Re: new to group - heading towards a decision

[Guest guest]

Hey Philip -

Glad you joined our little group! I have found it very supportive

since I've been here - and I wish I had found it sooner ) I can

only answer a couple of your questions - but I'm sure someone else

will jump in with the rest...

> How much pain is there after surgery? How long do you have to take

> pain meds?

I didn't have much pain at all. The first night I was on IV drip with

a really low dose of morphine with the option of " hitting the button "

when I felt I needed it. I never actually needed it - but it it a

couple times anyway My surgery was at 11am - and by 7am the next

morning I was on a tylenol only pain management plan. I've been fine

with just that and ice. Some people have been taking tylenol with

codeine or other meds - so as with everything it's a case by case basis.

>

> What is anaesthesia like? Are you conscious when they stick tubes

> down your throat or (yikes) give you a catheter (please let the

> answer to that last part be no).

>

Nah - sometimes they give you a pill to reduce anxiety. This last

time, the anesthesiologist gave me an IV and said it would be like

taking a good drink. " what's your favorite drink? " " a lemondrop. "

" ah " the last thing I remember. While out they gave me the breathing

tube, another IV, the blood/oxygen line, and a catheder. No biggie.

> It sounds like people in the long run are glad they did it. Are

> there people who say God I wish I never did? Why?

>

I'm a week post op - and I'm glad I did it. I think if you research

the process enough beforehand - you know what to expect. I trusted by

surgeon and ortho completely and knew what the process was going to be

like. There can be complications - but I think the benefits outweigh

the risks.

> I'm feeling like at some point you just have to stop thinking about

> it/researching it and just do it. Does that make sense to anyone?

>

Yeah - at some point you gotta " jump and stick. " Just know that this

is a long process - and for me I was obsessing up until the final day

if I had made the right decision. Unlike many other procedures - you

have a long time to think about it coming...and that can drive you

nuts. I tell you - post op I feel so much more relived and less

anxious than I did before.

If you have any other questions - feel free to put them up. Also

browse around the back posts...it's a pain but extremely useful )

-becky

[Guest guest]

Hello, and welcome.

First -- don't worry about your age, unless it brings with it some

unmentioned medical problems. I had lower advancement at age 56,

near 57, and had one of the easiest, most comfortable and

satisfactory recoveries posted yet. (Nope. I'm not gloating, but my

surgeon is able, kind, and had as good a morning as did i.)

You have class 3, which I think is tougher to deal with than my

minimal overbite (5 mm. lower advancement.) It is not unusual for

ideas to change while you're undergoing the preliminaries about what

surgery is needed. I was originally told lower only; my ortho

started hinting about upper as well, as the time neared; my surgeon

said " No Way! You would not get enough benefit to be worth the risks

of upper. " I chose to trust my guys, and they didn't let me down.

It will be much easier for you if you need not be wired -- but be

aware that such an idea can also change in the OR if your bones are

thin, for example, or if something breaks badly. But usually, your

doc will know what's ahead for you.

At 43, you're a spring chicken. If you have reason to want or need

the surgery (whether for appearance's sake or for malfunctions)

don't let age deter you. You do need a full understanding of the

risks, which include lasting numbness, relapse, re-doing the surgery

and, in a few cases, significant pain. Most of us do NOT have any of

these, nor significant pain; whatever there is vanishes pretty

quickly. If you have special concerns about singing or musical

instruments, ask lots of questions.

There are also risks any time you undergo general anesthesia, but

usually the risks of driving to the hospital are greater.

I was off the meds within a week. I was not conscious when I was

intubated, nor when I was catheterised. The catheter was never

painful to me, and was indeed welcome, as it spared me trips to the

bathroom. (Not everyone is catheterized, though.) It was inserted

after I was knocked out. It was removed while I was conscious, and I

had no pain, but I do think that sometimes guys have more trouble

with urinary catheters than women do.

I did have the mother of all sore throats after the intubation, but

it lasted less than a week.

Yes, there are some people who are bitterly resentful that they ever

agreed to do the surgery. Usually it's seemed to be because they

have long-term numbness. One fellow who played the trumpet par

excellence lost his embouchure as a result of the numbness, but

amazingly has not been embittered. If you have special concerns

about such, talk at length with your docs.

