Hi! I had an overbite surgery about 8 years ago. I'm 21 now, and I was 13 at the time of the surgery. I'll answer your questions...
1. I had braces for three years in the past during high school years. I really dont want to have another time with braces. Are they necessary? Recommended?
I had them. But I ended up only needing to wear them for 11 months because I needed my teeth to be slightly straightened too. I got them in December '99 (when I was 12) and got them off in November '00 (when I was 13). I had the surgery in June '00.
I think the braces are actually required fbecause they wire your mouth shut during the surgery. They put hooks on the end of each brace. I actually hated that part the most because they kept the hooks on long after the surgery, i.e. until I got the braces off. The hooks gave me a bunch of cuts on the inside of my mouth
2. What is the average cost of a overbite surgery? including the braces and all?
Mine was about $20,000 USD, but I don't know how much the braces cost
3. How long does the operation take?
4 or 5 hours
4. How long does recovering period last?
Long. You're still wired shut for 2 weeks after the surgery. But "wired shut" basically means they put rubber bands on each hook to connect the top and bottom jaws. And then, like I said, they kept the hooks on my braces for months after the surgery.
Those 2 weeks are hell because you can't eat solid foods and still in pain. I lost about 10 pounds because of it.
5. If I am supposed to get braces before or/and after the operation, how long does it take to take them off?
I got them on/off about 6 months before/after the surgery
6. Are there side effects?
Well, the obvious: lots of swelling around the lower jaw (that goes away at the end of the 2 week recovery), light bruising -- my jaw was yellowish for a few days after the surgery, dried up blood in the mouth
7. Do I need to remove some of my teeth? (It is totally fine if I do because I didn't get to remove any when I had braces)
I got my wisdom teeth out during the surgery just to get it over with
8. Do they pull your jaw to the point you want or they do they just do it bythemselves?
I think they do it themselves. Though at 13, I couldn't really judge what was the best point to pull it out to, so I let the doctors make the call.
9. Can I expect my face to look better?
It looked pretty much the same for me, though my chin ended up looking a lot...bigger. I was used to having a little chin, and the surgery made my face more oblong.
10. My chin is quite short lengthwise. Does this surgery cover that and lengthen it? If not, is there a way to do that?
I feel like the surgery widened it more than anything. It made it a little longer, but not much.
11. What is a 'jaw implant'? Is it different from this surgery? If it is, could you explain a bit?
You need surgery for it, I think. But I didn't get one. I think it is more for cosmetic purposes, right?