Re: newbie - underbite concerns - to ashley o

[Guest guest]

-HI -

Firstly welcome to the group!! My name is Kat, im 19 also a college

student from the UK.

I can relate to a few of your concerns and worries. I had my surgery

two years ago in the summer of 2002. i was also concerned as i

didnt want to miss any of school as i was sitting my a'levels the

next year. One thing that i can say is that being young you have

age on your side and you bounce back quicker from surgery. I went

back to school four weeks post op and although dinner times were a

struggle i had no other complaints. I was also still tightly banded

shut which made the perfect excuse from not taking part in vocal

presentations and class discussions! lol...

The recovery is slow and there are sometimes set backs. i found

asking questions on this board before sugery helped a great deal

before hand. It really perpares you for the surgery and gives you

an idea of what to expect in the inital days post op and throughout

the recovery.

I think the ammount of time in braces pre and post op depend on the

patient and the way in which your ortho practices. I had braces from

when i was 13. As i got closer to surgery i had more and more

hardware fixed to my train tracks including the surgical hooks.

these are designed to accompany the wires or bands to stable your

jaws after the surgery. i had my surgery on august 1st 2002 and had

my train tracks removed in january 2003. i have since had a

retainer, which i am told to wear on nights until i am 30. Im not

really sure whether there are ways to stabilise the jaw other than

using braces.

As for what the surgeons do to correct an underbite. I have seen

some pics under the photo section under the name 'default' however i

wouldnt recommend to the squeemish, they are exceptionally

detailed. Im quite interested in studying surgeries etc and id like

to think i have a strong stomach. i looked at those photos before

my surgery and they didnt phase me at all, though they may affect

others. As for what they actually DO it depends on the state of

your bite. generally the procedures are the same though the ammount

of movement differs. in my case i had upper and lower jaw surgery

with R.P.E. and sinus work. They moved my upper jaw forward 7mm and

lower back by 6mm. R.P.E. stands for rapid palatal expansion. I had

a narrow upper jaw, so they also broke the roof of my mouth in 3

places and expanded it. my upper jaw was borken in 5 places and the

lower in 2/3. As for breathing i also had difficulty breathing

through my nose pre op, so during the surgery my surgeon told me he

would operate on my sinuses making the nasal passage wider and

easier for me to breathe through my nose.

I was banded tightly shut after surgery for about 2 weeks and then

they removed all the bands and just put a fee new ones on.

From my experience the surgery and recovery were totally worth it

and if i had to i would do it again.

I have a few photos in the photos section under 'katerina' from the

first few days post op. I also have just posted some undated ones,

under the LINK sections -with title 'katerinas photos pre+post op

upper and lower jaw surgery.

I hope you find the answers to all your questions here. Feel free

to ask me and questions and ask the board alot too, you will find

alot of valuable information here.

Good Luck.

Kind regards.

Kat_UK

-- In orthognathicsurgerysupport , " OHara "

<alo44@h...> wrote:

> Hi! I came across this lovely neighborhood of people by accident,

> and I'm so thankful that I did. You guys have developed a great

> support group online.

>

> I'm a 20 year old college student from upstate New York and have

> lived with a severe underbite most of my life. I'm just beginning

> the process of preparing for surgery, so I don't know what my

> underbite is classified as. I actually have not even chosen a

> surgeon yet, as I have to go through some formalities with my

> orthodontist first. Hearing all of your experiences and seeing

your

> pictures has been so informative, but I am now scared to death of

> the recovery period. It seems that you all managed to live

through

> it though! It appears that it was worth it. I have some initial

> questions and concerns as I know very little about what happens

> during the actual surgery. I'm hoping that some of you may be

able

> to provide answers...

>

> If anyone is from the northeastern part of the country, can you

> recommend any excellent surgeons? I'm willing to travel hours and

> hours for the best. My orthodonist is planning on hooking me up

> with a surgeon he has worked with before, but I'd really like to

> research many surgeons.

>

> Are pre and post-op braces necessary to have underbite surgery

> completed? I realize that the jaw must be held in a stable

> condition using bands, and these bands are attached to braces. I

am

> wondering if there is another method of stabilizing the jaw

because

> I have already been through years of braces.

>

> What do surgeons actually DO to correct an underbite? I'd love to

> see some detailed pictures or descriptions of the surgery. I'm

sure

> I will learn this information at my first appointment with a

> surgeon, but it may take awhile to get an appointment.

>

> One of my main concerns is being able to breathe. In my current

> condition, I can rarely breathe through my nose, mostly due to

> allergies. I understand, however, that the nasal passage may

become

> a bit wider after this type of surgery, and that it is easier to

> breathe. Is this the case with many of you? Or do I have the

wrong

> idea?

>

> I will be finished with college in May of 2006. My options for

> having this surgery performed are over Christmas break (a period

of

> 4 weeks) and over summer break (a period of 4 months). I would

love

> to have 4 months to recover, but that would completely ruin my

> chances of getting an internship, as most of them last the entire

> summer. An internship is essential, and I don't think I would

> choose surgery over it. I'm just not sure that I would be ready

to

> go back to school and trudge around campus in the freezing weather

> after 4 weeks recovery time. I understand that recovery times

vary

> depending on the type of surgery and so on. But I'd rather not

put

> off the surgery till after I graduate...I can't stand the wait!

Any

> advice on this matter?

>

> I'm so excited to have come across such a great community online!

> I'm hoping to post some pictures of my underbite soon, even though

I

> won't have any post-op pictures for quite awhile. - O.