Most people do not have these troubles. I never had any numbness,

and have no regrets at all.

Anesthesia (and the anti-swelling steroids) can leave you with some

depression. It is usually a passing thing, and docs can help, if you

need.

It is not at all unusual for family and friends not to understand

why anyone would undertake this process. They do not usually

understand the difficulties of a misplaced bite, nor the damage it

can do. A frequent statement is, " But you look just fine! Why would

you do this to yourself? " Some parents also, I think, have a sense

of guilt about having contributed genetically to their offspring's

difficulties and seek to minimize the difficulties a bad bite can

cause.

But ultimately, it's up to you to figure out the risk/benefit ratio,

and decide what's worth doing. You will turn your breathing over to

an anesthesiologist, which is always scary. At the same time,

statistics show that the scariest thing is really the drive to the

hospital, where you are more likely to be totalled out than you are

in the OR, where you have a team of experts monitoring your every

breath and movement.

Best,

Cammie

[Guest guest]

Hi Philip,

I can't answer your post op questions because I am still pre op.

But like you, I am doing this midlife. I am 51. I have an

extremely deep bite, and jaws that overclose. Cosmetically, you

can't really tell - yet. But the way my teeth are breaking off -

the front ones even - it won't be long. Severe jaw problems have a

tendency to not be severe problems when you are younger, but they

become progressively cumbersome to you as you age. This was a huge

factor in making my decision. That and the cost issue. I just

received insurance approval for the surgery yesterday! YEAH!

Anyway, I can answer some of the general concerns you raised, not

with a definate answer for you, but with some of the considerations

I had about it. Here goes.

Am I too old to be thinking about this at 43? Well, I am 51 and

have definately decided to do this. I want to stop the progression

of the damage to my teeth. And I have a health risk involved with

not doing the surgery. My mouth so overcloses at this point, that

my mouth so collapses when I clench my teeth or swallow, that I

choke really often. But even if these weren't happening, I would go

with the surgery. It will impact how I breathe (I am having upper

and lower, and a septoplasty and full mouth rehab) and yes, how I

look will be positively impacted too. I look fine now, but I will

look better when this is all done. I think it is worth considering.

What is anaesthesia like? Are you conscious when they stick tubes

> down your throat or (yikes) give you a catheter I haven't had

this surgery, but unfortunately, have had lots of other surgeries.

Anesthesia is something you want to discuss with your

anesthesiologist really well, to take necessary precautions. Let

them know if you have ever had reactions to meds and what kind of

reactions you have had. And also if anyone else in your family has

had adverse reactions to anesthesia. It unfortunately does tend to

run in families. Other than necessary precautions, I have never had

problems with anesthesia itself. In fact, I no longer fear it at

all. I am concerned each time, but I do not fear it. I am more

anxious about dealing with recovery issues, and setting up my post

op surroundings as well as I can to minimize my discomfort post op.

I don't know if that gives you a good answer to your question, but I

do hope it helps some. The catheterization is probably something

you won't even remember or be aware of. It is usually done when you

are under anesthesia, and removed at the end of your surgery or in

the day or so post op. And removing a catheter is not painful or

difficult. Nothing to fear there.

When I talk about it to friends and family, I get a really broad

> range of reactions, both positive and negative. I have definately

had that too. Mostly negative. Primarily because my defects are

not really noticable cosmetically. Isn't it funny that if I had

obvious cosmetic problems associated with my jaw problems, people

would chastise me for doing this for vanity reasons, but since I do

NOT have cosmetic problems, I get a lot of, " Why would you want to

do this? Your teeth look fine??? " Go figure!! lol I have pretty

much just focused with them about what it will do for me

functionally rather than the physical changes it will still make. I

don't see it any differently than my right knee ACL a few years

ago. It really doesn't matter what people think about having

surgery, it is wether you feel you need it or not. I guess that is

one of the advantages of being older. I am not as much in need of

their approval. But I still look for support. That is why this

site is so valuable to me. The support is great here.

I can't tell you what to decide. But I do wish you luck in making

your decision. I hope some of what I shared here will help you

toward that end. Good luck Philip!

