Stability Is Golden!

[mikeg]

Well, after having braces off for quite some time now, my bite has progressively slid back into a poor position which I have decided to get fixed.

When you have braces to try to fix a class 3, you risk stable results. In my case, I think it was worth the try, but knowing what I know now, I want to get the fixed early rather than having TMJ worsen later on.

I have TMJ Sytmptoms, clicking, difficulty chewing, etc. so it's time.

I am excited to say that my ortho and surgeon are top notch.

I will keep everyone posted in a blog.

[Brace Face]

Hi Mike, sorry to hear you're back on the bandwagon again! Were your retainers not able to maintain your bite properly? I wish you all the luck in the world on your new venture. Keep us posted.

[mikeg]

No worries. I wore my retainer like a mad man, but it just wasn't enough to hold everything in place. Elastics were used quite a bit to pull teeth, so retainers can't do that and those teeth moved up and such.

I'm actually excited to get moving and have a functional bite.

[Phantom Muse]

It's nice to hear that you are managing the stress of such a decision with such grace. What does your treatment plan look like?

Best of luck, Mike!

[mikeg]

Right now it looks like 8 to 10 months in ceramic braces, surgery, and then about 6 months of fine tuning.

I really don't want to stress myself out over this, so I've decided not to think about it any more than I have to.

[justjenn]

Mike I've got about the same thing going for me. I'll have just braces till probably May and then get my surgery and then braces till October-ish. I can't wait to no longer have an overbite and as said, a functional bite.

Good luck!

[Gamer]

Hey brother,

I'm getting fixed braces put on in 2 weeks time for approx 9-12 months, then I will be having orthognathic surgery, followed by another 6 months of fine tuning with braces.

I'm 26 and am looking forward to getting this all done so I can enjoy the best years of my life with a great smile, great bite and much improved profile :-D

[mikeg]

Hey Gamer - Looks like we are in the same boat with a similar timeline. I'm going to start a blog on here and start taking pictures as often as I can. you should too.

Here's to us

[mikeg]

Mike I've got about the same thing going for me. I'll have just braces till probably May and then get my surgery and then braces till October-ish. I can't wait to no longer have an overbite and as said, a functional bite.

Good luck!

Good luck to you too Jenn. I'm sure we are all going to doing very well in a years time

[Sunny]

Good luck Mike!

Why did your ortho not do surgery when yours was a bone problem?

Type 3 bites can cause problems with stability no matter how they're corrected, but here's to surgery sorting your bone issues.

[mikeg]

My family could barely afford braces when I was growing up, so surgery was not even an option. Worked out in the end though, because I feel my jaw grew a bit in my lower 20's.

[Sunny]

That's a relief for you!

Such a shame when you had braces so young that it wasn't corrected without surgery ... the advantages of having soft bones. Although it would have needed to have been over corrected to allow for your late developement.

It's fantastic that you can do this for yourself now! Good luck!

[MCOMarkhamOrthodontist]

Keep in mind that your teeth will progressively start looking worse when comparing the position of the upper and lower teeth as you approach surgery. This is very different from trying to dentally achieve a "compensation" bite, where lower teeth are retroclined and upper teeth proclined in a Class 3 underbite situation. This is the reason for the relative instability.

Presurgical orthodontic preparation will ideally place the teeth within each arch, meaning your upper teeth will likely be retroclined to their correct spot over the bone, and lower teeth proclined. This will increase your underbite, confer more stability, and allow for the movement of the jaws for full correction during surgery. Good luck with the process Mike!