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I'm going in for a consultation to get my face BROKEN and moved forward!

Turbowaffles

Turbowaffles

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
1,200
Click bait title, sorry.

So I'm going in for a consultation tomorrow to get what's called "Maxillary advancement and expansion." Basically they break my upper jaw and move it forward and outward to both make my upper and lower teeth actually hit each other when I smile, instead of the insane underbite/crossbite I have right now, and to clear/give room to my nasal passage and airway to hopefully fix my sleep apnea and other issues. It's just a consultation so I'm not worried, but I'm likely going to do the surgery if all goes well, and any kind of invasive surgery makes me a little nervous. I could die on the operating table and for what? To align my teeth a little better and sleep a little better? lol.

Anyway, just wanted to make a post and share. Any of you guys ever have surgery and how did it go?
 
SpitztheGreat

SpitztheGreat

Member
May 16, 2019
2,877
Sleeping better will change your life. Also, a surgery that fixes your smile and makes you feel less self conscious is not something insignificant. THis sounds like a scary surgery, but I will always support someone's decision if it improves their health and brings them happiness.
 
Feep

Feep

Lead Designer, Iridium Studios
Verified
Oct 25, 2017
4,596
"And for what?"

Significant quality of life improvement. Sleep is massively important, and hey, nice teeth are a nice side benefit.

Risks are likely minimal so I whole-heartedly support you!
 
super-famicom

super-famicom

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
25,161
I had corrective surgery to fix an asymmetric jaw over a decade ago. It wasn't too bad, but I couldn't eat solid food for a month. I mostly had milkshakes and soups. My mom did put a pork chop in the blender for me once; it was actually good.
 
Blue Ninja

Blue Ninja

Prophet of Truth
Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,757
Belgium
Good luck OP. I had an underbite when I was a kid, would've had to have had the same surgery if my braces didn't work. I'm glad to say they they did.
 

t26

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
4,552
Hi! I actually had similar surgery but my condition was not as serious as yours ( I don't have any trouble breathing). My insurance paid for everything.
 
OP
OP
Turbowaffles

Turbowaffles

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
1,200
One thing I can look at as a positive, I'll probably lose some weight during the month+ recovery since I'll only be able to drink through a straw!

t26 said:
Hi! I actually had similar surgery but my condition was not as serious as yours ( I don't have any trouble breathing). My insurance paid for everything.
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Do you live in the USA and if so, how did you go about getting it covered under medical instead of dental?
 

t26

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
4,552
Turbowaffles said:
One thing I can look at as a positive, I'll probably lose some weight during the month+ recovery since I'll only be able to drink through a straw!

Do you live in the USA and if so, how did you go about getting it covered under medical instead of dental?
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USA. I also went to ER more than a few times when I couldn't close my jaw so it is probably cheaper for them to pay for the surgery.
 
Jegriva

Jegriva

Banned
Sep 23, 2019
5,519
When I was 14 I had a RME that expanded my upper jaw laterally 1.8cm in a couple of year. Very painful, I couldn't speak for an hour after every crank. But it was worth it.
 
Captjohnboyd

Captjohnboyd

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,569
Turbowaffles said:
Click bait title, sorry.

So I'm going in for a consultation tomorrow to get what's called "Maxillary advancement and expansion." Basically they break my upper jaw and move it forward and outward to both make my upper and lower teeth actually hit each other when I smile, instead of the insane underbite/crossbite I have right now, and to clear/give room to my nasal passage and airway to hopefully fix my sleep apnea and other issues. It's just a consultation so I'm not worried, but I'm likely going to do the surgery if all goes well, and any kind of invasive surgery makes me a little nervous. I could die on the operating table and for what? To align my teeth a little better and sleep a little better? lol.

Anyway, just wanted to make a post and share. Any of you guys ever have surgery and how did it go?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Wild. My girlfriend is flying home to NYC for a consult to do the same-ish surgery in a week. I don't think she has an over or under bite-at least not a noticable one- but her teeth don't align properly and her jawline is crooked leaving her in pain often. She too is hoping insurance will cover it. I've read it's difficult sometimes to get it covered but some of the post op photos I've seen on Reddit are pretty amazing. There's a bit of facial dysphoria after the operation but, honestly, everyone I've seen looks much better and I'm sure it's just an adjustment period to not looking like "you" anymore.

Good luck OP and be sure to let us know how it goes. I'll keep my fingers crossed you can get covered and recover swiftly
 
brawndolicious

brawndolicious

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,919
I've had a few jaw surgeries and the recovery is pretty intense since your face has a lot of nerves. For me, medical insurance covered it since I have hemifacial microsomia, it sounds to me like you have a medical need for it so I'm hopeful you'll get it covered.

Anyways, if you do get the surgery then I would recommend a lot of rest, a lot of ice for the swelling, and try to get as many calories as possible since eating will be tough. I recommend those high calorie protein shakes bodybuilders drink since it's a really convenient way of getting your nutrition.

Don't worry too much about complications and just know that the pain and discomfort WILL decrease significantly after a day or two. You can PM me if you got any questions.
 
