Re: Too old to have the surgery?

[Guest guest]

Not sure if by rural area you mean that your surgeon is also in the

same area or is in a large metropolitan city nearby. My experience

is that there are a few surgeons who do this and do it well. I live

in Northern California and had to travel to Oakland to get the

surgery done by excellent surgeons and this surgery is basically all

they do.

The Narcotics thing would scare me. I had surgery in August of last

year on upper (advancement) and lower (brought back) and was never

in any pain and per what the folks at Kaiser Oakland this is

supposed to be a relatively pain free operation.

For lower jaw surgery you should have no problems with your

nose/breathing/asthma.

I was 47 at the time of my surgery, was wired shut for 9 days, soft

foods for three weeks while increasing what I could eat in

increments working up to harder foods. I still have braces and

think they will come off in a few months as they are " fine tuning "

my teeth after the operation. I had braces two years before the

operation to get my teeth straightened and in the proper postion.

I still have numbness in a small part of my jaw which has continued

to shrink over time but don't know if it will ever go away

completely. The Dr does say however that they have patients that

the numbness went away after a year and some even later.

If you have questions how my recovery went please feel free to email

me and I will share.

>

> I'm a 48 (will be 49 at the time of surgery)year old female who

has

> been told by her dentist, ortho and now oral surgeon that I need

> braces and lower jaw surgery.

>

> I have a lot of concerns and have put off my first appt for braces

> until after my daughter's July wedding.

>

> I have a wonderful supportive family (my husband said he would

> eat/drink whatever I had to) but it is a big decision - a 40

> month " marriage " with doctors and dentists.

>

> I feel the oral surgeon thought some of my questions were

unimportant

> (he seemed bored) although my ortho is wonderful. I live in a

rural

> area so my choice of surgeons is limited. He came highly

recommended

> by my ortho and other doctors in the area.

>

> I have never liked for my picture to be taken because of my bite

and

> jaw appearance - so this will help plus both of my insurances have

> approved the surgery and part of the otho's costs.

>

> My first concern is I'm not young so how will I recover compared

to a

> younger person. The surgeon said he would keep me on strong

> narcotics for the first week or longer - huh? Does that mean

painful

> recovery? Since I work for a Doctor (Dermatologist - not much

help

> unless I have a pimple) I know they don't always give all the

> information.

>

> I work with patients so when can I return to work and how will I

look

> to my coworkers and the public?

>

> I also have Asthma and a fear of not being able to breath properly-

> the surgeon said that is not a problem with lower jaw surgery -

just

> upper jaw - true?

>

> Any help and support is greatly appreciated.

>

> Actually I'm always on the go so a few weeks at home with Tivo, my

> husband, cats and projects may be a good thing.

>

> Thanks

> Debbie

[Guest guest]

Dear Debbie

We are the same age I am 48 also. i went to the ortho

about a year ago my front lower teeth were getting cuts on

the top of them. He suggested ortho-with lower jaw i said no

at the time. But my ortho who i respect told me it would be for the

long term dental health that i do it. So here i am 48 with braces

on for 1 year so far surgery probably in october. The fear of

wearing dentures outweighed the fear of the surgery. As far

as braces go its a hoot. Here is the truth NO ONE CARES but

you if you have braces on. I suggest take you read alot before

making a decsion alot of info on here and othersites. Best of

luck to you

[Guest guest]

Dear Debbie,

I am a 54 year old woman in Boston needing upper, lower, and genio

orthognathic surgery, so you are not considered old for this procedure. I

have been in braces for three years preparing for this.

I am concerned about where you live and what medications you may be taking.

Have you ever taken steroids or Fosamax meds, because those drugs could

cause difficulty healing??? What major city are you near?

I await your response,

_____

From: debbiepeter2003 [mailto:no_reply ]

Sent: Tuesday, February 08, 2005 1:30 PM

To: orthognathicsurgerysupport

Subject: Too old to have the surgery?

I'm a 48 (will be 49 at the time of surgery)year old female who has

been told by her dentist, ortho and now oral surgeon that I need

braces and lower jaw surgery.

I have a lot of concerns and have put off my first appt for braces

until after my daughter's July wedding.

