Jaw re-alignement in teen.

[pinkhousesarebest]

Does anyone have experience of this? Ds has has braces for the last year as prep for surgery. He has a slight overbite which he wasn't even aware of until our first appointment. We decided not to proceed with the operation after research as we decided it was not worth the risk. We also saw a maxillo facial surgeon in the U.K who said it was too slight to warrant the risks involved. ( We live in France where it is more common). Ds is not satisfied and wants to restart treatment, has made us go see another orthodontiste who said it needs doing, worth the risks, his teeth will all fallout by the time he is 40 etc etc.
Six week recovery, liquid diet, exam year. I am in such a quandary. Does anyone have any experience/ advice. Would be so thankful!

Slightly different, but dniece had both jaws done.
It's not an easy operation, but she is very pleased with the results. She will need to wear a retainer at night for the rest of her life.
One word of warning, though - she has lost sensation above her upper front teeth.

I had a bimaxillary osteotomy (both jaws were broken and plated) at the age of 30. I had braces for 2 years before the surgery and braces for just over a year after the surgery.

It has changed the look of my face and my jaw and teeth look a lot better. It was a tough operation and I needed a lot of care afterwards as I was exhausted and a liquid diet for 6 weeks is hard. I have also lost sensation in my lips and around my gums. It was worth it in the end but I still wear my retainer every night. Probably easier to do it when your younger and not in a rush to return to work but wouldn't have it done anytime near exams and there are lots of follow up appointments.

Thank you both. It will be after his exams but it sounds like he will need the whole summer to recover. I am worried about the loss of sensation - did it never come back? He also lives for his rugby team- I presume that would be the end of that particular
I am really not feeling this. Do I have the right though to stop him? Ahhhhh

I was 19 when I had the operation on my lower jaw. So that was nearly 40 years ago. I can't believe it was that long ago!

I had quite an open bite and my top and bottom teeth only met at the back teeth. Although the dentists never said this, I often think that a certain bad habit that I couldn't totally give up until I was 17 didn't help! I think my namechange gives a clue to what it was, ha ha.

But seriously I think both you and your son should think some more about it.

Back then I wasn't asked to wear a brace for months beforehand. A while before the main operation I just had some teeth taken out. Then a day before, had metalwork glued on top and bottom teeth.

During the operation I had bone removed at four places in bottom jaw. Was meant to stay in intensive care for one night but spent a few more days as after the operation, splinting fell apart as braces wasn't glued on properly. Also imagine throwing up whilst wired up. Bit scary at the time.

You will have numbness to your lips as they cut through a facial nerve. This means a bit of drooling at first but it got better over time. I remember going back to college wired up and having to be careful not to embarrass myself!

A year or so later had to go back under the knife to reshape my chin as I had uneven edge due to previous operation. So the numbness lasted for a few years but it did improve as the nerves knitted back together.

The main issue is that your face changes. I was warned about it. In fact the surgeon said it would take me about another 19 years to get used to it. My face used to be long but is now shorter and I have a squarer chin, but I put that down to the issues with the operation and the second one.

After all this time, I don't regret having it done. It saved me from not being able to chew properly later on In life.

You and your son should think carefully about having the operation. Is your son's overbite that bad. He should only do it if he really needs it rather than it would be nice to have it to improve the look of his teeth.

Forgot to say that back then I wasn't told to wear a retainer at night and have never done so. Maybe that's because I didn't have braces for months or years beforehand.

I had double jaw surgery 8 years ago at the age of 24. I was different to a PP as I wasn't on a liquid diet after, in fact they wanted me on soft foods with minimal chewing before discharging me, so things like pasta and mashed potato.

I was told the recovery period is 6 months, but I think that's mainly for the bone to regrow where necessary and the nerves to recover. I have full sensation on the surface, it just feels slightly numb on my chin if I press on it, but deeper than the surface if that makes sense?

As to rugby, obviously he couldn't play during the recovery period. I'm not a doctor but personally I'd say it should be fine once he's fully recovered. I'd certainly have no worries about doing contact sport myself.

What sort of surgery is the orthodontist talking about? I had quite a big overbite and my bottom jaw was brought forward 11mm to correct it. My upper jaw and chin were also repositioned. How slight are we talking where your son is concerned? I'd say the decision would depend on how much needs doing, but from my own experience it was definitely worth it.

My sister had a brace with an entire face brace that she had to sleep in for about 5 years as a teenager and which avoided her needing this surgery. It was pioneering about 20 years ago.....dentist who did it was South African originally and I believe the procedure cane from there. Might be with looking into

Sorry just realised hers was for an underbite...

It is surgery on the lower jaw to bring it forward. There is absolutely nothing wrong with his appearance, it would jyst be to re-align his teeth and fix his bite. The surgeon said it was genetic but tbh, thumb sucking had a big part to play I think! Thank you all so much, I am going to show him this thread. I think he hasn't quite grasped all the implications of this.

Have they discussed the Bass device as an alternative? I have one and child with 11mm overjet is likely to end up with one - or blocks. Maybe he’s already grown too much for it to work?

DS (aged 19) is due to have this done.
He has a severe underbite. His teeth have never aligned and things like biting into an apple, sandwich or pizza are impossible.

He has had 5 years of bracing (including one to widen his soft palate) building up to this. He had some teeth taken out too.
He has had regular scans to check his growth plates have fused as they will not do the surgery until the young adult has stopped growing.
We are now looking at surgery this summer. His top jaw will be detached and brought forward. His bottom jaw will have 4 small sections cut out of it to shorten it. We have been told his face shape will change (but he has quite a prominent chin so perhaps the change will be for the better, although of course we love his face the way it is!)
We have been recommended the surgery must take place as for ds it is a medical issue. (it is NHS funded). If it was optional, then I am not sure ds would want to go through it and neither would I.

My DD had jaw surgery when she was 18. She had a prominent lower jaw and problems chewing many foods as her teeth wouldn't meet. She had three years of preparation beforehand. (I remind myself of all she went through everytime I get nervous about a dental check up!)
As a mum the worst thing for me was seeing her immediately post op. Her face was so swollen. She was in hospital for two days then came home to a three month liquid diet. We took pictures daily in the same place/position and the daily improvements really kept her going. It took two/three weeks for the bruising to go. Obviously post op it was uncomfortable but surprisingly not painful. The hardest thing was keeping her mouth clean as it was wired. One of her internal stitches got infected so the hospital cut her wires and cleaned her up. When I look back on before and after photos the difference is amazing. It was a hard slog but she would say it absolutely changed her life.