Re: ortho as a kid then ortho again and surgery as adult?

[Guest guest]

I had full braces in 4th grade for a year. Then they took them off

for a whole year. Then I got them on for 3 more years (6th, 7th,

8th grade) and now I am back in full braces at age 18 for my surgery

this summer. WHen I got my braces removed the second time my

ortho said there was nothing else possible to fix my bite..never

recommended surgery..urggg...but i guess things happen for a reason

right??

>

> I'm just curious how many of you that post to this board went

> through full orthodontic treatment as a young teenager perhaps

> for a number of years, only to turn around and do it all over

again

> with the added excitement of surgery as an adult.

> I started braces at age 12, endured such things as a mouth

> chock full of rubber bands, headgear, spurs and constant

> reminders of what a stupid person I was because I had tongue

> thrust. (Honest.... I was made to feel stupid about it) Then I

wore

> one type or another of removable appliance until I was roughly

> twenty years old all that time still having spurs on the back side

> of my teeth. Then somewhere along in that time period, my OD

> got the brilliant idea to " adjust " my open bite by grinding down

my

> molars a little. Well, ever since that I haven't been able to

truly

> enjoy things like steak or any foods that require any significant

> mastication. But of course I looked awful due to my recessive

> chin and lower jaw, so I worked up the courage to go through it

> all again with high hopes of looking good at the end. So along

> comes the pallate expander, the SARPE surgery, braces again,

> the jaw surgery and the genioplasty, and although I managed a

> good bite out of the deal, I was deliberately left with lip

> incompetence and still having a very recessive chin. Of course I

> was told I " looked wonderful " . So I tolerated that result for ten

> years until I finally got fed up with my sorry profile and found a

> doctor who would perform the biggest genioplasty possible and

> thank goodness he understood what a good profile actually is.

> So the story pretty much has a happy ending but it took 28 years

> to get there. Anyone have a similar tale to tell.

[Guest guest]

I had the second round of ortho preliminary to surgery. Both my

ortho and my surgeon were at pains, though, to explain to me that

nobody understood, back in those Dark Ages (the 1950s) the

importance of matching teeth up, and that they would have proceeded

the same way, in that era, as my ortho did.

But I'll bet they would have spoken to me, and explained more about

what was going on than did the fellow who treated me in childhood. I

loathed him, loathed the braces, found the whole thing a miserable

experience, and I didn't have to go through half of what you did,

.

I don't think the first man ever even said " hello " to me. Just " in

the chair, wipe off any make up, take a look, and come back with

another gadget.

That was truly cruel, though, to suggest that you were " stupid "

because you had a tongue thrust. Maybe that wasn't as well

understood, either, but I think it's now recognized as a really

tough habit to break.

Glad things are better -- at least I hope they are -- for today's

kids.

C.

>

> I'm just curious how many of you that post to this board went

> through full orthodontic treatment as a young teenager perhaps

> for a number of years, only to turn around and do it all over

again

> with the added excitement of surgery as an adult.

> I started braces at age 12, endured such things as a mouth

> chock full of rubber bands, headgear, spurs and constant

> reminders of what a stupid person I was because I had tongue

> thrust. (Honest.... I was made to feel stupid about it) Then I

wore

> one type or another of removable appliance until I was roughly

> twenty years old all that time still having spurs on the back side

> of my teeth. Then somewhere along in that time period, my OD

> got the brilliant idea to " adjust " my open bite by grinding down

my

> molars a little. Well, ever since that I haven't been able to

truly

> enjoy things like steak or any foods that require any significant

> mastication. But of course I looked awful due to my recessive

> chin and lower jaw, so I worked up the courage to go through it

> all again with high hopes of looking good at the end. So along

> comes the pallate expander, the SARPE surgery, braces again,

> the jaw surgery and the genioplasty, and although I managed a

> good bite out of the deal, I was deliberately left with lip

> incompetence and still having a very recessive chin. Of course I

> was told I " looked wonderful " . So I tolerated that result for ten

> years until I finally got fed up with my sorry profile and found a

> doctor who would perform the biggest genioplasty possible and

> thank goodness he understood what a good profile actually is.

> So the story pretty much has a happy ending but it took 28 years

> to get there. Anyone have a similar tale to tell.

[Guest guest]

I haven't beent through near as much an ordeal as you have, but I am

in braces now for the second time, preparing for surgery.

I initially got braces at age 11 and wore them until I was 13

(1990). I actually don't remember why I got them to begin with

(except that I thought it was very cool to have braces, hehe) but I

suppose it was because my front teeth were pretty " bucked. " I can't

remember if my bottom ones were bad or not.

The day my OD took of my braces, he commented that it looked like

one side of my jaw was still growing. I think he might have even

made a comment that it may affect how straight my teeth stay, but

that was the extent of the conversation. My mom even asked a few

questions, but he never once mentioned surgery or anything. So as I

got older, my teeth moved and my jaw grew lopsided, and by the time

I was a junior or senior in high school I was aware of my crooked

face and became more and more self-conscious of it.

I read a story in my freshman year of college about a guy who was

having " cosmetic jaw surgery " and died because he'd had a heart

murmur, which I also have, and it freaked me out. I was interested

in the surgery, but the fact that he died pretty much turned me off

to the idea. It wasn't until about 2 years ago that I began really

looking into the surgery. I wish now that I had started all of this

back then, but the only thing that makes me feel better about

putting it off is that I've switched jobs (and therefore insurance

companies) twice since then.