Moz La Punk

Moz La Punk

Journalist at Gamer.nl & Power Unlimited
Verified
May 15, 2018
1,353
The Netherlands
Ive been in pre talks for this same thing only the other way; I have a slight underbite so my lower jaw needs to go slightly backwards.

its not a descision I take lightly and Ive been taking about it since 2017. Its a three year process of expanding my upper jaw, braces and finally the breaking of the lower jaw.

I never had problems with my underbite (its not really pronounced and Im certainly not ugly) but the past couple of years my lower teeth have been pushed forward and all my teeth are wearing down at an accelerated speed even though I always took good care of them. Itsbecause of the wrong position.

so Im in a pickle. I have to do something cause the underbite is getting worse and my teeth are grinding down to stumps. On the other hand, the procedure is three years of pain and looking extra ugly - which is a problem, certainly as journalist and as a currently single 35 year old.

Ive went for a second opinion a month ago and they suggested a procedure that most Hollywood stars do, where your teeth are filed down and you get fake crowns. That way at least the teeth will look good and they can position them in a way that they fit a bit better, making the underbite less of a problem. The underbite procedure is covered by insurance, but this procedure is not. However money is not an issue for me.

so yeah its been a difficult few years. Thinking and thinking about it, often having toothpain and wore down jaws at the end of each day. Some days I want to die, others Im alright.

sorry didnt want to hijack your threat. Please inform yourself properly before doing this procedure. It isnt always as clear cut if itll work out fine and an over- or underbite can 'grow back' after a procedure.
 
shenden

shenden

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,298
My friend did exactly the same surgery you are OP, years ago. You'll be fine.

I had 2 eye surgeries when I was kid, we ain't talking about lasers here... I also had my precious appendix removed. It's always a little bit nervewrecking, but it's normal.

I wish you a speedy recovery OP!
 
Indy in the Fridge

Indy in the Fridge

Banned
Oct 30, 2017
15,278
My dentist and orthodontist discussed this same operation with me because of my narrow upper jaw and my deviated septum causing continued breathing problems. What scared me the most was them describing the operation as cutting the roof of your mouth in half and expanding both sides. That shit sounded awful. Plus in combination with repairing a deviated septum--although my orthodontist mentioned that the updated procedure doesn't use 6 feet of gauze anymore--still sounds like a very drastic procedure and recovery period. But good luck to you, OP.
 

Deleted member 8860

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
6,525
I had a similar consultation (crossbite) a couple days ago as well. In my case, though, I don't have any jaw pain or difficulty breathing/sleeping and my teeth are generally straight and do make contact for smiles, so the benefits are limited to improving my bite (so I could chew with both right and left molars simultaneously) and aesthetics (the centerpoint of my lower teeth is about half a tooth away from the center of my upper).

I'm 40ish, though, and that's just not enough for me to take the plunge on major surgery. I'm even leaning towards no on the compromise option, which was to remove a tooth or two and use braces to shift my teeth a bit for a better fit.

Hope it all goes well for you, OP.
 
JakeNoseIt

JakeNoseIt

Catch My Drift
Verified
Oct 27, 2017
4,535
OP, I did almost this exact surgery back in 2010 and I'm fine haha. It really changed a lot of my issues while I slept and I'm told I never even snore anymore. Cosmetically, I definitely look more normal and actually have a chin, lol. None of the changes were that dramatic, and the only downside is that a nerve was nicked during surgery (even though they told me otherwise) and there's a little patch on my face that I can't really feel anymore.
 
FranktheRabbit

FranktheRabbit

Member
Dec 22, 2018
432
Turbowaffles said:
Click bait title, sorry.

So I'm going in for a consultation tomorrow to get what's called "Maxillary advancement and expansion." Basically they break my upper jaw and move it forward and outward to both make my upper and lower teeth actually hit each other when I smile, instead of the insane underbite/crossbite I have right now, and to clear/give room to my nasal passage and airway to hopefully fix my sleep apnea and other issues. It's just a consultation so I'm not worried, but I'm likely going to do the surgery if all goes well, and any kind of invasive surgery makes me a little nervous. I could die on the operating table and for what? To align my teeth a little better and sleep a little better? lol.

Anyway, just wanted to make a post and share. Any of you guys ever have surgery and how did it go?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I'm actually in the same boat OP, except they'd be moving my lower jaw. It's honestly a little scary for me, and for now I'm just using a nightly mouthguard.

If I go forward with the operation I'll need to have two wisdom teeth removed, wear braces for 2-3 years pre-operation, have the surgery, wear some sort of rubber-band matrix for 4-6 weeks while on a liquid diet, braces again for 10 months then a retainer for the rest of my life.

It's scary as hell for me and what sucks is the lack of intermediate options. I just wish there was something between the mouthguard and the invasive surgery (which is spread out over four friggin years). Anyway, best of luck to you dude if you go forward with it!
 
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Poltergust

Poltergust

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,821
Orlando, FL
Huh, I have an overbite and I apparently snore like a freight train.

I wonder if there's a connection... I don't think I have sleep apnea though since I'm a really heavy sleeper.
 
OP
OP
Turbowaffles

Turbowaffles

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
1,200
Well, the appointment went fine. First I've got to get a sleep study done, after that depending on severity of sleep apnea, than we talk about extracting wisdom teeth and other teeth and FINALLY breaking my jaw!
 
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