Re: Diane on le forte's and removal of bicuspids

[Guest guest]

Sara - Thank you very much for your kind words and for reassuring me

about my LeFort; see? - I'm calling it MY LeFort! Actually, today was

the best day I've had since my OMS shocked me with the news last

Tuesday. I called my OD's office to talk with him, but he was busy

with a patient so they said he'd call me, but never did. I'll try

again tomorrow morning, as I need to know why he told me about

removing the two upper bicuspids if I had to have a LeFort. Even my

OMS, Dr. , doesn't know what my OD means; Dr. told me he

has NO plans to remove any of my teeth. Last Tuesday, Dr. told

me he wanted to do a LeFort, but never mentioned anything about doing

one with segments. After I talk with my OD, I will call Dr. ,

as I have a few questions for him, and will need to sit down and talk

with him. He's such a sweetie, and like I've mentioned before, only

wants what's best for me. He told me on Tuesday that he wants me to

be happy with my decision to be undergoing Orthognathic Surgery with

him as my Surgeon, and he will do whatever he can to help me thru

this.// Oh, and by the way, I successfully uploaded my pictures onto

this site; it's in the folder entitled " Diane - dmd13cyto " . It's the

SECOND Diane folder. Anyway, THank you so much for the excellent

instructions, and I'm sure it won't be the last time I post pictures;

the next ones should be of me with my brand-new braces!(Two weeks

from today for brackets and spacers - WooHoo!) Thanks for being

there, Sara-Honey !! ~~~~~ Diane

> Diane,

>

> I did have my two upper bicuspids removed during my surgery. Most

> people get this done pre-surgery but I didn't want to be walking

> around with a bunch of holes in my mouth so managed to convince my

OS

> to do it during surgery. If you look at my post-op bite pics you

can

> see that there are two very little holes on each side of my mouth

> where the two teeth used to be. My Os did a fantastic job of

closing

> the gaps as much as possible without damaging my nerves. Both my OS

> and OD were in agreement that I needed to get the bicuspids out. I

> thought it was strange at first too but when they showed me a pre

and

> post op surgery model I realized how much " in the way " my bicuspids

> are and how by removing them not only would my final bite look more

> balanced but also how much more space and mobility my OS would have

> to shift around my jaw into the right position. My upper jaw was

> shifted up 1mm and shifted back 3mm. My upper palate was also

> expanded 4mm. All of these movements enabled my lower jaw to be

> brough forward by a total of 7mm. My upper bicuspids have always

> given me a lot of trouble. Every time I took braces off which was 3

> times I would watch in horror as my bicuspids started to twist and

> turn into themselves. Not even a permanent retainer on the back of

my

> teeth ever really fully stopped them. Since I really want this 4th

> time wearing braces to be the last I was willing to give up my

> bicuspids. I know that it's not nice to give up a healthy tooth but

> if that tooth is going to make the procedure more difficult or less

> than perfect then I would try to let go of it. Obviously it is up

to

> your OS and OD to agree on this issue.

>

> As for the Le Forte I find it funny that you're scared of it

because

> for me, when there was the danger that I would have to have lower

jaw

> surgery I was much more scared because I know lower jaw surgery

runs

> a bigger risk of nerve damage than upper jaw surgery. Funny how we

> each have our fears! Honestly Diane I know that this whole surgery

> business is a lot to deal with right now, especially considering

all

> you have to deal with in addition. I think you need to give

yourself

> some time to let it all sink in. Do as much research as you need to

> feel confident about doing the procedure. The good thing about the

le

> forte is that contrary to a BSSO you are left with no visible scars

> on the outside, no stitches nothing. Everything is inside. I know

> that the procedure in itself sounds grosse but try to think of it

> this way. If you had a club foot you would need to break the foot

> bone in several places to reallign it properly. This is very much

> want needs to be done via the leforte. I would recommend for your

> peace of mind not to watch any more gory details. I don't recommend

> it for any type of surgery if you're easily scared.

>

> In the mean time know that we are here for you and always at hand

to

> listen to you vent, cry and share your frustrations and JOYS!!

>

> Good luck,

> Sara