separated from the rest of my skull, shaved down a bit, and reattached, again with plates & screws, all done from inside the mouth. It was also slightly rotated. There's also " divisions " of class II, but I'm not familiar with those and I don't think it will mean a lot to you to know them. Anterior open bite means open at the front. My ortho told me that anywhere that the teeth don't meet is an open bite, so even though I had teeth which had compensated and met everywhere else, because I could fit my baby finger in between my lower and upper front teeth (all the way up to the gum, in fact), I had an open bite. I also had overjet, which refers to the horizontal angle of the upper teeth. My ortho referred to my case as " severe " , in his opinion, he had to leave surgery open as a last resort although he did everything he could to work on my case without it. In the end, it was necessary. I hope that helps! I've got before & after photos on site 2 at http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/orthognathicsurgerysite2 but you have to join up there in order to view the photos. I also set up a geocities site with lots of FAQs that you might find useful at http://www.geocities.com/orthognathicinfo/ > Hello everyone, > I'm from the UK. I've just been advised to have upper and lower jaw > surgery if I want to fix my anterior open bite and my 'severe' > overjet. (Getting used to all this terminology now!) Can anyone > tell me what 'severe' means - does it relate to a class that people > sometimes mention eg. class III etc? > > I am so glad to have found this group. You are all very supportive > and the information you share with one another is so helpful. Thank > you already! > > Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 10, 2004 Report Share Posted September 10, 2004 Hi Sue, Class III is where lower teeth are positioned ahead of (or in front of) upper teeth. Lower jaw usually needs to be shortened, or moved back, although upper jaw could also be moved forward, or both moved in opposing directions. Class II is where upper teeth are positioned far ahead of lower teeth. It's more common than Class III. In my case, which was Class II, my lower jaw had not grown enough, so it had to be advanced. That's done by breaking it in two places, where it is widest, and shifting it forward so there's still bone on bone, then my surgeon fixed it in place with screws & plates until the bone healed itself. I also had my upper jaw impacted (Leforte I) which means it was separated from the rest of my skull, shaved down a bit, and reattached, again with plates & screws, all done from inside the mouth. It was also slightly rotated. There's also " divisions " of class II, but I'm not familiar with those and I don't think it will mean a lot to you to know them. Anterior open bite means open at the front. My ortho told me that anywhere that the teeth don't meet is an open bite, so even though I had teeth which had compensated and met everywhere else, because I could fit my baby finger in between my lower and upper front teeth (all the way up to the gum, in fact), I had an open bite. I also had overjet, which refers to the horizontal angle of the upper teeth. My ortho referred to my case as " severe " , in his opinion, he had to leave surgery open as a last resort although he did everything he could to work on my case without it. In the end, it was necessary. I hope that helps! I've got before & after photos on site 2 at http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/orthognathicsurgerysite2 but you have to join up there in order to view the photos. I also set up a geocities site with lots of FAQs that you might find useful at http://www.geocities.com/orthognathicinfo/ > Hello everyone, > I'm from the UK. I've just been advised to have upper and lower jaw > surgery if I want to fix my anterior open bite and my 'severe' > overjet. (Getting used to all this terminology now!) Can anyone > tell me what 'severe' means - does it relate to a class that people > sometimes mention eg. class III etc? > > I am so glad to have found this group. You are all very supportive > and the information you share with one another is so helpful. Thank > you already! > > Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 11, 2004 Report Share Posted September 11, 2004 Open bite, best I understand, is a separate issue from the classes. If you have an overbite and/or an overjet, I'd guess you're Class II. (Class III is an underbite, or an occlusion in which the lower teeth are in front of the upper ones -- Jay Leno, if you're familiar with him, has the classic " lantern jaw " look of an underbite, as does Kerry, sort of, although i have heard that Kerry had orthognathic surgery years ago.) " Severe " is just descriptive, far as I know. I had a 5 mm advancement of the lower jaw, which is pretty small (1/4 inch). I have known people who had from 10-20 mm advancement, 20 mm. being really extreme. > Hello everyone, > I'm from the UK. I've just been advised to have upper and lower jaw > surgery if I want