For those of you who have read my blog for a while, you will know that I have had braces now for 2 years. Some may think that as a 19 year old, I am "old" to be having braces, however there are 2 reasons for this: 1. as a child/teenager, I really hated the dentist, so didn't go for about 7 years, and 2. I need surgery.
After finally plucking up the courage to go the the dentist when I was 16, I was referred to an orthodontist to sort out my wonky teeth. When I went, the orthodontist did a few things with my jaw and asked me to bite my teeth together a lot of times. I just thought this was normal practice for people before getting braces fitted so went along with it. He then dropped the bombshell that I have a crossbite, and possibly might need surgery, so he referred me to a facial surgeon.
I met the surgeon in August 2010. I had x-rays taken and impressions of my teeth made before I saw him. During the consultation, he told me that my right lower jaw bone has grown at a faster rate than the left, leaving me with an asymmetrical face and a crossbite. The only way to fix this is by having surgery.
the purple line indicates the middle of my face, and where my chin should lie.
the purple lines indicate the middle of my teeth; note how they don't, but should meet.
left: left profile; right: right profile
I had noticed before being first referred to the orthodontist that my jaw is asymmetrical and that my right and left profiles were different. I only have one profile in which I like, and I always try and angle my head on this side in photographs; my other side is my "ugly side". While it did bother me slightly and affected my self esteem, I accepted it and got on with life. However, when someone tells you that something you don't like about yourself can be fixed, you automatically want it. To a lot of people, it is unnoticeable, however, now I know it is there, it is all I see when I look at myself in the mirror/photos. I didn't really have to think about my decision to have surgery, I just wanted my confidence back!
on my 15th birthday on 2009; you can see that my chin is not in the centre, and that the lower jaw bone on the left is longer than that on the right; this picture made me especially self conscious about the state of my teeth and my ugly side.
My surgeon told me that they would have to be 100% sure that I have stopped growing before performing surgery. Your jaw is the last thing to stop growing, and your feet the first, so he asked me when I last increased my shoe size. Annoyingly, it was just a couple of months before. So my surgery was scheduled provisionally for the summer between completing my A levels and starting University.
8 months later in May 2011, I had my braces fitted. I adjusted to braces quite easily, as I saw them as the first step on the road to getting my confidence in how I looked back. However, my teeth were not ready for surgery for the summer that it was originally planned, meaning it would be have to be delayed another year, as to avoid disrupting my studies. I wasn't too bothered by this, as long as I wasn't in braces forever!
At christmas 2012, I was told that my teeth were finally ready for surgery, so another appointment to see the surgeon was made for April. At this appointment I was given a set date for my operation: 16th July 2013
This seems like a good point to say what my operation actually entails. Those of you who are squeamish might want to skip to the next bit. I am having what's called a mandibular osteotomy. The surgeon will get access to my bones by cutting the inside of my mouth so I will have no external scarring. He will then cut my lower jaw on both sides, and slide them so my teeth and chin are in the right position, before removing any excess bone and securing the cuts with small metal plates. He'll then stitch me up with dissolvable stitches. I will have elastic bands between my teeth for a couple of weeks to make smaller changes to my bite. Not only that but I'll be very swollen, sore, and be on a soft diet until I'm able to chew again.
Now that I have a date, everything seems very very real. I'm not really sure what to make about it, and I think I am driving everyone mad, as it seems to be all I ever talk about. Not a day goes by when I don't think about it. I'm scared, but at the same time excited, as well as apprehensive about the pain I'm going to be in during recovery. I also think to myself "what if I come out the other end, and don't look any different?"
I'm sorry that this is a really long post, but I feel as this is something very important in my life, I need to share it with you. (It also acts as a disclaimer to anyone who see's me over the summer and thinks "she looks rough"; you now know why). I am thinking of blogging throughout my recovery, as a way to get my pains off of my chest, and to provide information and support to others out there who are also having jaw surgery.
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