I have a wonderful supportive family (my husband said he would

eat/drink whatever I had to) but it is a big decision - a 40

month " marriage " with doctors and dentists.

I feel the oral surgeon thought some of my questions were unimportant

(he seemed bored) although my ortho is wonderful. I live in a rural

area so my choice of surgeons is limited. He came highly recommended

by my ortho and other doctors in the area.

I have never liked for my picture to be taken because of my bite and

jaw appearance - so this will help plus both of my insurances have

approved the surgery and part of the otho's costs.

My first concern is I'm not young so how will I recover compared to a

younger person. The surgeon said he would keep me on strong

narcotics for the first week or longer - huh? Does that mean painful

recovery? Since I work for a Doctor (Dermatologist - not much help

unless I have a pimple) I know they don't always give all the

information.

I work with patients so when can I return to work and how will I look

to my coworkers and the public?

I also have Asthma and a fear of not being able to breath properly-

the surgeon said that is not a problem with lower jaw surgery - just

upper jaw - true?

Any help and support is greatly appreciated.

Actually I'm always on the go so a few weeks at home with Tivo, my

husband, cats and projects may be a good thing.

Thanks

Debbie

[Guest guest]

Hi:

I had my surgery when I was 40 and I took 16 days off. My biggest

problem was the swelling and not the pain. I am almost 11 months post-op and my

recovery was remarkably

uneventful. I had lower jaw surgery with a bone graft on the top jaw. I had

the same concerns you did as an older patient. But I am glad I had it done

when I did, the technology and knowledge of the surgeons is better then 20

years ago. Almost every patient has anxiety regarding this process, so don't

feel

alone. I am finally having my braces off in two weeks. And I start the

implant process shortly after the braces come off. Good Luck.

[Guest guest]

Hi Debbie,

I'm 47 and had upper (expansion of palate) and lower (jaw brought

forward) and genioplasty (chin brought forward) about 11 weeks ago. I

had a crossbite and other functional issues that was causing my teeth

to wear down substantially. My insurance paid for the surgery, except

for the genioplasty, which was cosmetic. (I was in braces for about

10 months before that and will be in braces for another few months, I

think) You are not too old. You will do fine. From a breathing

perspective, if it had just been my lower jaw, it would have been a

cakewalk. From a pain perspective, I can't really distinguish upper

from lower, but for what it's worth, here's my experience. I was on

narcotics (aren't all narcotics strong?) for several days. I took

them sporadically for a couple of weeks. But, then, I've had my fair

share of surgery, and I know I do better if I just take the pain meds

when it hurts. The pain is not that bad. The swelling is what

bothered me, but a lot of what bothered me was the swelling

associated with the upper jaw surgery. My lower jaw is still

slightly swollen and I have some tingling and numbness remaining, but

it's not bad. I was tightly banded for 10 days and then was cleared

to eat whatever I could manage (not much for a while). Be sure you

know what your doctor has in mind for the post-surgery---banded or

wired? For how long? What will be your eating restrictions?

You will look like hell, probably, for about a week. But, who

cares? It goes away.

I agree that you should find a surgeon you really like and feel

comfortable with and who has done lots and lots and lots of whatever

surgery you are having done.

Good luck. It's not that bad.

---Kathleen

>

> I'm a 48 (will be 49 at the time of surgery)year old female who has

> been told by her dentist, ortho and now oral surgeon that I need

> braces and lower jaw surgery.

>

> I have a lot of concerns and have put off my first appt for braces

> until after my daughter's July wedding.

>

> I have a wonderful supportive family (my husband said he would

> eat/drink whatever I had to) but it is a big decision - a 40

> month " marriage " with doctors and dentists.

>

> I feel the oral surgeon thought some of my questions were

unimportant

> (he seemed bored) although my ortho is wonderful. I live in a

rural

> area so my choice of surgeons is limited. He came highly

recommended

> by my ortho and other doctors in the area.

>

> I have never liked for my picture to be taken because of my bite

and

> jaw appearance - so this will help plus both of my insurances have

> approved the surgery and part of the otho's costs.