Fran

> Hi. My name's Philip and I joined the group a little while ago and

> have been reading your comments with great admiration of your

> courage, commitment and kindness to each other. When I first

> considered braces as a teenager, my dentist said they'd " have to

> break my jaw " and I guess the fear of that stayed with me for 30

> years or so. Anyway, now I'm 43 and I'm heading down the road

toward

> going for it. I have a class 3 malocclusion, the OD says that I'd

be

> in braces for about a year, then have surgery, then braces for

> another 6 months to a year. I had a first consultation with the OS

> who said she could either move the upper forward or the lower

> backwards. But she wouldn't decide on that until we did the full

> orthognathic workup (scheduled for July). Sounds like after

surgery

> there's one or 2 days in hospital, blenderized diet for 6 weeks,

no

> strenuous physical activity for 3 months. She said I wouldn't be

> wired afterwards but there would be some sort of screw/plate. I

have

> an appt. on 8/15 to go over the workup, then I'll have to make my

> final decision and start braces soon after. (I'm actually getting

a

> graft on my gum by one tooth in July that I need for braces

assuming

> that I'm going to go forward and not delay too long..so I don't

> change my mind.)I've got all sorts of questions and thoughts

running

> trough my head. If anything mentioned above or a few questions

below

> trigger comments from anyone, I'd appreciate your feedback

>

> Am I too old to be thinking about this at 43? My reasoning is that

> I'll (hopefully) be around for another 43 at least and I'd like to

> keep my teeth for that time and have them straight with a normal

> bite. (There's a vanity factor in there that my Irish Catholic

guilt

> has a hard time with.)

>

> How much pain is there after surgery? How long do you have to take

> pain meds?

>

> What is anaesthesia like? Are you conscious when they stick tubes

> down your throat or (yikes) give you a catheter (please let the

> answer to that last part be no).

>

> The OS said that if they did lower jaw, there's a 40% chance at my

> age that there would be some permanent numbness. What would that

be

> like? The risk is lower with the upper jaw she said.

>

> It sounds like people in the long run are glad they did it. Are

> there people who say God I wish I never did? Why?

>

> I'm feeling like at some point you just have to stop thinking

about

> it/researching it and just do it. Does that make sense to anyone?

>

> When I talk about it to friends and family, I get a really broad

> range of reactions, both positive and negative, so I find myself

not

> asking anyone their opinion for fear that I can keep the focus on

my

> decision. Has anyone else had that experience.

>

> Thanks for reading.

[Guest guest]

Hi Philip,

First off welcome to the group! Thank you so much for your kind

comments regarding the members of this group. We are all here to

offer each other encouragement to reach each milestone of our journey

to have functional jaws. Not many outside of this site understand the

ups and downs that we have to go through in this often long journey.

Being that I am 39 and holding, no you are not to old!! I will be

the big 40 this upcoming August and will be having a Lefort 3-piece

to correct an open bite on June 28th. There have been many on this

site who have been up in their 50's and 60's who have had this

surgery and have had very favorable outcomes! Right Cammie! My

decision to start orthodontic treatment started after I had 10 root

canals and 3 apico's. My dentist felt that the reason for all the

root canals was because I had no bite margin and none of my teeth

touched except the back teeth, or better known as an open bite. So I

started ortho treatment back in March of 2003. I was informed that

there was a possibility of surgery, but it was never confirmed in the

beginning of my treatment. Once it was confirmed I would need the

surgery I surely had fear like you are having. I outweighed all the

pros and cons and decided that I surely couldn't undergo any more

root canals and also didn't want to lose my teeth at such a young

age. So I decided on the surgery! Am I scared? Sure I am, but I

feel confident with the support of this group that I have a very high

chance for a favorable outcome.

Yes, we have all gotten the positive and negative responses from

friends, family, etc. I just made the decision that I am doing this

for myself and not them and stuck with my decision.

Anyway, I think Fran did such a great job at answering most of your

other questions.

I really wish you the very best in trying to outweigh the pros and

cons on having this surgery. I spoke to many doctors and of course

read many posts from this site to make my final decision.

