Underbite Correction

[sondra]

I have a slight underbite that may not be able to be fixed from my braces that I am wearing now although the othro wants me to give it time before I consider the surgery.

Anyone here had the surgery? how as it?

Thanks

[marzuqmn]

my daughter's been slated for orthognathic surgery...i want to hear from those who have had this surgery...she is currently 15 and will have the surgery in about two years...i have done some reading and am not happy with what i have read...the risk seems to be quite high...please let me hear from those who have had this surgery...she is due for an appliance on 5/15 and i would like to see what others have gone through before i continue with her treatment and look more seriously for alternatives...thank you...

[Stephanie]

My brothers othro was able to fix his underbite with braces and the use of rubber bands.. Its not perfect, but 75% better. His case was mostly edge to edge and the lower teeth only portuded at certain areas.

A more serious case woudl need the surgery, but you want to try to avoid surgery at all cost...


Steph

[marzuqmn]

but you want to try to avoid surgery at all cost...


please eleborate if you have any experience regarding this...thank you...as you may know...the dentist treating my daughter has said that only getting the braces would make her teeth even worse than they are now and the surgery is what will correct the placement...my question was why can't the placement of the braces be used to correct the alignment...he said because of her malloclusioni believe it is a class 3 that she would have to have the surgery...however, i found some photo cases online that were very similiar to hers and were categorized under "alternative treatments to othognathic surgery...the braces stays on for a longer period of time but the results were quite good...

[Stephanie]

If the underbite is not VERY serve, most orthos know how to improve the bite about 75% with the use of strong wires and rubber bands... I had to get 5 diff orthos opinions before I found a good one.

[EddyMac71]

Sorry for the late reply, but this might help other who wander across the posts researching.

sondra - I've had the surgery and it is so much easier than years ago - now they don't wire you shut for the healing period (confirm that with your surgeon before using him). The first few days are a little difficult, but they give you cool pain meds for that. Two weeks after surgery, you will feel great and want to go out and do things (actually you might hit that point after a week) ... just take it easy and be careful for 6-8 weeks until you bone is healed.

marzuqmn - I was wondering where you were reading things that did not make you happy about the procedure? Was it the person who said to avoid surgery at all costs? Her brother's condition does not sound severe as they got him edge to edge with the upper and lower teeth. But keep in mind, she is not the one with an underbite or overbite and she does not have to live with the results of her decision/opinion on the matter. When I was 16, I wore braces for 2 years to overcome an underbite - they should have done orthognathic surgery on my upper jaw, but my parents and dentist and orthodontist decided to flare my upper teeth forward and do a bridge of connected crowns for my upper front six teeth to give them support instead of doing it properly (upper jaw surgery) - so now that I am an adult, I have been in braces for 18 months reversing what they did when I was 16 and had the orthogathic done properly. I would say avoid surgery in third world countries at all costs, but in America this procedure is quite safe with an experienced orthognathic surgeon who does the operation regularly. I did my research also, and I mostly only found positive comments and positive results. What is the offset in the jaws that needs to be overcome? If they can get her teeth edge to edge without flaring her upper teeth forward at too great an angle, then that might work well. But if they could do that properly, they probably would have done that without much mention of orthognathic. Second opinions are always reassuring ... if you have any doubt that you are doing the right course of action, get a second opinion, and a third if needed. Just do what is right for your daughter the first time, whatever that may be Good luck!

[mike5824]

I just had jaw surgery 6 weeks ago. Its not that bad and its really worth it.

I had surgery on my upper & lower jaws to correct an underbite. I look very different now (in a good way) but I have some numbness on the right side of my chin. I could care less though. The first few days after surgery were the worst. Not really pain, but just discomfort.

[sidhra786]

what are the effect having jaw moved forward
Important!

[Zoso]

Sidhra - no need to post the exact same question in two different threads. I have responded in the other thread (http://www.bracesreview.com/forums/o...w-surgery.html) where you asked this.

