Re: Do you look different when braces come off?

[Guest guest]

Hmmmm - you will definitely think so, but I find most people don't

notice unless you tell them.

>

> Did anyone find they looked different when their braces came off?

[Guest guest]

>>>>Zulu, Why are you required to be in braces for so long after

>>>>having your surgery? Was your bite still way off after surgery?

My bite was very good after the surgery, but i convinced my ortho to

widen both my upper and lower palette more. According to his

calculations my palette needed to be 3mm wider (for perfect facial

proportions), but i wasn't told that till AFTER the surgery. He,

along with the surgeon, didn't even mention it because they felt it

wasn't worth the effort. Regardless, i asked the ortho to widen it

as much as he could. Funnily, i'll be in braces longer AFTER the

surgery than i was before the surgery... i must admit that

i told the ortho i wanted to get the surgery ASAP; consequently, the

ortho got me into surgery as quick as he could...

>>>>I notice that when I place my teeth together ( not bite hard,

>>>>still cant do that) that my back teeth on one side close down on

>>>>the inside of my cheek. Did you have this problem at all?

Yes - i had a bit of that. The very next day after the surgery my

surgeon told me that he saw that one side of my back bottom teeth

did not correctly meet the top side. He said he saw that during the

operation and tried to fix it ( actually, not sure how he could

even do it)... anyway, the surgeon said my ortho could fix it

easily... a couple of wire changes fixed that... have patience...

i'm sure your ortho will fix it quite easily....

>>>>Also, on the mouth widening subject again... did you lose range

>>>>on being able to open since having your surgery? Do your lower

>>>>teeth look the same as they did upon opening. When I open my

>>>>mouth now, It looks like my bottom teeth move down and back as

>>>>opposed just moving down. This makes it look like my mouth is

>>>>not opening as wide. It feels like I am at full range now and

>>>>still not very wide.

According to my surgeon, each patient has varying time to recover

full mouth opening range. I had 42mm opening in about 2 months,

whereas previously i had 45mm opening (i think). I've not measured

the opening, but i suspect that i'm back to full range by now....

Have patience ... i'm sure it will come back fully before the

summer...

My only recommendation is to make sure you ask the right questions

when you visit your ortho. Write them down in your blackberry or on

paper and ask your ortho all the qeustions during the next visit.

Maybe call in advance and let them know you have questions you want

addressed...

Good luck and stay positive.

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the response, one more question for you. What is the purpose of

widening the palet?

zulu1967 wrote:

>>>>Zulu, Why are you required to be in braces for so long after

>>>>having your surgery? Was your bite still way off after surgery?

My bite was very good after the surgery, but i convinced my ortho to

widen both my upper and lower palette more. According to his

calculations my palette needed to be 3mm wider (for perfect facial

proportions), but i wasn't told that till AFTER the surgery. He,

along with the surgeon, didn't even mention it because they felt it

wasn't worth the effort. Regardless, i asked the ortho to widen it

as much as he could. Funnily, i'll be in braces longer AFTER the

surgery than i was before the surgery... i must admit that

i told the ortho i wanted to get the surgery ASAP; consequently, the

ortho got me into surgery as quick as he could...

>>>>I notice that when I place my teeth together ( not bite hard,

>>>>still cant do that) that my back teeth on one side close down on

>>>>the inside of my cheek. Did you have this problem at all?

Yes - i had a bit of that. The very next day after the surgery my

surgeon told me that he saw that one side of my back bottom teeth

did not correctly meet the top side. He said he saw that during the

operation and tried to fix it ( actually, not sure how he could

even do it)... anyway, the surgeon said my ortho could fix it

easily... a couple of wire changes fixed that... have patience...

i'm sure your ortho will fix it quite easily....

>>>>Also, on the mouth widening subject again... did you lose range

>>>>on being able to open since having your surgery? Do your lower

>>>>teeth look the same as they did upon opening. When I open my

>>>>mouth now, It looks like my bottom teeth move down and back as

>>>>opposed just moving down. This makes it look like my mouth is

>>>>not opening as wide. It feels like I am at full range now and

>>>>still not very wide.

According to my surgeon, each patient has varying time to recover

full mouth opening range. I had 42mm opening in about 2 months,

whereas previously i had 45mm opening (i think). I've not measured

the opening, but i suspect that i'm back to full range by now....

Have patience ... i'm sure it will come back fully before the

summer...

My only recommendation is to make sure you ask the right questions

when you visit your ortho. Write them down in your blackberry or on

paper and ask your ortho all the qeustions during the next visit.

Maybe call in advance and let them know you have questions you want

addressed...

Good luck and stay positive.

[Guest guest]

How was your palate being expanded Zulu? I m 8 months post op and

still in braces and will be for a while. believe it or not, i am

still on and off on elastics as my teeth touch in places and in

other not. my surgeon did a mild expansion i wish he could have done

more, but teeth would not have matched up. I will be in braces for

many more months as they are shifting all my teeth to the left.

>

> I've gotten some sort of attachment to the braces... i want the

> braces off, but i've told my ortho i want teeth perfect before the

> braces come off... my ortho tells me that they should be off in

> about 6-8 more months...

>

> i'm not complaining... i respect the process