Best of Luck to you,

> > Hi. My name's Philip and I joined the group a little while ago

and

> > have been reading your comments with great admiration of your

> > courage, commitment and kindness to each other. When I first

> > considered braces as a teenager, my dentist said they'd " have to

> > break my jaw " and I guess the fear of that stayed with me for 30

> > years or so. Anyway, now I'm 43 and I'm heading down the road

> toward

> > going for it. I have a class 3 malocclusion, the OD says that I'd

> be

> > in braces for about a year, then have surgery, then braces for

> > another 6 months to a year. I had a first consultation with the

OS

> > who said she could either move the upper forward or the lower

> > backwards. But she wouldn't decide on that until we did the full

> > orthognathic workup (scheduled for July). Sounds like after

> surgery

> > there's one or 2 days in hospital, blenderized diet for 6 weeks,

> no

> > strenuous physical activity for 3 months. She said I wouldn't be

> > wired afterwards but there would be some sort of screw/plate. I

> have

> > an appt. on 8/15 to go over the workup, then I'll have to make my

> > final decision and start braces soon after. (I'm actually getting

> a

> > graft on my gum by one tooth in July that I need for braces

> assuming

> > that I'm going to go forward and not delay too long..so I don't

> > change my mind.)I've got all sorts of questions and thoughts

> running

> > trough my head. If anything mentioned above or a few questions

> below

> > trigger comments from anyone, I'd appreciate your feedback

> >

> > Am I too old to be thinking about this at 43? My reasoning is

that

> > I'll (hopefully) be around for another 43 at least and I'd like

to

> > keep my teeth for that time and have them straight with a normal

> > bite. (There's a vanity factor in there that my Irish Catholic

> guilt

> > has a hard time with.)

> >

> > How much pain is there after surgery? How long do you have to

take

> > pain meds?

> >

> > What is anaesthesia like? Are you conscious when they stick tubes

> > down your throat or (yikes) give you a catheter (please let the

> > answer to that last part be no).

> >

> > The OS said that if they did lower jaw, there's a 40% chance at

my

> > age that there would be some permanent numbness. What would that

> be

> > like? The risk is lower with the upper jaw she said.

> >

> > It sounds like people in the long run are glad they did it. Are

> > there people who say God I wish I never did? Why?

> >

> > I'm feeling like at some point you just have to stop thinking

> about

> > it/researching it and just do it. Does that make sense to anyone?

> >

> > When I talk about it to friends and family, I get a really broad

> > range of reactions, both positive and negative, so I find myself

> not

> > asking anyone their opinion for fear that I can keep the focus on

> my

> > decision. Has anyone else had that experience.

> >

> > Thanks for reading.

[Guest guest]

Wow after reading your posting I just lost it, this all very

overwhelming for me and I feel like you are is a very similar

position as I am, and I really appreciate your posting.. I am 26 and

been told for the last five years by the dentist and subsequently an

orthodontist, that I need this surgery. In college I had terrible

insurance and no money so it wasn't an option. Now, I am faced with

the option to do it and I am scared about so many aspects of this and

feel very much alone since friends and family just don't get it.

Neither of my parents have a jaw misalignment and the only validly I

feel that I have is that my 16 year old sister is beginning to show

signs of a similar under bite. Cosmetically I appear fine unless I

was to point out that my lips don't meet and my- the fact that no one

sees anything wrong with you and so the understanding is minima. I

don't want to be vain, but metal braces at age 26, when I'm single

feels like I am going to be sent to prison for a year. Now maybe I'm

overreacting, but I am truly distraught over it. I am also afraid

that the degree of misalignment won't be enough to warrant my

insurance to cover the surgery and then I'll be putting myself in

debt. Does anyone know how much it costs? I feel like I am ready to

this, I just wish it could be done now, without a year of braces and

what, two weeks of my mouth wired shut. I just feel like I am about

to hand over a year and half of my life. I'm 26 and this just seems

like the worst time to do this yet I know the sooner I do it the

better for my teeth. Unfortunately I don't get into the oral surgeon

until august so I plan to out the braces on in September. My biggest

goal will be to have a preapproval from my insurance which I know

will end of feeling like a court trial that won't end, wrought with a

papertrail of appeals. Has anyone with a moderate misalignment been

rejected and do you mind sharing? I'm so grateful to have found this

chat room. -ryan (fyi: I'm a girl " ryan " )

Tlvi2bmysurgsurgst.haveorthognathicsurgerysupport , " fr

an " <franesmith2000@y...> wrote:

> Hi Philip,

> I can't answer your post op questions because I am still pre op.