[kevink]

you dont have to do surgery to fix your under bite i had a major underbite and just got braces to fix it my jaw came 5 mm out so the doctors gave me rubbber bands and id put them on everyday and my jaw moved back almost to what would be normal and now im happpy

[Zoso]

Kevink - that may have worked for you, but all cases are not the same.

[mikeg]

it can def be done with just braces, but as zoso said, not in all cases... without the surgery, stability is also a major issue once the braces and rubber bands come off.. I have seen underbites gradually come back as the person wheres the retainer less and less.

[ashleigh]

In slight cases of underbite, braces can be used to correct it. But like others have said here, there are such cases where someone might have a pertruding bottom jaw which results in a more severe underbite. Those more severe cases I believe do require surgery. If you know whether your case is more or less severe than that could help with your decision or others to understand the extent of your situation.

[Sunny]

Ashleigh it's about what has caused the underbite, not the degree of it. If the bite is a result of bone issues, surgery is needed. If it's the result of just the teeth and their placement, then it's a dental problem and braces alone can fix the bite for a stable result.

To find out what is the cause of the bite, x-rays and studies by ortho's and surgeons needs to be undertaken. Looking at the severity of a persons bite will no answer the question of braces vs surgery.

[Dark Crystal]

i just had my braces taken off half a year ago and my underbite was fixed with the rubber bands back then. but now that my braces were taken off, my jaw grew again and i hav a slight underbite. my orthodontist does not recommend that i get braces again because of the risk of losing teeth since i hav shallow roots. what do you recommend that i do and is surgery really necessary?

[smylex]

If your jaw growth is what is causing the problem of your malocclusion, then you're going to have to get surgery to correct it. Braces will only help to correct the problem completely if it's only the teeth that are causing your underbite, but in your case (same as mine), it sounds like it's a skeletal defect.

[Sunny]

Dark Crystal that's a frustrating situation to be in. I'm not confident you'd be able to do surgery without braces, so it's not likely that will work.

Maybe go talk to your ortho again (and a couple of others) to ask if there are any options that would help you.

Smylex is right about your problem being a bone one, not a dental one. If your jaw is still growing, then it's possible other things may be able to be done.

Good luck!

[Dark Crystal]

thnx for all u guys' help
i talked to my orthodontist and he said he is planning to somehow reshape my front teeth so that they wont hit each other and that my back teeth would actually touch. sunny, i wasnt sure wat u said. did u say that u recommend surgery or no?
smylex, since u hav the same problem as i do, did u get it fixed and if u did, how?

[smylex]

smylex, since u hav the same problem as i do, did u get it fixed and if u did, how?

I'm actually in the process of having it fixed. Next week, I go in for spacers, then braces the week after. I'll be getting braced on the bottom teeth first, so that I'm not breaking the brackets from the teeth.

What the oral maxillofacial surgeon has discussed with me is that I'm looking at having a sagittal split osteotomy. This surgery is where the OMS goes in and detaches the upper jaw from the skull and moves it forward, and the bottom jaw will be split so that it can be moved backwards. When that is done, I'll be wired or banded shut for a few weeks while the jaws heal.

After that, it will be about another year of braces.

[Dark Crystal]

i most likely cant hav braces anymore because of my shallow root condition so does this surgery not work for me since it requires braces?

[Sunny]

Dark Crystal since it's a bone problem, you'll need surgery unless your bones aren't yet fused and then it may be possible for treatment to be done with braces alone ... which isn't an option in your case.

Sounds like your ortho is working out a solution to disguise the problem, which hopefully will be the best for your bite and those teeth with short roots.

Good luck!

[Dark Crystal]

thanks sunny
has anyone here had a surgery to fix their underbite? i wanna know what its like

[Dark Crystal]

after surgery, does ur jaw hav to be wired shut? and if so, for how long?

[Dark Crystal]

can someone tell me about the underbite surgery procedure?

