before surgery questions

[Guest guest]

Hi all. I've been reading the posts for over a year and now I have

questions. My surgery will be in the next few months. I have two

issues that my ortho says will be corrected by surgery. They are 1)

my

lower teeth " hang over " my gums. There is a lot of tooth showing

outside of the gumline along the front. And 2) my lower teeth aren't

centered - midline is off. My jaw is straight but my teeth aren't

centered in the jaw. (It's very exciting that my teeth are straight

for the first time in my life. But the underbite is killing me! )

To me, it seems both of these issues should be corrected with braces

and only my jaws should be moved inward (lower) and outward (upper).

Of

course, I'm not the doc. I will be making another appointment to get

the surgeon's opinion in the next couple of weeks. I'd just like to

hear what some of you think as well.

Thanks!

[Guest guest]

If surgery is in the plans, then usually the orthodontist aligns the teeth on

each

jaw separately and then the surgeon aligns the jaws. Yes, braces can in

theory move the midlines to most anyplace but if there is a jaw discrepancy,

then braces alone won't fix squat. It's always good to call the offices to get

your questions answered because most people posting/lurking on here are

not surgeons. If I were a surgeon I would not post here because without

actually looking at a patient and their records, I could not diagnose or

comment on anything really, without exposing myself to trouble. Sorry if I

seem vague. I don't mean to be. And, I could totally be wrong, too. I am

just

another poster. Please feel free to correct me everyone! =D

Mia

> To me, it seems both of these issues should be corrected with braces

> and only my jaws should be moved inward (lower) and outward (upper).

> Of course, I'm not the doc. I will be making another appointment to get

> the surgeon's opinion in the next couple of weeks. I'd just like to

> hear what some of you think as well.

>

> Thanks!

[Guest guest]

For whatever it's worth:

I had just a little lower advancement -- but I also had my lower jaw

moved 3 mm. to the right, per my surgeon's decision. That's just a

tad. 5 mm. are about a quarter of an inch.

My midlines still aren't on target. I have very different sized

teeth in upper and lower, and I've lost different numbers of teeth

on the left and right sides.

My surgeon dealt with a used body, and gave me the best result I

could have imagined...

I don't think I understand the " hang over my gums " description. I

understand the midline stuff, and the underbite. But I think it's

not at all unusual for surgeons to raise, lower, tilt, rotate or do

a sideways slide with the jaw, depending on what you need.

Why not talk with your surgeon and or your ortho about it. Wires and

brackets, and elastics, can do a lot, but not everything, always!

Best,

C.

> Hi all. I've been reading the posts for over a year and now I

have

> questions. My surgery will be in the next few months. I have two

> issues that my ortho says will be corrected by surgery. They are

1)

> my

> lower teeth " hang over " my gums. There is a lot of tooth showing

> outside of the gumline along the front. And 2) my lower teeth

aren't

> centered - midline is off. My jaw is straight but my teeth aren't

> centered in the jaw. (It's very exciting that my teeth are

straight

> for the first time in my life. But the underbite is killing me! )

>

> To me, it seems both of these issues should be corrected with

braces

> and only my jaws should be moved inward (lower) and outward

(upper).

> Of

> course, I'm not the doc. I will be making another appointment to

get

> the surgeon's opinion in the next couple of weeks. I'd just like

to

> hear what some of you think as well.

>

> Thanks!

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the responses. I'm hoping the surgeon will be able to

clear

things up for me. My biggest area of confusion is the definition

of " teeth aligned straight on the jaw. " I don't think my teeth are

straight vertical to my jaw... hence the hanging over part. (maybe I

should post pics!) As far as the midlines, I think my teeth just

need

moved around the arch a little so that the middle teeth are in the

middle of my mouth. I know surgery is a must but I don't want to

make

the surgeon do more than necessary when it could have been done with

removing a couple teeth and ortho.

I'll let you know what the surgeon says! Thanks for the replies!

I'm

glad this support group is here - it sure helps a lot of people!

Thanks!