> But like you, I am doing this midlife. I am 51. I have an

> extremely deep bite, and jaws that overclose. Cosmetically, you

> can't really tell - yet. But the way my teeth are breaking off -

> the front ones even - it won't be long. Severe jaw problems have a

> tendency to not be severe problems when you are younger, but they

> become progressively cumbersome to you as you age. This was a huge

> factor in making my decision. That and the cost issue. I just

> received insurance approval for the surgery yesterday! YEAH!

>

> Anyway, I can answer some of the general concerns you raised, not

> with a definate answer for you, but with some of the considerations

> I had about it. Here goes.

>

> Am I too old to be thinking about this at 43? Well, I am 51 and

> have definately decided to do this. I want to stop the progression

> of the damage to my teeth. And I have a health risk involved with

> not doing the surgery. My mouth so overcloses at this point, that

> my mouth so collapses when I clench my teeth or swallow, that I

> choke really often. But even if these weren't happening, I would

go

> with the surgery. It will impact how I breathe (I am having upper

> and lower, and a septoplasty and full mouth rehab) and yes, how I

> look will be positively impacted too. I look fine now, but I will

> look better when this is all done. I think it is worth considering.

>

> What is anaesthesia like? Are you conscious when they stick tubes

> > down your throat or (yikes) give you a catheter I haven't had

> this surgery, but unfortunately, have had lots of other surgeries.

> Anesthesia is something you want to discuss with your

> anesthesiologist really well, to take necessary precautions. Let

> them know if you have ever had reactions to meds and what kind of

> reactions you have had. And also if anyone else in your family has

> had adverse reactions to anesthesia. It unfortunately does tend to

> run in families. Other than necessary precautions, I have never

had

> problems with anesthesia itself. In fact, I no longer fear it at

> all. I am concerned each time, but I do not fear it. I am more

> anxious about dealing with recovery issues, and setting up my post

> op surroundings as well as I can to minimize my discomfort post

op.

> I don't know if that gives you a good answer to your question, but

I

> do hope it helps some. The catheterization is probably something

> you won't even remember or be aware of. It is usually done when

you

> are under anesthesia, and removed at the end of your surgery or in

> the day or so post op. And removing a catheter is not painful or

> difficult. Nothing to fear there.

>

> When I talk about it to friends and family, I get a really broad

> > range of reactions, both positive and negative. I have

definately

> had that too. Mostly negative. Primarily because my defects are

> not really noticable cosmetically. Isn't it funny that if I had

> obvious cosmetic problems associated with my jaw problems, people

> would chastise me for doing this for vanity reasons, but since I do

> NOT have cosmetic problems, I get a lot of, " Why would you want to

> do this? Your teeth look fine??? " Go figure!! lol I have pretty

> much just focused with them about what it will do for me

> functionally rather than the physical changes it will still make.

I

> don't see it any differently than my right knee ACL a few years

> ago. It really doesn't matter what people think about having

> surgery, it is wether you feel you need it or not. I guess that is

> one of the advantages of being older. I am not as much in need of

> their approval. But I still look for support. That is why this

> site is so valuable to me. The support is great here.

>

> I can't tell you what to decide. But I do wish you luck in making

> your decision. I hope some of what I shared here will help you

> toward that end. Good luck Philip!