I know the surgery will be worthwile, but I'm a little unsure about

how well my asymmetry will be fixed. I also have a crossbite on one

side, lower jaw protrusion and underbite, and apparently my upper

jaw is a bit too thin, so all those things will be fixed with

surgery, but I hope the cosmetic part comes out well, also. But

until then, I'm enduring round two of braces...and happily. I just

wish I had done all of this years ago.

[Guest guest]

Yupper me too sort of...

it's a long road from when I was 8 until I graduated HS I had

braces...I was an extremely overcrowded mouth,had permanent teeth

removed plus a ton of baby teeth to get the out and move along faster

(which actually-what about that timeline is fast? nothing)

I was left with rounded straight teeth...all nice nice, but with an

overbite I never had when I started?!

That really ticked me off.

wore the retainer, but they moved and moved, got hte braces back on

and off again and wore the retainer, but they moved and moved AGAIN.

so I gave up as a frustrated college student who was fine with how

she looked.

However as we all know things keep changing...and then I had an

accident and broke my lower jaw in 2 places...WIRED SHUT 8 wks-ALONE

in the world -sorta (how I wish there was a source like this then,

but heck there wasn't even an internet! so I bared through it with

an EVIL surgen who screamed at me the One day I called in pain out of

the whole 7 wks... " well what do you want me to do about it?!!!, I

didn;t break your jaw!!!!! "

Really freakin'nice right? JERK!

But true...I stopped sobbing immed...like a little kid getting yelled

at, I was shocked and scared that the only person who could/should

help me- would not. (and I only had him paged after 3 messages and

over 5 hrs had gone by with nothing mind you) Unfortunately, being a

college student, lots people just assumed I was drinking or fighting

or something stupid that caused myself harm...truth is nothing like

that happened...but still it was so hard to be considered that way

and looked at constantly like what the hell happened to her?? People

didn't " just have jaw surgery " back then...oh and I went back to

school after the first week...I mean not even 7 days...I wasn't

sitting around feeling sorry for myself, and I was not about to not

grad on time bec of it either...

once that was healed and opened, they started moving AGAIN...but this

time all over...it was going back to how they were when I was a small

child...I was told it could have happened from scare tissue, but

since this surg now, I learned that he set me wrong, so how knows why

they reverted, but they did.

so things were bad, getting worse, as my gums started to decline...a

few dds before and after this asked me about surg-bec I was asking

about permanent retainers or braces again...I was like ARE YOU CRAZY?

then post op first surgery, I was like Been there done that and NOPE.

fast forward, went for an apico to this OS, as a referral about 8 yrs

ago...he did a wondeful job...and several yrs later he gently asked,

may I ask you a personal question...I said sure...how do you feel

about your smile? so we talked...he told me about this option and I

was like well, I don't really think so I am not planning on going

into modeling -I'm ok. and he didn't ask again...I went bk yrs later

for something and I asked him if ins ever covers that...I was

thinking, heck if I can just stop the daily pain, AND afford

it...bring it on. My reasons were 98% driven by pain and health...the

nice smile possibility was and still is wonderful gravy.

in feb 2003-I got the braces on...and in aug of 04 I had upper (9mm

up, over some and back about 2mm) and genio -we were able to avoid

lower which shortened my recovery. It went WONDERFULLY...the Os I

work with is amazing as a dr, surgen and person...I am more than

happy with the results...now I am working on getting a permanent

retainer for my weak lower fronts and then impressions and one mth

later, OFF go the braces!! woo-hoo!

I have learned that reg OR was not the best answer for my case even

yrs ago, but that this wasn't done much if at all for these reasons

then. Hopefully our children will not have this same experience, like

Joey and his mom-get braces and surg when you're younger and

hopefully ONLY once!

Congrats on your hard work and determination...WE ROCK!!!! JO

>

> I'm just curious how many of you that post to this board went

> through full orthodontic treatment as a young teenager perhaps

> for a number of years, only to turn around and do it all over again

> with the added excitement of surgery as an adult.

> I started braces at age 12, endured such things as a mouth

> chock full of rubber bands, headgear, spurs and constant

> reminders of what a stupid person I was because I had tongue

> thrust. (Honest.... I was made to feel stupid about it) Then I

wore

> one type or another of removable appliance until I was roughly

> twenty years old all that time still having spurs on the back side

> of my teeth. Then somewhere along in that time period, my OD

> got the brilliant idea to " adjust " my open bite by grinding down my

> molars a little. Well, ever since that I haven't been able to

truly

> enjoy things like steak or any foods that require any significant

> mastication. But of course I looked awful due to my recessive

> chin and lower jaw, so I worked up the courage to go through it

> all again with high hopes of looking good at the end. So along

> comes the pallate expander, the SARPE surgery, braces again,

> the jaw surgery and the genioplasty, and although I managed a

> good bite out of the deal, I was deliberately left with lip

> incompetence and still having a very recessive chin. Of course I

> was told I " looked wonderful " . So I tolerated that result for ten

> years until I finally got fed up with my sorry profile and found a

> doctor who would perform the biggest genioplasty possible and

> thank goodness he understood what a good profile actually is.

> So the story pretty much has a happy ending but it took 28 years

> to get there. Anyone have a similar tale to tell.