Hey everyone, especially Brandon! First of all, thank you for documenting your experience and sharing it with the world!
Here is my story:
Like you, I originally went to the local dentist seeking a consult on invisalign, thinking that my only problems were a few crooked teeth... however, my life was changed when the dentist started going over everything that was wrong with my bite and jaw. Immediately he recommended brances and not invisalign and also mentioned I would need lower jaw surgery to correct my assymentric jaw. I did not have an under or over bite, instead, my lower jaw needed to be rotated so that both arcs made by my teeth fit together better.
Having no money to pay for the surgery, I asked for other possible options befor starting treatment. The "second best" option, which is what I chose, was to start braces and straighten everything as much as possible then remove a single tooth from my bottom jaw and slide the rest of the teeth to "camouflage" the assymetric bite.
I started my treatment in Sep 07 and by March 08, I had my tooth removed and started the shifting process. By Sep 08, the teeth had been shifted but now the gap from the shifted teeth needed to be closed.
It is now December 09 and all the gaps resulting from the tooth removal are closed but my jaws still do not fit like they should. Since March of this year (when I switched Orthodontists due to moving from CA to OH), my new orthodontist has been recommending Jaw surgery due to the unpredictable result of the camouflage method. I had been waiting to see what the result would be, but after my last visit to the ortho, i realized I still need surgery.
A little note: I'm in the military and the dental coverage really depended on what base I was at, back in CA, they would not pay for my surgery, but guess what? Here in OH, they have a Maxillofacial surgery dept and they will do it for free.
Given that I now don't have to pay for it, and that my jaw still doesnt fit the way i think it should after 2.5 years of braces.. I've finally told the ortho that I DO want the surgery.
During my latest visit, after expressing interest in the surgery, they started preparing my mount/teeth for braces which included getting the "bands" on the back four teeth on top and bottom. My ortho estimates that I'll be ready for surgery in about 2-4 months depending on how quick my back molars move.
It kinda sucks knowing that I pretty much wasted a year with the whole tooth moving experiment but I can't change the past and only look to the future.
So here I am, starting my research on jaw surgery experiences and anectodes. My first question is, Brandon, you had braces for 1 year after surgery but my ortho told me I should only be in braces for about 4-6 months after my surgery. What were your inital estimates and how did those compare to actual time?