> Fran

>

>

>

>

>

> > Hi. My name's Philip and I joined the group a little while ago

and

> > have been reading your comments with great admiration of your

> > courage, commitment and kindness to each other. When I first

> > considered braces as a teenager, my dentist said they'd " have to

> > break my jaw " and I guess the fear of that stayed with me for 30

> > years or so. Anyway, now I'm 43 and I'm heading down the road

> toward

> > going for it. I have a class 3 malocclusion, the OD says that I'd

> be

> > in braces for about a year, then have surgery, then braces for

> > another 6 months to a year. I had a first consultation with the

OS

> > who said she could either move the upper forward or the lower

> > backwards. But she wouldn't decide on that until we did the full

> > orthognathic workup (scheduled for July). Sounds like after

> surgery

> > there's one or 2 days in hospital, blenderized diet for 6 weeks,

> no

> > strenuous physical activity for 3 months. She said I wouldn't be

> > wired afterwards but there would be some sort of screw/plate. I

> have

> > an appt. on 8/15 to go over the workup, then I'll have to make my

> > final decision and start braces soon after. (I'm actually getting

> a

> > graft on my gum by one tooth in July that I need for braces

> assuming

> > that I'm going to go forward and not delay too long..so I don't

> > change my mind.)I've got all sorts of questions and thoughts

> running

> > trough my head. If anything mentioned above or a few questions

> below

> > trigger comments from anyone, I'd appreciate your feedback

> >

> > Am I too old to be thinking about this at 43? My reasoning is

that

> > I'll (hopefully) be around for another 43 at least and I'd like

to

> > keep my teeth for that time and have them straight with a normal

> > bite. (There's a vanity factor in there that my Irish Catholic

> guilt

> > has a hard time with.)

> >

> > How much pain is there after surgery? How long do you have to

take

> > pain meds?

> >

> > What is anaesthesia like? Are you conscious when they stick tubes

> > down your throat or (yikes) give you a catheter (please let the

> > answer to that last part be no).

> >

> > The OS said that if they did lower jaw, there's a 40% chance at

my

> > age that there would be some permanent numbness. What would that

> be

> > like? The risk is lower with the upper jaw she said.

> >

> > It sounds like people in the long run are glad they did it. Are

> > there people who say God I wish I never did? Why?

> >

> > I'm feeling like at some point you just have to stop thinking

> about

> > it/researching it and just do it. Does that make sense to anyone?

> >

> > When I talk about it to friends and family, I get a really broad

> > range of reactions, both positive and negative, so I find myself

> not

> > asking anyone their opinion for fear that I can keep the focus on

> my

> > decision. Has anyone else had that experience.

> >

> > Thanks for reading.

[Guest guest]

Hello Philip and welcome to the group! I too have a Class 3 - an

underbite. I'm pre-ortho and pre-op. And, I'm 47. This is the third

time I've considered having the surgery. The first time was in the

early 1980's, and the second time was in 1997. I just wasn't ready to

do this either of those times. I'm doing it this time and I'm doing

for ME; I'm not doing it to get family members off my back (my

parents have bugged me about getting this done for many many years

and I resisted their pressure). I have an OD appointment on Tuesday

to discuss my treatment care plan with him and hopefully set a date

to get started, first with probable spacers and then braces. I have

an OMS appointment on July 18th for the first of two Orthognathic

Surgery consults (the first is the work-up and the second is the

discussion of his surgical treatment plan and a question & answer

session). My OMS is the best I could ever hope to have found and I

trust him completely. I originally went to him because I was referred

by my dentist to have an abcsessed tooth extracted; I wasn't even

considering having yet another surgical work-up at the time of my

extraction consult. But, after meeting him and having a brief

discussion about my underbite, I felt completely at ease with him and

thought I'd like to consider the possibility of a work-up. I thought

about it for the two weeks prior to my extraction. Then, on

extraction day I told him I had decided to have Orthognathic Surgery,

asked him if he would do my surgery, and he happily said yes. He then

referred me to an Orthodontist, who is a really nice guy. Both my OMS

and OD told me that I will have braces for twelve months pre-op and

up to six months post-op; sounds like you and I will be " Ortho &

Surgery Buddies " . My OMS says I will definitely have a BSSO

(mandibular set-back) and possibly a LeFort I (maxillary

advancement), but he won't know for sure until a month or two before

surgery. My OD at the consult told me that I have a 5mm jet which

will be set back 7mm and he thinks just a BSSO will take care of the

problem, so we'll see. As for anesthesia, I'm not worried - my

Surgeon's wife is his Anesthesiologist. Unfortunately, my insurance

(thru my employer) will not be paying for the surgery, as it is an

excluded benefit (I have worked at a large hospital for 25 years: so

much for rewarding my longevity and dedication). My Surgeon and his

wife are on staff at a small " short term " hospital, so I will have my

surgery there, as it will be half the cost of my employer/hospital.

