Re: Should I Tell My Family

[Guest guest]

Suzan,

I concur with Tova. You don't have to put your life on hold while you

are wearing braces. Most people don't even pay that much attention to

them. I also think they make you look younger, and guys really don't

mind them that much if you're not self-concious about them (and you

really shouldn't be). One of my friends was travelling in Asia when

she had her braces on, and one of the people there thought it was some

kind of teeth jewellery . That's how you should look at it!

As far as family is concerned: my parents didn't feel it was

something I needed. However, I do have some unpleasant symptoms

because of my bad bite, and they got a chance to witness it one time

when they were visiting. They were quickly convinced that I should

get it taken care of. They still make comments here and there, but

I've long learned to ignore them . It is your life, and if you feel

that you need this surgery, you should go for it no matter what your

family says. I would probably tell them earlier rather than later,

because if you do it later, they might feel like you don't care about

their opinion and didn't want to consult with them (which might very

well be the case, but you should make them feel like it's not ).

Good luck. My surgery is this coming Thursday (I've been in braces 11

months now), and I will update everybody on how it went - I hope it

will be a success.

Irene.

>

> Hi

>

> I have what the dentists and doctors like to call an over projecting

> jaw. I recently decided to find out about correcting it and went to

> see a surgeon privately. I was a bit shocked to discover that my

> bite on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being the best and 5 the worst, is a

> 5.

>

> I wasn't aware that to put things right I would need orthodontics, I

> naively thought I could just have an operation and everything would

> be alright. Apparently I'll need about 12-18 months in braces and

> then surgery on both my upper and lower jaws as well as removing my

> wisdom teeth. I'm now waiting to see the same surgeon on the NHS as

> I can't afford the £11000 that private treatment will cost. This

> means that it may be 2008 before I'm finished which is very

> disheartening. I want to go ahead with the surgery as I'm fed up of

> being called names but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't more than a

> little scared. Also I haven't discussed it with my mum and brother

> and don't know how they will react. When it comes down to it I am

> the one who's unhappy but I feel that my mum in particular will be

> upset with my decision. Not sure that it would be fair not to tell

> though? How have other people's family and friends reacted?

>

> Also and I think this is a pretty common fear, I'm 32 now and single,

> and I feel I'm lining myself up for at least two more years on my

> own, which is pretty soul destroying. I wish I'd had the courage or

> been pushed by my dentist into tackling this earlier.

>

> Any advice or moral support appreciated.

>

> Suzan

[Guest guest]

I definetly think you should tell your family. Even if they don't

agree with what you're having done, you're risking even more hard

feelings for keeping them out of the loop.

I got braces about 22 months ago in preparation for lower jaw

surgery (I have problems with tmj and the shock absorber that sits

between my top and bottom jaws moves about and I get some pain and

clicking, etc, not too mention a practically non-existant chin) and

my parents may have thought I was loopy for getting braces at 22

(well, I was about 2 weeks from 22) and to top it all off, my

coverage at the time didn't cover anything. (I'm in Canada so I

don't think it's as bad as the states, I paid $5400 for everything,

braces, surgery, retainer afterwards in monthly installments).

I know my mom said the other day she wouldn't have the surgery but

hey, she's 48 years old with a chin.

That being said, it's your decision, do what you think is best.

[Guest guest]

Hi . I had surgery on the NHS last summer. I had my orthodontic

treatment done privately though. I found that this sped up the

surgery. Apparently, had I had everything done on the NHS I would

have been in braces for up to 2 years. However, I only had to wear

braces for about 8 months in total, (4 months pre surgery and 4

months after). Obviously each person's treatment is different but it

may be something to consider. If you are worried about your

appearance with braces you can have white braces which are not that

noticable. Its not as costly as you might imagine.

Perhaps your dentist could refer you to a good orthodontist & you

could take your Mum along. Then she can listen to what he/she has to

say. Maybe then she will understand your position a little more.

Also, they would be able to give you more advice on time scale re

braces.

You really do need the support of your family & friends after

surgery. Its not a nice procedure to go through but I can honestly

say its the best thing I have ever done. Good luck.

>

> Hi

>

> I have what the dentists and doctors like to call an over

projecting

> jaw. I recently decided to find out about correcting it and went

to

> see a surgeon privately. I was a bit shocked to discover that my

> bite on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being the best and 5 the worst,

is a

> 5.

>

> I wasn't aware that to put things right I would need orthodontics,

I

> naively thought I could just have an operation and everything

would

> be alright. Apparently I'll need about 12-18 months in braces and

> then surgery on both my upper and lower jaws as well as removing

my

> wisdom teeth. I'm now waiting to see the same surgeon on the NHS

as

> I can't afford the £11000 that private treatment will cost. This

> means that it may be 2008 before I'm finished which is very

> disheartening. I want to go ahead with the surgery as I'm fed up

of

> being called names but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't more than a

> little scared. Also I haven't discussed it with my mum and

brother

> and don't know how they will react. When it comes down to it I am

> the one who's unhappy but I feel that my mum in particular will be

> upset with my decision. Not sure that it would be fair not to

tell

> though? How have other people's family and friends reacted?

>

> Also and I think this is a pretty common fear, I'm 32 now and

single,

> and I feel I'm lining myself up for at least two more years on my

> own, which is pretty soul destroying. I wish I'd had the courage

or

> been pushed by my dentist into tackling this earlier.

>

> Any advice or moral support appreciated.

>

> Suzan