Re: Glad I found this group!

July 9, 2005

You are soooo not alone.

Many of us have varying natures of these structural problems, and

you are welcome here, for support, to give support, for info, for

venting, whatever...

I think one of the kindest responses from a doc to an enquiring

patient that I've ever heard came in the form of handing the

potential patient an album of photos and saying, " Perhaps you'll see

some faces there that suggest some of the things you've been

thinking. "

That's exactly it. Lots of us have anomalies of one sort or another.

Mine was different from yours, and I didn't even know I had it --

I'd worn braces in my teens in the late 1950s, and thought my bite

troubles had long since been resolved. Not so. My bite was

destroying my teeth.

Welcome. Ask away. I think you'll find friends and soulmates here,

as well as a significant amount of support and info.

This is important, though: Be SURE to ask your docs whether they

know your growth is complete. Some people, and particularly menfolk,

have late growth spurts into their twenties, and the changed growth

can make a second surgery necessary. You do not want that, and I

believe there are growth plate studies (with x-rays of the hands)

that can give clues about whether growth is complete. If it's not,

you may prefer to wait to address at least some of your issues. You

can have orthodontia, perhaps, and hold the improvements to wait for

completed growth, either with retainers or in braces.

Cammie

> Hi everyone,

>

> My name is Adam and I am 18 years old. I have a underbite/openbite

> which I will be having surgery on in about a year. I am having

braces

> put on August 30th 2005. They will be on for about 8-12 months to

> straighten my teeth. Then I will be having my corrective jaw

surgey.

> Right now I cant close my jaw without holding it shut with my jaw

> muscles and I have a slight gummy smile. I felt like I was the only

> person with this kind of problem. I am glad I found this group,

and I

> am excited to have my surgery. I will be posting pre-braces

> pics/braces pics/pre op/and post op pictures. Good to be here

July 9, 2005

Hi Adam,

I am glad you found this group. It sounds like you are well on your

way, and you have a lot of time to review the information here to

become really informed prior to your surgery. This is a really

supportive group. Welcome to the board!

Fran

> Hi everyone,

>

> My name is Adam and I am 18 years old. I have a underbite/openbite

> which I will be having surgery on in about a year. I am having braces

> put on August 30th 2005. They will be on for about 8-12 months to

> straighten my teeth. Then I will be having my corrective jaw surgey.

> Right now I cant close my jaw without holding it shut with my jaw

> muscles and I have a slight gummy smile. I felt like I was the only

> person with this kind of problem. I am glad I found this group, and I

> am excited to have my surgery. I will be posting pre-braces

> pics/braces pics/pre op/and post op pictures. Good to be here

July 9, 2005

Hello Adam and welcome to the group. You are in excellent company here

as most of us have either had something done or are in the process of it all. I

like to think of us as the " knife and fork club " .

Mia