>

> My first concern is I'm not young so how will I recover compared to

a

> younger person. The surgeon said he would keep me on strong

> narcotics for the first week or longer - huh? Does that mean

painful

> recovery? Since I work for a Doctor (Dermatologist - not much help

> unless I have a pimple) I know they don't always give all the

> information.

>

> I work with patients so when can I return to work and how will I

look

> to my coworkers and the public?

>

> I also have Asthma and a fear of not being able to breath properly-

> the surgeon said that is not a problem with lower jaw surgery -

just

> upper jaw - true?

>

> Any help and support is greatly appreciated.

>

> Actually I'm always on the go so a few weeks at home with Tivo, my

> husband, cats and projects may be a good thing.

>

> Thanks

> Debbie

[Guest guest]

Dear Debbie,

I am 44 and had upper surgery this past November. My recovery was

pretty uneventful except for a slight sinus infection which was

cleared up easily with antibiotics. I only took pain meds for the

first two days but more so to help me sleep than for pain (I was numb

from just below my eyes down through my upper lip and roof of mouth

so pain was not much of an issue for me). I went back to work after

two weeks and my coworkers did notice that I was still a bit swollen

but not horribly.

To be perfectly honest I cannot really complain of any pain related

to the surgery itself. I will confide though that my last visit to

the orthodontist resulted in a couple of days of immense

discomfort,okay downright pain, but was alleviated with ibuprofen.

I am just at the annoyance stage right now. Still a bit of numbness

in the roof of my mouth (gets better everyday though) and I just want

to be braces free which hopefully will be soon.

Good luck.

>

> I'm a 48 (will be 49 at the time of surgery)year old female who has

> been told by her dentist, ortho and now oral surgeon that I need

> braces and lower jaw surgery.

>

> I have a lot of concerns and have put off my first appt for braces

> until after my daughter's July wedding.

>

> I have a wonderful supportive family (my husband said he would

> eat/drink whatever I had to) but it is a big decision - a 40

> month " marriage " with doctors and dentists.

>

> I feel the oral surgeon thought some of my questions were

unimportant

> (he seemed bored) although my ortho is wonderful. I live in a

rural

> area so my choice of surgeons is limited. He came highly

recommended

> by my ortho and other doctors in the area.

>

> I have never liked for my picture to be taken because of my bite

and

> jaw appearance - so this will help plus both of my insurances have

> approved the surgery and part of the otho's costs.

>

> My first concern is I'm not young so how will I recover compared to

a

> younger person. The surgeon said he would keep me on strong

> narcotics for the first week or longer - huh? Does that mean

painful

> recovery? Since I work for a Doctor (Dermatologist - not much help

> unless I have a pimple) I know they don't always give all the

> information.

>

> I work with patients so when can I return to work and how will I

look

> to my coworkers and the public?

>

> I also have Asthma and a fear of not being able to breath properly-

> the surgeon said that is not a problem with lower jaw surgery -

just

> upper jaw - true?

>

> Any help and support is greatly appreciated.

>

> Actually I'm always on the go so a few weeks at home with Tivo, my

> husband, cats and projects may be a good thing.

>

> Thanks

> Debbie

[Guest guest]

This is absolutely the straight truth, as I experienced it.

All the way through, except that I never found braces " a hoot. " More

like a howl. But then I'm a wimp...

And I had the braces installed at age 55 -- I'd worn them as a child,

and it hadn't ever occurred to me that wearing them again and having

the surgery could make a real difference in my mouth. But it did. I

had the surgery 16 months later, no real problems. I was weak for a

long time, and did take a month off work.

Cammie

>

>

> Dear Debbie

>

> We are the same age I am 48 also. i went to the ortho

> about a year ago my front lower teeth were getting cuts on

> the top of them. He suggested ortho-with lower jaw i said no

> at the time. But my ortho who i respect told me it would be for

the

> long term dental health that i do it. So here i am 48 with braces

> on for 1 year so far surgery probably in october. The fear of

> wearing dentures outweighed the fear of the surgery. As far

> as braces go its a hoot. Here is the truth NO ONE CARES but

> you if you have braces on. I suggest take you read alot before

> making a decsion alot of info on here and othersites. Best of

> luck to you