Re: Making the decision to go ahead

March 7, 2005

Hi,

It is definitely a hard decision to make, but for some of us harder

than others. I had an underbite, which esthetically, didn't bother me

much. I knew I had a big chin and some assymetry, but didn't give it

much thought. What made me think seriously about the surgery was that

I had a nasty TMJ symptom which could only improve with surgery.

Plus, my teeth were exhibiting a lot of wear from my bad bite, and I

was afraid that I could lose them by the age of 50 (just like my

father). I was afraid that things would get worse when I'm older, and

I would still need to get the surgery, but by that time I would be

older, perhaps less healthy, and with increased family obligations as

opposed to now. That's why, once I decided I want the surgery, I

went ahead with the treatment ASAP. I got my braces on at the end of

March last year, and here, not even a year later I'm already 11 days

postop. Think seriously about this - this surgery is not without its

risks, insurance coverage is not a given, recovery's a bitch, and, as

you've probably seen from other people's posts, not everyone is happy

with the outcome.

Good luck deciding!

Irene.

>

> Thanks to all of you for posting and sharing your stories. Its great

> to be able take all this in while trying to make my decision. I have

> an overbite that I was just informed would need jaw surgery to

> correct and braces. I am curious about some of you, what made you

> make the decision to go ahead with this? Right now its terribly

> overwhelming and scary, and I'm thinking now its not all that bad to

> have the gap between my two front teeth. I have no pain, I can close

> my lips, and most people don't even know I have a gap. I was told

> that in order for the gap to be fixed the jaw and teeth would need

> to align properly which makes perfect sense, but the surgery all

> alone is really stressing me out. I'd very much appreciate hearing

> some stories if you'd care to share.

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