to fix my anterior open bite and my 'severe' > overjet. (Getting used to all this terminology now!) Can anyone > tell me what 'severe' means - does it relate to a class that people > sometimes mention eg. class III etc? > > I am so glad to have found this group. You are all very supportive > and the information you share with one another is so helpful. Thank > you already! > > Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 11, 2004 Report Share Posted September 11, 2004 Open bite, best I understand, is a separate issue from the classes. If you have an overbite and/or an overjet, I'd guess you're Class II. (Class III is an underbite, or an occlusion in which the lower teeth are in front of the upper ones -- Jay Leno, if you're familiar with him, has the classic " lantern jaw " look of an underbite, as does Kerry, sort of, although i have heard that Kerry had orthognathic surgery years ago.) " Severe " is just descriptive, far as I know. I had a 5 mm advancement of the lower jaw, which is pretty small (1/4 inch). I have known people who had from 10-20 mm advancement, 20 mm. being really extreme. > Hello everyone, > I'm from the UK. I've just been advised to have upper and lower jaw > surgery if I want to fix my anterior open bite and my 'severe' > overjet. (Getting used to all this terminology now!) Can anyone > tell me what 'severe' means - does it relate to a class that people > sometimes mention eg. class III etc? > > I am so glad to have found this group. You are all very supportive > and the information you share with one another is so helpful. Thank > you already! > > Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 11, 2004 Report Share Posted September 11, 2004 Hi Sue, My name is also Suzy and I'm from the UK.... I have an overjet also (class II) and will be having surgery. The term " severe " means that it is probably quite a big overjet compared to the " norm " and therefore this won't be fixable by braces alone. Have you been advised for surgery by an NHS or private orthodontist? Before considering having any surgery done, I would strongly recommend that you seek a few opinions to the problem and how to fix it so you can be fully informed and able to make a decision that you are comfortable with. If you don't understand any terms, then don't be afraid to ask your orthodontist, who should be happy to explain! Good luck Suzy > Hello everyone, > I'm from the UK. I've just been advised to have upper and lower jaw > surgery if I want to fix my anterior open bite and my 'severe' > overjet. (Getting used to all this terminology now!) Can anyone > tell me what 'severe' means - does it relate to a class that people > sometimes mention eg. class III etc? > > I am so glad to have found this group. You are all very supportive > and the information you share with one another is so helpful. Thank > you already! > > Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 11, 2004 Report Share Posted September 11, 2004 Hi Sue, My name is also Suzy and I'm from the UK.... I have an overjet also (class II) and will be having surgery. The term " severe " means that it is probably quite a big overjet compared to the " norm " and therefore this won't be fixable by braces alone. Have you been advised for surgery by an NHS or private orthodontist? Before considering having any surgery done, I would strongly recommend that you seek a few opinions to the problem and how to fix it so you can be fully informed and able to make a decision that you are comfortable with. If you don't understand any terms, then don't be afraid to ask your orthodontist, who should be happy to explain! Good luck Suzy > Hello everyone, > I'm from the UK. I've just been advised to have upper and lower jaw > surgery if I want to fix my anterior open bite and my 'severe' > overjet. (Getting used to all this terminology now!) Can anyone > tell me what 'severe' means - does it relate to a class that people > sometimes mention eg. class III etc? > > I am so glad to have found this group. You are all very supportive > and the information you share with one another is so helpful. Thank > you already! > > Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 Sue, I dunno how all this works over there, but if you can manage it, I think the person from whom you need the opinion would be an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. Now, and again after the ortho has worked on you for a while. Sometimes the ortho can do wonders, all by itself. But many times, the surgery is needed to give the ortho the space in which to complete his or her job. And yes, it is usual to be in braces for a time before and after surgery. And the corrections for surgery are often different from the ones an ortho would make if he's not prepping you for surgery. 