[Sunny]

Dark Crystal it depends on how the surgeon prefers. Mostly multiply elastic bands are used to keep the bite steady for a period of weeks. Often it can be up to six months before you can chew, but during that time you will be encouraged to open your jaw and be given exercises to help you open your jaw further and further. It can take many months, even years, for all the feeling to return to your face, but your bite is usable within quite a short period of time.

After surgery it's important to eat high quality liquid foods either from a zip bang or syringe. The surgeon will be able to give you heaps of ideas about this and make many recommendations.

All surgery has dangers and you need to talk to the surgeons about this.

Good luck with your research!

[Dark Crystal]

thanks for the info sunny
i hav a question.
do these underbite correction surgeries require the bands to keep the bite steady in order to hav the surgery?

[Sunny]

Not before the surgery that I've ever heard of ... but definitely after while the healing process happens and the bone adheres to the screws, plates etc.

[Dark Crystal]

so the bands are a requirement in underbite surgeries?

[smylex]

so the bands are a requirement in underbite surgeries?

You'll either be banded or wired shut, and yes, it is necessary. It's effectively the same thing as putting your arm or leg in a cast when you break a bone in one of your limbs.

[Dark Crystal]

ok. so basically saying, i can get this surgery even if i hav shallow roots since i can hav a choice of bands (which i can't hav) and wired shut

[smylex]

Yes, you can. The orthodontist has to pay special attention and care to the teeth if your roots are short. Either way, your jaw is going to be mostly immobilized after the surgery.

[Sunny]

Dark Crystal there's no way we can know if you'll be able to have the surgery or not. If the roots of your teeth are too short, I doubt you'll be able to have surgery, as the risk would be too hight that your teeth would fall out ... and that would be a total waste of time.

You need to consult with some ortho's and find out what they recommend for you. Good luck!

[Dark Crystal]

how exactly does the surgery work? is it just going to move my jaw around? and if it does, then how are my teeth with short roots effected?
also, if i have this surgery, how long do i have to be wired shut?

[coconut]

my orthodontist does not recommend that i get braces again because of the risk of losing teeth since i hav shallow roots

These seem to be critical words. In the absence of a professional opinion to the contrary, I'd be leaving well enough alone.

[Sunny]

There are many different surgerys ... so it would depend on what type was recommended for you.

You would need to be having active orthodontic work ... which means braces, as the teeth need to be moved to a particular place so that the surgery can then get the bite correct.

This is a very complicated subject and not one that the inexperienced like us on this board can help you with. You need to talk to the ortho's and their surgeons about this Dark Crystal.

Good luck!

Wise words coconut!

[Dark Crystal]

ok then
haha. i dont really understand what that means, coconut

[coconut]

ok then
haha. i dont really understand what that means, coconut

"Leaving well enough alone" means not messing with what you've got because by doing so, you could make things worse.

[Dark Crystal]

so u dont think that the orthodontist should do any surgery with me?
he's planning on reshaping some of my teeth so they could fit. do u think that could make things worse or are u just talking about the surgery?

[coconut]

so u dont think that the orthodontist should do any surgery with me?
he's planning on reshaping some of my teeth so they could fit. do u think that could make things worse or are u just talking about the surgery?

I'm not a professional, sorry.

[Dark Crystal]

i know ur not but u said to just leave things be. leave what things be? the surgery or just the idea of doing something with my teeth?

[coconut]

Your ortho recommends against further treatment with braces. Surgery involves treatment with braces.

Your ortho has offered to reshape your teeth, which doesn't involve braces.

Can't say it much plainer than that.

[Dark Crystal]

i never said that my ortho recommends further treatment with braces because i cant. i just said that he recommends reshaping my teeth.
wat i dont understand is ur meaning of "leave things be"...leave what things be???

[Sunny]

Dark Crystal if you read back over this thread, I think coconut is meaning for you to leave things as they are, with regards to surgery. You say your roots are short, and you question the idea of surgery for a mild class III bite. Surgery requres braces, therefore surgery is not for you. Talk to your ortho about what your options are.

Good luck!

[Dark Crystal]

thank u for clarifying