Guest guest Posted September 28, 2004 Report Share Posted September 28, 2004 Hello everybody! I am a new member contemplating surgery for an open bite and I would like to hear from other members who have had similar surgery. My open bite does not bother me at all regarding my looks or confidence but my dentist has advised me to think about having surgery as I put a lot of pressure on my back teeth and they are wearing away quicker than usuall. He says if I want to keep these teeth longer I should have this surgery to make my bite more even. I think I would only have to have my upper teeth pulled down about 4-5mm. I don't think I need any work on my lower jaw. I would be very interested in the recovery peroid after surgery - How much pain is there? What pain killers do I take? how much time off work is needed? How long before I can eat properly? Will my jaw be wired shut? Is it really worth getting done when it's not affecting my looks/confidence, etc. Looking forward to your replies! regards, Liam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 28, 2004 Report Share Posted September 28, 2004 Hello everybody! I am a new member contemplating surgery for an open bite and I would like to hear from other members who have had similar surgery. My open bite does not bother me at all regarding my looks or confidence but my dentist has advised me to think about having surgery as I put a lot of pressure on my back teeth and they are wearing away quicker than usuall. He says if I want to keep these teeth longer I should have this surgery to make my bite more even. I think I would only have to have my upper teeth pulled down about 4-5mm. I don't think I need any work on my lower jaw. I would be very interested in the recovery peroid after surgery - How much pain is there? What pain killers do I take? how much time off work is needed? How long before I can eat properly? Will my jaw be wired shut? Is it really worth getting done when it's not affecting my looks/confidence, etc. Looking forward to your replies! regards, Liam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 28, 2004 Report Share Posted September 28, 2004 Hi Liam, I had upper jaw surgery for an open bite at the end of March. I was 19 when I first told to get surgery and finally did it at age 25 after my dentist grew concerned about my back teeth wearing too quickly. Like you, nobody could tell I had a jaw deformity and I was confident in my appearance (in fact, one of my biggest concerns was that surgery would change my looks). Upper jaw surgery wasn't bad at all - I was admitted in the morning and left at night and was banded shut for the first week and soft banded the following weeks. The swelling was impressive, but went down after a month and completely down after about 2 months. I started eating solid foods about 3 weeks after surgery. Overall, the surgery really isn't so bad, especially when you're having one jaw broken and not two.... And the results have been really fantastic. Although I never felt at a loss with my open bite, having a correct bite is an amazing feeling! Chewing with all your teeth and having your top teeth fully close over your bottom ones is pretty great! And my surgeon and orthodontist worked to preserve my appearance - people really can't tell a difference at all - if anything, they just say my jaw line looks more chiseled. However, I have recently been encountering some problems you should probably be aware of. My bite started opening againbecause my muscles have a memory of the old position and have been trying to force the new position back. I was supposed to be unbraced at the end of August, but my ortho told me a couple weeks ago I have to keep them on another 3 months at least to stabilize my teeth and bite. I'm also starting physical therapy with a woman who will re- teach me how to eat, breathe, swallow, etc. with my new jaw. According to her, I am using my open bite habits with my new bite and if I continue, I might regress. Anyways, your pre-surgery condition sounds very similar to mine. If you're worried about the pain of surgery or recovery or the changes in your looks, I would say they are really not too earth- shattering. But make sure to talk to your specialists about possibilities of relapse. I always thought once I was done, I'd be done forever and never have to worry about my open bite again, but I think it's a little different with our condition because of the muscles' memories. Good luck! Meredith > > > Hello everybody! > > I am a new member contemplating surgery for an open bite and I would > like to hear from other members who have had similar surgery. My open > bite does not bother me at all regarding my looks or confidence but > my dentist has advised me to think about having surgery as I put a > lot of pressure on my back teeth and they are wearing away quicker > than usuall. He says if I want to keep these teeth longer I should > have this surgery to make my bite more even. I think I would only > have to have my upper teeth pulled down about 4-5mm. I don't think I > need any work on my lower jaw. I would be very interested in the > recovery peroid after surgery - How much pain is there? What pain > killers do I take? how much time off work is needed? How long before > I can eat properly? Will my jaw be wired shut? Is it really worth > getting done when it's not affecting my looks/confidence, etc. > Looking forward to your replies! > > regards, > > Liam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 28, 2004 Report Share Posted September 28, 2004 Hi Liam, I had upper jaw surgery for an open bite at the end of March. I was 19 when I first told to get surgery and finally did it at age 25 after my dentist grew concerned about my back teeth wearing too quickly. Like you, nobody could tell I had a jaw deformity and I was confident in my appearance (in fact, one of my biggest concerns was that surgery would change my looks). Upper jaw surgery wasn't bad at all - I was admitted in the morning and left at night and was banded shut for the first week and soft banded the following weeks. The swelling was impressive, but went down after a month and completely down after about 2 months. I started eating solid foods about 3 weeks after surgery. Overall, the surgery really isn't so bad, especially when you're having one jaw broken and not two.... And the results have been really fantastic. Although I never felt at a loss with my open bite, having a correct bite is an amazing feeling! Chewing with all your teeth and having your top teeth fully close over your bottom ones is pretty great! And my surgeon and orthodontist worked to preserve my appearance - people really can't tell a difference at all - if anything, they just say my jaw line looks more chiseled. However, I have recently been encountering some problems you should probably be aware of. My bite started opening againbecause my muscles have a memory of the old position and have been trying to force the new position back. I was supposed to be unbraced at the end of August, but my ortho told me a couple weeks ago I have to keep them on another 3 months at least to stabilize my teeth and bite. I'm also starting physical therapy with a woman who will re- teach me how to eat, breathe, swallow, etc. with my new jaw. According to her, I am using my open bite habits with my new bite and if I continue, I might regress. Anyways, your pre-surgery condition sounds very similar to mine. If you're worried about the pain of surgery or recovery or the changes in your looks, I would say they are really not too earth- shattering. But make sure to talk to your specialists about possibilities of relapse. I always thought once I was done, I'd be done forever and never have to worry about my open bite again, but I think it's a little different with our condition because of the muscles' memories. Good luck! Meredith > > > Hello everybody! > > I am a new member contemplating surgery for an open bite and I would > like to hear from other members who have had similar surgery. My open > bite does not bother me at all regarding my looks or confidence but > my dentist has advised me to think about having surgery as I put a > lot of pressure on my back teeth and they are wearing away quicker > than usuall. He says if I want to keep these teeth longer I should > have this surgery to make my bite more even. I think I would only > have to have my upper teeth pulled down about 4-5mm. I don't think I > need any work on my lower jaw. I would be very interested in the > recovery peroid after surgery - How much pain is there? What pain > killers do I take? how much time off work is needed? How long before > I can eat properly? Will my jaw be wired shut? Is it really worth > getting done when it's not affecting my looks/confidence, etc. > Looking forward to your replies! > > regards, > > Liam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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