'Tisn't at all unusual for family, friends not to understand poop about all this. They don't live with the bite, either. I do believe that true open bites, often caused by tongue-thrust, can be really difficult to treat and stabilize. Sorry. So talk a lot with the docs about that part of it, and what you might expect for permanent retention... Owning six clinics doesn't mean a lot of experience, necessarily. Ask him how many cases like yours he has treated, and what their outcomes have been. You want a doc, and a surgeon, who have done A LOT! My surgeon had operated on almost 2,000 patients before I got on his table, and that was two years ago. C. > Hi Suzy! > Thanks for this. Well I have been to several orthodontists, and guess what, they all said different things! All said a brace is required before and after. > Orth No 1. Opts for upper jaw surgery tipped up at the back and moved back. Says no lower jaw surgery required. 1 night in hospital (virtually called it a minor op!) > Orth No. 2. Opts for upper (same as 1) and lower forward and slightly lower at back. 4 nights in hospital etc. > Orth No. 3. Agrees with 2 if surgery route is taken (discounted 1 by saying he was inexperienced! Funny thing is No 1 owns around SIX clinics.) No 3 prefers the brace route without surgery though, thinks 'there's a lot of mileage in a brace' and that surgery might fail due to open bite becoming open again! > > So I'm still confused and undecided due to the different opinions. Trouble is this has been on my mind for over a year big time. I have been studying everyone elses mouth to see what their bite is like etc. Am I becoming obsessed or is this normal??!! I keep wondering if I can just live with it (none of my friends/family say it's a problem or even notice it until I point it out to them, but it saps my confidence because every time I go to a dentist they remark on what a 'mildly histerical' bite I have or some such comment! > > As to private vs NHS, they all have different opinions about that too! No 1 says definately justified on NHS, No 2 says no way, just cosmetic, private (10K!) and No 3 says BUPA will pay for most of it. > > Life!!!! > > I hope that by using this group and asking questions etc. I will maybe become clearer with my thoughts. > > Thanks again, > > Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 Sue, I dunno how all this works over there, but if you can manage it, I think the person from whom you need the opinion would be an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. Now, and again after the ortho has worked on you for a while. Sometimes the ortho can do wonders, all by itself. But many times, the surgery is needed to give the ortho the space in which to complete his or her job. And yes, it is usual to be in braces for a time before and after surgery. And the corrections for surgery are often different from the ones an ortho would make if he's not prepping you for surgery. 'Tisn't at all unusual for family, friends not to understand poop about all this. They don't live with the bite, either. I do believe that true open bites, often caused by tongue-thrust, can be really difficult to treat and stabilize. Sorry. So talk a lot with the docs about that part of it, and what you might expect for permanent retention... Owning six clinics doesn't mean a lot of experience, necessarily. Ask him how many cases like yours he has treated, and what their outcomes have been. You want a doc, and a surgeon, who have done A LOT! My surgeon had operated on almost 2,000 patients before I got on his table, and that was two years ago. C. > Hi Suzy! > Thanks for this. Well I have been to several orthodontists, and guess what, they all said different things! All said a brace is required before and after. > Orth No 1. Opts for upper jaw surgery tipped up at the back and moved back. Says no lower jaw surgery required. 1 night in hospital (virtually called it a minor op!) > Orth No. 2. Opts for upper (same as 1) and lower forward and slightly lower at back. 4 nights in hospital etc. > Orth No. 3. Agrees with 2 if surgery route is taken (discounted 1 by saying he was inexperienced! Funny thing is No 1 owns around SIX clinics.) No 3 prefers the brace route without surgery though, thinks 'there's a lot of mileage in a brace' and that surgery might fail due to open bite becoming open again! > > So I'm still confused and undecided due to the different opinions. Trouble is this has been on my mind for over a year big time. I have been studying everyone elses mouth to see what their bite is like etc. Am I becoming obsessed or is this normal??!! I keep wondering if I can just live with it (none of my friends/family say it's a problem or even notice it until I point it out to them, but it saps my confidence because every time I go to a dentist they remark on what a 'mildly histerical' bite I have or some such comment! > > As to private vs NHS, they all have different opinions about that too! No 1 says definately justified on NHS, No 2 says no way, just cosmetic, private (10K!) and No 3 says BUPA will pay for most of it. > > Life!!!! > > I hope that by using this group and asking questions etc. I will maybe become clearer with my thoughts. > > Thanks again, > > Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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