Corrective jaw surgery?

TheBiz

First time posting here, just looking for a bit of insight.

I'm 18, I got my braces off a couple of months ago and at the start I was told about a possible operation because my back teeth touch but my front don't.
This makes my jaw look very receeded and I tend to hold it back too (if that makes sense) to chew etc.
And because of this every time/most times I go to the dentist or orthodontist I get an X-ray
I was told the surgery isn't entirely necessary as I can still function even if my front teeth never touch.
It has lead to my back teeth being worn down a lot though + fillings etc..

The main reason I was looking into this option is because I'm not happy with how my jaw looks.
It makes my head look huge as it tapers down to my neck..

I was also told the operation can be quite risky and its painful.. But I can live with a few months pain if the results are what I hoped for.

I have an appointment with my orthodontist at the end of August for y retainer and it could well be my last but now the idea of the operation has resurfaced.

Have I left it too late?
Would I need to get braces again?

I would leave it till after my leaving cert regardless but I can't leave it till last minute and I need to talk to my orthodontist about it..

I don't know how my parents would take to it either..

Any ideas on what to do?

Oral Surgeon

Really this decision should have been made before your Ortho.
Often the orthodontist moves your teeth to a different end point that suits the surgery (if having surgery) than if not having surgery (instead they try to mask the skeletal discrepancy by splaying the teeth)...

You would likely need braces again in oreparation for surgery and for a while after.

Temporary risks are soreness swelling bruising bleeding infection and anaesthetic complications.
Long term risks are numbness/ altered feeling/ pain in the lip/chin/tongue region, anaesthetic complications too....

Speak to your ortho first and see what prep work is involved, cost etc and go from there.....

TheBiz wrote: »

First time posting here, just looking for a bit of insight.

I'm 18, I got my braces off a couple of months ago and at the start I was told about a possible operation because my back teeth touch but my front don't.
This makes my jaw look very receeded and I tend to hold it back too (if that makes sense) to chew etc.
And because of this every time/most times I go to the dentist or orthodontist I get an X-ray
I was told the surgery isn't entirely necessary as I can still function even if my front teeth never touch.
It has lead to my back teeth being worn down a lot though + fillings etc..

The main reason I was looking into this option is because I'm not happy with how my jaw looks.
It makes my head look huge as it tapers down to my neck..

I was also told the operation can be quite risky and its painful.. But I can live with a few months pain if the results are what I hoped for.

I have an appointment with my orthodontist at the end of August for y retainer and it could well be my last but now the idea of the operation has resurfaced.

Have I left it too late?
Would I need to get braces again?

I would leave it till after my leaving cert regardless but I can't leave it till last minute and I need to talk to my orthodontist about it..

I don't know how my parents would take to it either..

Any ideas on what to do?

TheBiz

Oral Surgeon wrote: »

Really this decision should have been made before your Ortho.
Often the orthodontist moves your teeth to a different end point that suits the surgery (if having surgery) than if not having surgery (instead they try to mask the skeletal discrepancy by splaying the teeth)...

You would likely need braces again in oreparation for surgery and for a while after.

Temporary risks are soreness swelling bruising bleeding infection and anaesthetic complications.
Long term risks are numbness/ altered feeling/ pain in the lip/chin/tongue region, anaesthetic complications too....

Speak to your ortho first and see what prep work is involved, cost etc and go from there.....

Thanks for replying so quickly.
Any idea what the surgery itself would entail?
Granted you'd need to see X-rays etc but what would be the most common approach for front teeth that don't touch and a lower jaw that does not protrude out far enough (even if my front teeth could touch,there would still be a gap of a couple of mm between my top and bottom front teeth.)

My appointment isn't until October, would that be too late?
Should I get in contact before then to discuss the possibility of the operation?