Re: Just got the braces...

[Guest guest]

Kara,

I got my braces almost 2 months ago now and prior to that I had been

reading this board alot. These issues have been much discussed here

and if you search the archive with some key words you'll find tons

of opinions.

My understanding is that despite all the suffering and some side

effects most people are very happy with the results. And recovery

time depends on how far you mean in recovery. People return to work

generally after 4-5 weeks (I intend to be off longer because like

you I am a teacher and would not like to strain myself and hinder my

own recovery. Braces alone make teaching hard.)

Welcome on the board and please try archives - they help more at

times than what your doctors can tell you - during appointments I

simply forget my questions.

If you have a specific questions, or any others, please ask,

someone may be able to offer specific advice or at least our

sympathies. I have issues sometimes I like to ask about here but for

general questions and info I just read a lot of messages.

Good luck for the first days of braces!

Karola

ps: What is your problem, what will you get done?

>

> Hi everyone. I just got my braces on in preparation for surgery

> (upper, lower, and chin) which is supposed to happen in about a

year.

> I am really excited, but have a lot of reservations at the same

time.

> Are most people happy with their results? Do you have any

advice?

> And finally, how long was your recovery time? I hoping not to

have to

> take too much time off from work (and I'm scheduled to be teaching

> several classes at the time). Any help would be greatly

appreciated!

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the response! I went back to the orthodontist hoping he

could straighten out my teeth a little since the first time I had

braces. However, he said the problem couldn't be fixed with braces.

My lower jaw is too small (I can't remember the name...retromyal...I

have it written down in the kitchen, I'm just too lazy to go look

right now :-) and when I had braces the first time, they brought my

top teeth back to meet my bottom teeth. Although my teeth look okay,

there is no support for my nose because they brought my teeth back so

far, and I don't have a chin. So I met with the surgeon and I will

have the lower jaw surgery to extend my jaw, and he also thinks that

my top jaw has grown too long so he is going to fix that as well. I

think I'm also going to have the angioplasty done so that I have a

chin and won't look so 'square' after the surgery. But before I can

have the surgery, they have to bring my top teeth back out to where

they were before I got my braces the first time. It's really

upsetting because I had my braces on just 9 years ago and this

process was available, but never presented to me as an option. I

would have MUCH rather had it done when I was in middle school/early

high school than having it now as I'm just starting to teach. But,

these things happen.