Why do you have to have braces?

[Guest guest]

I wanted a chin implant anf rhinoplasty, but was told that jaw surgery

would be appropriate for me rather than a chin implant. My teeth are

straight other than having an overbite, which makes my chin receeding

and the roots on my bottom teeth are large which makes this area stick

out. Why do I still need a brace as well as the surgery? I had

considered getting all of my teeth taken out and having them replaced

by dentures as I had thought this might have the same effect as the

surgery;by getting rid of the large roots on my bottom front teeth and

bringing my chin out. Any one have any ideas?

[Guest guest]

If you have healthy teeth, keep them! I don't know of anybody who

has dentures who is pleased with them.

If jaw surgery has been suggested to you, it's likely there's a

functional reason, and you should ask more questions of either your

oral surgeon or an orthodontist. There are potential health problems

with having a bite that isn't correct that they can advise you

about, and let you weigh the pros and cons for yourself. I wouldn't

recommend this surgery for cosmetic reasons alone, that's my

personal opinion. You can never guarantee the results, and it's

possible to create TMJ problems where they didn't exist before, or

worsen them if they did. Or make them better. Anything's possible,

but you need to be aware of these risks and make an educated

decision based on professional advice that is specific to your case.

Braces are a necessity, in most cases. Your teeth may be straight,

but they probably aren't positioned where they need to be post-

surgery. In my case, the ortho messed up my bite pre-op, then fine-

tuned it post-op.

I'd get a professional opinion, or two, or three.

> I wanted a chin implant anf rhinoplasty, but was told that jaw

surgery

> would be appropriate for me rather than a chin implant. My teeth

are

> straight other than having an overbite, which makes my chin

receeding

> and the roots on my bottom teeth are large which makes this area

stick

> out. Why do I still need a brace as well as the surgery? I had

> considered getting all of my teeth taken out and having them

replaced

> by dentures as I had thought this might have the same effect as

the

> surgery;by getting rid of the large roots on my bottom front teeth

and

> bringing my chin out. Any one have any ideas?

[Guest guest]

Please, please, please do not yank out all your teeth in the hope that

dentures will give you a better look.

Dentures are a poor substitute, at best, for your natural teeth. Among

other things, they can sit hard on the bony structure, wear it down and

can cause considerable pain. Which does not get better as it goes along.

One I love lost almost all his teeth, because radiation was required to

treat a malignancy. The results have been disastrous, in terms of

eating, speaking, just daily functioning.

I beg you, do what you can to save the teeth your body gave you.

The braces are no big deal, truly. You will think they are. I thought

they were, and I'd worn them before. But they are not.

The surgery is also not really a big deal, except that it requires

general anesthesia and a period of time for recovery. Undertaking it

requires careful thought.

The braces are almost always necessary for the surgery, as the dentists

have to position the teeth properly before moving the arches, and often

need some anchors to stabilize the teeth after repositioning the arches.

But what you're suggesting is a recipe for disaster.

It may be that a competent dentist (but look long and hard) can give

you what you want with veneers or jackets. Much more expensive, I

suspect, less durable and perhaps less sparing of the relationships of

the jaws.

Just I beg you, get a full understanding of what you're doing before

you do it.

C.

> I wanted a chin implant anf rhinoplasty, but was told that jaw

surgery

> would be appropriate for me rather than a chin implant. My teeth are

> straight other than having an overbite, which makes my chin receeding

> and the roots on my bottom teeth are large which makes this area

stick

> out. Why do I still need a brace as well as the surgery? I had

> considered getting all of my teeth taken out and having them replaced

> by dentures as I had thought this might have the same effect as the

> surgery;by getting rid of the large roots on my bottom front teeth

and

> bringing my chin out. Any one have any ideas?

[Guest guest]

Hi!

First of all - I'm 30 and never had braces, so they weren't any sort of an

option for me.

Second of all - and the biggest reason why they are important - they act as a

support frame for your teeth and mandible / maxilla when it is sectioned out.

They are somewhat of an external fixator, and you don't want any chance of

movement while your bones are knitting back together!

Pull all your teeth out? Are you crazy? I argued with my orthodontist over the

surgery vs. extractions... I have a clotting disorder which worries him to the

point he's convinced I will bleed out on the table, and he tried to get me to

concede to having ONE tooth pulled which could cosmetically correct my

misalignment, rather than functional correction with surgery. I have absolutely

NO intentions of losing even one tooth - you don't get another one!

Roots that are too big? Is this your personal conclusion, or a radiographic

interpretation? I've never heard of such a creature, but my ortho experience is

more of the four-footed variety.

Here's how the upper can help you - when your maxilla is adjusted, it will

affect where your mandible will rest. Think of it as a swinging gate... the way

your mandible is hinged, it can continue to swing upwards, if your maxilla

wasn't there. My maxilla is going to be impacted, which will give my mandible

several more mm of " swing " space, which will in effect give me a chin and

stretch out some of the redundant skin under my neck. It's really an

engineering concept which I find fascinating!

Kate

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Katrina M. Hissam

OSU College of Veterinary Medicine

Class of 2007

~my karma ran over my dogma

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