[Guest guest]

-HI -

Firstly welcome to the group!! My name is Kat, im 19 also a college

student from the UK.

I can relate to a few of your concerns and worries. I had my surgery

two years ago in the summer of 2002. i was also concerned as i

didnt want to miss any of school as i was sitting my a'levels the

next year. One thing that i can say is that being young you have

age on your side and you bounce back quicker from surgery. I went

back to school four weeks post op and although dinner times were a

struggle i had no other complaints. I was also still tightly banded

shut which made the perfect excuse from not taking part in vocal

presentations and class discussions! lol...

The recovery is slow and there are sometimes set backs. i found

asking questions on this board before sugery helped a great deal

before hand. It really perpares you for the surgery and gives you

an idea of what to expect in the inital days post op and throughout

the recovery.

I think the ammount of time in braces pre and post op depend on the

patient and the way in which your ortho practices. I had braces from

when i was 13. As i got closer to surgery i had more and more

hardware fixed to my train tracks including the surgical hooks.

these are designed to accompany the wires or bands to stable your

jaws after the surgery. i had my surgery on august 1st 2002 and had

my train tracks removed in january 2003. i have since had a

retainer, which i am told to wear on nights until i am 30. Im not

really sure whether there are ways to stabilise the jaw other than

using braces.

As for what the surgeons do to correct an underbite. I have seen

some pics under the photo section under the name 'default' however i

wouldnt recommend to the squeemish, they are exceptionally

detailed. Im quite interested in studying surgeries etc and id like

to think i have a strong stomach. i looked at those photos before

my surgery and they didnt phase me at all, though they may affect

others. As for what they actually DO it depends on the state of

your bite. generally the procedures are the same though the ammount

of movement differs. in my case i had upper and lower jaw surgery

with R.P.E. and sinus work. They moved my upper jaw forward 7mm and

lower back by 6mm. R.P.E. stands for rapid palatal expansion. I had

a narrow upper jaw, so they also broke the roof of my mouth in 3

places and expanded it. my upper jaw was borken in 5 places and the

lower in 2/3. As for breathing i also had difficulty breathing

through my nose pre op, so during the surgery my surgeon told me he

would operate on my sinuses making the nasal passage wider and

easier for me to breathe through my nose.

I was banded tightly shut after surgery for about 2 weeks and then

they removed all the bands and just put a fee new ones on.

From my experience the surgery and recovery were totally worth it

and if i had to i would do it again.

I have a few photos in the photos section under 'katerina' from the

first few days post op. I also have just posted some undated ones,

under the LINK sections -with title 'katerinas photos pre+post op

upper and lower jaw surgery.

I hope you find the answers to all your questions here. Feel free

to ask me and questions and ask the board alot too, you will find

alot of valuable information here.

Good Luck.

Kind regards.

Kat_UK

-- In orthognathicsurgerysupport , " OHara "

<alo44@h...> wrote:

> Hi! I came across this lovely neighborhood of people by accident,

> and I'm so thankful that I did. You guys have developed a great

> support group online.

>

> I'm a 20 year old college student from upstate New York and have

> lived with a severe underbite most of my life. I'm just beginning

> the process of preparing for surgery, so I don't know what my

> underbite is classified as. I actually have not even chosen a

> surgeon yet, as I have to go through some formalities with my

> orthodontist first. Hearing all of your experiences and seeing

your

> pictures has been so informative, but I am now scared to death of

> the recovery period. It seems that you all managed to live

through

> it though! It appears that it was worth it. I have some initial

> questions and concerns as I know very little about what happens

> during the actual surgery. I'm hoping that some of you may be

able

> to provide answers...

>

> If anyone is from the northeastern part of the country, can you

> recommend any excellent surgeons? I'm willing to travel hours and

> hours for the best. My orthodonist is planning on hooking me up

> with a surgeon he has worked with before, but I'd really like to

> research many surgeons.

>

> Are pre and post-op braces necessary to have underbite surgery

> completed? I realize that the jaw must be held in a stable

> condition using bands, and these bands are attached to braces. I

am

> wondering if there is another method of stabilizing the jaw

because

> I have already been through years of braces.

>

> What do surgeons actually DO to correct an underbite? I'd love to

> see some detailed pictures or descriptions of the surgery. I'm

sure

> I will learn this information at my first appointment with a

> surgeon, but it may take awhile to get an appointment.

>

> One of my main concerns is being able to breathe. In my current

> condition, I can rarely breathe through my nose, mostly due to

> allergies. I understand, however, that the nasal passage may

become

> a bit wider after this type of surgery, and that it is easier to

> breathe. Is this the case with many of you? Or do I have the

wrong

> idea?

>

> I will be finished with college in May of 2006. My options for

> having this surgery performed are over Christmas break (a period

of

> 4 weeks) and over summer break (a period of 4 months). I would

love

> to have 4 months to recover, but that would completely ruin my

> chances of getting an internship, as most of them last the entire

> summer. An internship is essential, and I don't think I would

> choose surgery over it. I'm just not sure that I would be ready

to

> go back to school and trudge around campus in the freezing weather

> after 4 weeks recovery time. I understand that recovery times

vary

> depending on the type of surgery and so on. But I'd rather not

put

> off the surgery till after I graduate...I can't stand the wait!

Any

> advice on this matter?

>

> I'm so excited to have come across such a great community online!

> I'm hoping to post some pictures of my underbite soon, even though

I

> won't have any post-op pictures for quite awhile. - O.