First Post - History

Ready or not, after 10 years of trying to make a decision, I finally made an appointment to get my braces put on and start the process of correcting my open bite.

My history:  I always thought my teeth were fine since it was all I'd ever known.  I never noticed and open bite, that my teeth didn't touch, never noticed I had trouble biting into food like sandwiches, hamburgers, pizza, etc.  (When eating these foods I either have to rip and tear it off, or use my tongue to press the food against my top teeth to cut it).  I never thought anything of this, it was all normal to me.

When I was in 3rd grade I had an orthodontic device  called a bionator to correct an overbite, I think.  Or maybe it was to stop my thumb sucking habit.  Either way, I remember wearing it for about a year.  No dentist ever mentioned needing additional orthodontics, braces or surgery.

Fast forward to my senior year of high school.  Somehow it was randomly mentioned that I needed braces.  I didn't understand why, I don't think I even asked why.  All I knew was that I was a senior and DID NOT want braces senior year or when starting college!  So I blew the whole thing off for a few years.

Probably my sophomore year of college (don't remember exact dates) I found a general dentist (who I absolutely LOVE, btw) who referred me to an oral surgeon.  This is when I learned that I have an open bite and only my back 2 molars touch when biting.  I learned that I cannot close my mouth, I have to force my lips together in order to get closure which creates puckering in my chin.  This surgeon explained a little about the surgery I would need, Lefort osteotomy.  He also mentioned I would need a cheek augmentation to go with it to make my cheeks fuller for some reason.  I did not like the sounds of this.  So he submitted this to my insurance.  They approved the surgery but denied the cheek implants.  I was totally against the cheek implants anyway, but I didn't realize that I could just do the jaw part and not the cheeks.  The entire idea was horrific, not only did I need my jaw BROKEN apart and fused back together, but some foreign objects were going to be implanted into my face?!?!?  I remember discussing this with my mom, she said "I know you, Sarah, and I can see you looking in the mirror touching your fake cheeks and crying, 'THIS ISN'T ME!'"  She knows me well.  That is exactly what I would do.  I lost all trust in this doctor.

I went to another surgeon for a second opinion.  He told me I did not need cheek implants and that my cheeks would probably be naturally fuller from the surgery.  I liked this guy but he was out of state so no dice.

Then I got hooked up with an orthodontist, don't remember how I found him.  Maybe stupid cheek surgeon referred me to him.  Anyway, this ortho told me that I needed my wisdom teeth out to make room in my mouth, and that I needed a skin graft along my lower front teeth since I had some gum recession there and they would need a study base for braces. OK.  I proceeded to have my wisdom teeth removed and the skin graft.  No problems with either procedure.  Then I decided I didn't like this orthodontist.  He wasn't friendly, I didn't get a good feeling, just not a good fit. So then I put the whole thing down again.

Eventually, I found another ortho.  This guy was much  nicer, but still not right for me.  However, he did refer me to a new and local surgeon, and that is how I found my surgeon, Dr DO. I had 2 separate consults with him and he explained the surgery, confirmed I did NOT need cheek implants and said I would be happy with the results. I really liked him.  Luckily he referred me to my 3rd ortho, said this guy does lots of surgical cases per year, when most orthos only do maybe one.  I met with this new ortho, and I liked him as well.  Now I had my team.

Still being scared by the whole idea of this huge surgery, I decided to meet with my general dentist to get his opinion.  I figured he is the best person to ask because he is impartial and has nothing to gain from my having surgery, plus he is knowledgeable on the subject.  He met with me for an hour, answered all my questions and his final answer was to go for it.  But I got scared. I am so terrified of something going wrong during surgery, that I chickened out again.... for 3 years!

Fast forward again to present.  A few months ago I started having jaw pain.  I realized that things were only going to get worse and I finally found a team of doctors I liked.  The longer I wait, the more could go wrong. Surgery not be covered, one of my doctors retire, etc.  So i started back up again.

Had a 2nd consult with my ortho.  I still like him. Talked to one of his patients who had a similar surgery.  Went back to meet with the surgeon again with my mom. Started the prior auth to make sure surgery is still covered.  My insurance required additional photos, but it was approved. So now I am ready for braces to go on.

This was really long-winded, but I wanted to capture all of the history.  I want to document my journey for myself and hopefully to help others going thru the same thing.