Jaw Surgery Forums » Pre-Surgery Questions

surgery or braces?

(14 posts)
  • Started 8 months ago by overopenbitemom
  • Latest reply from overopenbitemom
12

  1. overopenbitemom
    Member

    My sixteen year old daughter has been having difficulty with her jaw for a few years despite wearing braces twice to try and correct her jaw alignment issues. We went to her pediatrician first, he sent us to our ortho, our ortho referred us to an oral surgeon. They came to the conclusion that she would require both upper and lower jaw surgery to correct her problem. Our ortho, dentist and pediatrician all seemed to think this was a good idea. After being told that our insurance probably would not cover it, we were shocked to find out both upper and lower were both approved. This leads me to believe that they also feel it is needed. I have had several people tell me I should not do the surgery and ask for another opinion. I had another ortho tell me that he would like to remove 4 teeth (2 upper and 2 lower) and do a third round of braces for about two to three years. I hate to put her in braces again and have it move back like it did before, but I also hate the idea of putting her through surgery!

    Any suggestions?

    Posted 8 months ago #

  2. kelly2011
    Member

    Hello! Your daughter's case almost sounds indetical to mine! I'm a 19 year old female who had a hectic time with 2 rounds of braces, getting approved for surgery by an insurance company, etc etc etc! I had 1 round of braces when I was 10, which was completely pointless. After I had those removed after a year between then and now I had 2 top teeth removed, 2 bottom teeth removed & my wisdom teeth cut out. 3 years ago I received my 2nd round of braces that was specially put on to prepare me for having double jaw surgery. It took longer than expected to get approved & to find a surgeon that would accept our insurance. After 3 years of trying I got approved and had surgery a month later. Surgery was the best decision I could've made. I am loving my new face & new bite. If your daughter is like most on this website, she is ashamed of her bite.

    So, applying a 3rd round of braces seems like the final step in preparing her for surgery... How does she feel about under going surgery?

    Wish you both the best!

    Double jaw surgery to correct underbite and crossbite, August 18th, before and after pictures: http://www.jawsurgeryblog.com/forums/topic/kellys-before-double-jaw-surgery-pics
    Posted 8 months ago #

  3. overopenbitemom
    Member

    She does have her third set of braces on in preparation for surgery. My concern (which I did not state in a very clear manner) is that another orthodontist suggested that he could repair her jaw without surgery. He wants to remove 2 upper and 2 lower molars and keep her in braces for the next two to three years. I am wondering if we should try that first before we go with surgery. Her biggest concern is that she does not want to go of to college with braces! My concern is that the jaw will revert back to it's previous condition after her braces are removed if we do not do the surgery.

    Posted 8 months ago #

  4. THECW
    Member

    Hi. My surgeon said its better to have surgery when your older than 19 because anything below 19 your still growing so the chances of relapse is big. He just kept stressing that and that he would never do surgery for a patient whose under 19 or someone who dont necessary needs it. I have to agree with him because what if she has surgery and it relapses than all that work and suffering would be for nothing.
    good luck on your choice and you should really ask your surgeon about relapsing

    Posted 8 months ago #

  5. overopenbitemom
    Member

    My surgeon said a girls jaw after 16 and a boys after 18 or 19. My daughter will be 17 in a few weeks and has not grown since she was 12. Continued jaw growth is not a concern for my daughter.

    Posted 8 months ago #

  6. overopenbitemom
    Member

    Thanks to both of you for your comments. I guess what I really want to know is if anyone had a similar choice. I was wondering if anyone went the tooth extraction braces route and wished that they had done the surgery -or had the surgery and wished they had not.

    Posted 8 months ago #

  7. overopenbitemom
    Member

    Kelly, funny thing about my daughter. She was not at all ashamed of her bite until the many doctors, dentist and surgeons started to point out all that was wrong with it! It is strange that we did not notice how much her bite had shifted until it was pointed out to us. Now she is anxious to have the surgery.

    Posted 8 months ago #

  8. lostinstereo90
    Member

    I had braces for 3 years and the 2nd year I had 4 teeth extracted (2 on top and 2 on the bottom). My ortho said that it was so I could have room for my wisdom teeth when they came in. I had the surgery done to correct my upper jaw. The surgeon pushed my upper jaw back and angled it so I'll have an even bite and I haven't had any regrets about it :). I love my new bite and smile. About the age thing, my surgeon also said to wait until after 19 becuase of unexpected growth spurts. I thought I would never grow again, until I turned 19-20 and that's when I grew a few more inches and my jaw shifted and I didn't grow since I was 15, so it's best to wait a few more years so there won't be a bigger chance for relapse.

    12-8-10: the best day of my life
    Posted 8 months ago #

  9. RachelM
    Member

    I would let her decide what she wants. If she wants it fixed and surgery is the only option then she should choose when she wants to have it done. Nobody stops growing when they're 12! Even if she hasn't got any taller, her bones would still be maturing. 16 is very young to have surgery in terms of her bones stopping growing is there is still a chance of a growth spurt. Jaw surgery at 16 is a lot to deal with along with the fact she could still have a growth spurt (you don't just reach your 16th birthhday and stop growing- they need to do tests to check her bones are fully mature). There are people on here who are having their second jaw surgery because they had their first one too early and things have moved as they had a groth spurt. Jaw surgery is not something you want to have done twice! Given she's had braces so long already it might be time for a break and to see how things settle down and maybe for her to consider more braces or surgery when she's older. It's a major undertaking either way so unless she's feeling desperately unhappy about it and is hiding behind closed doors because of it then I'd just wait another couple of years to be safe.

    Posted 8 months ago #

  10. jawbreaker911
    Member

    Hi there, personally after reading your story I wouldnt have my daughters surgery done until her jaws have fully grown. Maybe the best thing to ask is what the risks of relapse are.

    Posted 8 months ago #

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