Are my braces coming off?

[jem_bob]

I'm 22 years old and have been wearing braces since Feb 2008. These were in preparation for Orthognathic surgery (had my lower jaw broken and moved into new position) in June 2009. I was told by both my surgeon and orthodontist that the braces would be on for around 6 months after the op. I had to wear elastic bands to pull my jaw into its new position for 3 months after the op and was then told I didn't need them anymore and that the braces would be off around November time, definitely before Christmas. I went back in October and was told I needed the bands back on again to 'fine tune' the position. I was so upset, having built myself up to them coming off before Christmas and spent hours crying and days feeling miserable. I know this is a small issue in the grand scheme of things, but it's so hard to wear braces at my age when going out and about with friends and taking part in meetings at work. I've worn the bands religiously 24/7 ever since and have to go back on Monday. Has anyone had any experience with this, and can tell me what the likelihood is that they'll come off on Monday? I just don't want to build myself up for a fall again, because that feeling was so awful.

[mydogsandme]

I'm sorry I can't answer your question but I know how you feel. I had it done the other way round-braces for six months and then my jaw broken and six weeks of metal on my teeth holding it all together. It's horrible when you've geared up to having them off-keep pressing your orthodontist for a date and as much information as you can,don't let them be vague,you'll feel better once you know for sure. I was 30 when I had mine done. You're doing really well,I know it's hard but it's going to look great when it's all done-I remember how I felt. Try to keep smiling. xx

[jem_bob]

That's what's so frustrating, my ortho won't tell me anything! She's been seeing me for almost 2 years now, so should have some idea about the rate at which my teeth move. Whenever I ask her she's so vague, says things like 'they'll come off when they're ready' and 'it's different for different people'. She's been doing this for 15 years now, so should have some sort of idea! She gets funny with me when I ask about how much longer I'll be in them. She's very short with me and that's made me give up even bothering to ask anymore. Hence why I've turned to the AB'ers. It frustrates me so much that she took the elastic bands off when they obviously weren't ready, I wasn't wearing them for 6 weeks which was a total waste of time, as this undid all the work they'd done since the op. I'm tempted to ask for a second opinion, as she's never had a treatment plan for me, she just seems to decide what she's going to do on the day.

[sherminator]

can i ask of your experience of getting the jaw broke?
its anoperation that i might need and really really dont want it to happen!

can you share what its like?

thank you

[jem_bob]

Sure... it was my first ever operation, so a pretty terrifying one to start off with. In terms of actual pain, it's not that bad. My throat was sore for a number of days afterwards and my jaws were held tightly shut by strong elastic bands which caused my teeth to crush together (quite sore). These were in place for 3 or 4 weeks, making it near on impossible to eat. I survived on ice cream, mushed up Weetabix and soup. I became very low and depressed as my face was extremely swollen (hideous) and I had to sit around and watch my family eating pizza and all sorts of other lovely things. I lost over half a stone in the first week and pretty much lost my appetite beacuse eating was such an effort and never filled me up. But after those 3 weeks, you really start to feel so much better. It seems like another life in which I had the op done. I can honestly say the worst part about the whole process is having to wear the braces. Now that the swelling has gone and I'm back to my pre-op state, it's honestly the best thing I've ever done. I don't get jaw pain, problems eating or breathing anymore. And the aesthetic changes are a bonus too! Sorry if I've made it sound bad at all, just wanted it to be honest. If you have any other questions, let me know!

[sherminator]

well always knew it was gonna be bad. Mines is for a serious overbite and am currently wearing braces to try fix that.
but if it doesnt fix them enough they might want to move my jaw to help fix where my teeth are.
beleive it or not you have prob made it sound better than i thought. It sounded excrutiating pain to me!!
have also heard you lose feeling around your mouth as well and there can be other possible nerve damage?
have you experienced that at all?

[jem_bob]

Absolutely! My chin and tongue were totally number for a good number of months. A very strange sensation! The feeling is just starting to come back now almost 6 months on. Whenever anything touches my chin, even lightly, it feels like when you bite into an ice cream with your front teeth. Incredibly sensitive. My surgeon warned me of this, but did say that my nerves had only been stretched, rather than torn. Which means that the feeling will return to normal eventually. It can take up to a year. But it's a small price to pay to be able to breathe and eat properly. Just a note, I also had a genioplasty done at the same time to balance up my features. This wasn't essential, but my surgeon figured it would only add an extra hour to the procedure and would make me look better in the long run.

[sherminator]

Gosh you sound like you have been through a lot but also def sound like the end is in sight!!
excuse the pun but chin up on the brace!!! sounds like it will be over soon!

I wont find out till February when i finish with my brace and then can see what they say bout my face structure.
Am just hoping and hoping that the brace does enough. I love food too much!!!!

[mk0810]

In case you do not want to wear bad-looking braces, you could wear Invisalign as I did. I would recommend you to visit Hello Ortho. Visit https://www.helloortho.com/ for more details.