My insurance will pay only $1K for the braces, but I have a FSA

(Flexible Spending Account) that will help.// I know what a

tremendous decision this is to make and I hope my story helped even

in the smallest way. Just remember that you will not be going thru

this alone; this group of wonderful supportive people is here. The

information on this site is mind-boggling to say the least, and by

the time our surgeries are here we will be so-o ready! Sure, I'm

scared, but I'm excited too.// Good luck and let us know what you

decide. ~~~~~ Diane (Idaho)

> Hi. My name's Philip and I joined the group a little while ago and

> have been reading your comments with great admiration of your

> courage, commitment and kindness to each other. When I first

> considered braces as a teenager, my dentist said they'd " have to

> break my jaw " and I guess the fear of that stayed with me for 30

> years or so. Anyway, now I'm 43 and I'm heading down the road

toward

> going for it. I have a class 3 malocclusion, the OD says that I'd

be

> in braces for about a year, then have surgery, then braces for

> another 6 months to a year. I had a first consultation with the OS

> who said she could either move the upper forward or the lower

> backwards. But she wouldn't decide on that until we did the full

> orthognathic workup (scheduled for July). Sounds like after surgery

> there's one or 2 days in hospital, blenderized diet for 6 weeks, no

> strenuous physical activity for 3 months. She said I wouldn't be

> wired afterwards but there would be some sort of screw/plate. I

have

> an appt. on 8/15 to go over the workup, then I'll have to make my

> final decision and start braces soon after. (I'm actually getting a

> graft on my gum by one tooth in July that I need for braces

assuming

> that I'm going to go forward and not delay too long..so I don't

> change my mind.)I've got all sorts of questions and thoughts

running

> trough my head. If anything mentioned above or a few questions

below

> trigger comments from anyone, I'd appreciate your feedback

>

> Am I too old to be thinking about this at 43? My reasoning is that

> I'll (hopefully) be around for another 43 at least and I'd like to

> keep my teeth for that time and have them straight with a normal

> bite. (There's a vanity factor in there that my Irish Catholic

guilt

> has a hard time with.)

>

> How much pain is there after surgery? How long do you have to take

> pain meds?

>

> What is anaesthesia like? Are you conscious when they stick tubes

> down your throat or (yikes) give you a catheter (please let the

> answer to that last part be no).

>

> The OS said that if they did lower jaw, there's a 40% chance at my

> age that there would be some permanent numbness. What would that be

> like? The risk is lower with the upper jaw she said.

>

> It sounds like people in the long run are glad they did it. Are

> there people who say God I wish I never did? Why?

>

> I'm feeling like at some point you just have to stop thinking about

> it/researching it and just do it. Does that make sense to anyone?

>

> When I talk about it to friends and family, I get a really broad

> range of reactions, both positive and negative, so I find myself

not

> asking anyone their opinion for fear that I can keep the focus on

my

> decision. Has anyone else had that experience.

>

> Thanks for reading.

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I know how difficult this decision can be. Usually your

orthognathic surgeon's office has an excellent idea of how well your

personal insurance company typically responds to well worded

requests that come from their office. Even though your appointment

is not until August, since you are on their books, it might be a

good idea to call the office manager of your surgeon and ask to

speak to the person in charge of handling insurance claims. Ask

them directly how your insurance company typically responds given

your diagnosis and degree of malocclusion. It could help you set up

other consults with OD's for second and third opinions too to help

arm yourself for the appeals if your company is sticky about

approvals. And if the word from your surgeons office is that the

requests are frequently approved, then you can focus on how YOU feel

about doing the surgery. It is a committment for sure!

But I would mention here what a mentioned to the other day.

Even if it takes 2 years to go through this process, and you are 26

now, how old will you be in two years if you do this? How old will

you be if you don't? You will be two years older regardless. It

really is about what YOU want to have for yourself in 2 years. Do

you want to be looking at the surgery then? Do you want to be 28

with your jaw corrected, or 28 and with your present jaw or still

deciding? Sometimes looking at it that way can make the decision

more clear now.

In this day and age, having insurance that covers this surgery is a

good prodding point for proceeding too. You don't know where

coverage will be for you if you postpone this very long. I have

seen people put off elective - but medically necessary procedures -

later until " a better time in their life " comes along, only to lose

insurance coverage and not be able to get it back - and thus be

stuck with HUGE bills to do it without coverage, or letting it go -

even if it is an important surgery. If you have coverage now, it

might be wise to make a definate decision about what you want

permanently regarding this surgery. You don't know what coverage

you will have in say 10 years - for anyone! My husbands contract is

effective for another 3+ years, so if I stumble right now in making

my decision, I might be SOL in the future. I don't want to beat

this issue to death, but if you have the coverage now, now would be

a good time to do it if you are leaning toward doing it - ever.

I don't know if this helps you or muddies the subject, but I do wish

you luck in deciding what to do. I know you will do what you need

to do about it. Let us know what you decide.

Fran

> > > Hi. My name's Philip and I joined the group a little while ago

> and

> > > have been reading your comments with great admiration of your

> > > courage, commitment and kindness to each other. When I first

> > > considered braces as a teenager, my dentist said they'd " have

to

> > > break my jaw " and I guess the fear of that stayed with me for

30

> > > years or so. Anyway, now I'm 43 and I'm heading down the road

> > toward

> > > going for it. I have a class 3 malocclusion, the OD says that

I'd

> > be

> > > in braces for about a year, then have surgery, then braces for

> > > another 6 months to a year. I had a first consultation with

the

> OS

> > > who said she could either move the upper forward or the lower

> > > backwards. But she wouldn't decide on that until we did the

full

> > > orthognathic workup (scheduled for July). Sounds like after

> > surgery

> > > there's one or 2 days in hospital, blenderized diet for 6

weeks,

> > no

> > > strenuous physical activity for 3 months. She said I wouldn't

be

> > > wired afterwards but there would be some sort of screw/plate.

I

> > have

> > > an appt. on 8/15 to go over the workup, then I'll have to make

my

> > > final decision and start braces soon after. (I'm actually

getting

> > a

> > > graft on my gum by one tooth in July that I need for braces

> > assuming

> > > that I'm going to go forward and not delay too long..so I

don't

> > > change my mind.)I've got all sorts of questions and thoughts

> > running

> > > trough my head. If anything mentioned above or a few questions

> > below

> > > trigger comments from anyone, I'd appreciate your feedback

> > >

> > > Am I too old to be thinking about this at 43? My reasoning is

> that

> > > I'll (hopefully) be around for another 43 at least and I'd

like

> to

> > > keep my teeth for that time and have them straight with a

normal

> > > bite. (There's a vanity factor in there that my Irish Catholic

> > guilt

> > > has a hard time with.)

> > >

> > > How much pain is there after surgery? How long do you have to

> take

> > > pain meds?

> > >

> > > What is anaesthesia like? Are you conscious when they stick

tubes

> > > down your throat or (yikes) give you a catheter (please let

the

> > > answer to that last part be no).

> > >

> > > The OS said that if they did lower jaw, there's a 40% chance

at

> my

> > > age that there would be some permanent numbness. What would

that

> > be

> > > like? The risk is lower with the upper jaw she said.

> > >

> > > It sounds like people in the long run are glad they did it.

Are

> > > there people who say God I wish I never did? Why?

> > >

> > > I'm feeling like at some point you just have to stop thinking

> > about

> > > it/researching it and just do it. Does that make sense to

anyone?

> > >

> > > When I talk about it to friends and family, I get a really

broad

> > > range of reactions, both positive and negative, so I find

myself

> > not

> > > asking anyone their opinion for fear that I can keep the focus

on

> > my

> > > decision. Has anyone else had that experience.

> > >

> > > Thanks for reading.

[Guest guest]

Hi Folks,

I'd just like to thank Ann, Cammie, Becky, Diane, , Fran, ,

and everyone who took the time to share their their comments,

experiences, and thoughts in response to my post last week. It was

really helpful and gave me a lot to think about. I've got my work up

appointment in a month and then my consult with the OS to discuss it

in the middle of August, so I'll be making my decision by then. (I've

already got the OD lined up in case it's yes so I don't have to wait).

I'll be reading in on the group until as I ride the pendulum back and

forth between yes and no. I'll let you know what I decide. Thanks

again!

Philip