NWR-WWYD???

Luvngrl247

Hey ladies-So, I need some opinions if you don't mind...I went to the dentist yesterday and a different one today. I am trying to figure out what I should do- My teeth are horribly crooked in the front- but the rest are ok. (I had braces in high school-10 years ago) One dentist told me inorder to get braces again I would have to have the surgery where they go in and break my jaw in 3 places inorder to widen my mouth to make room for the teeth. I have an extremely narrow mouth. Unsure of how much the surgery will cost but he said the braces for my top and bottom teeth will be $5200-6200. Also, I need to add that my wedding is in less than 9 months. He said he would have my teeth straight for my wedding, but I would need the braces on a little longer- what he will do is take the top ones off for my wedding and then put them back on after the wedding for the remainder of treatment for no additionals costs...The dentist I saw today said he could do a quick fix to correct my smile, but it wouldnt correct my overbite. It will be about $3000 to just do braces on the top since my bottom teeth are straight already. and he would be able to have them taken off 6-7 months. But in order to keep my teeth straight I have to wear a retainer every night for the rest of my life.... I am deathly afraid of surgery but ultimately I know that is what I need to do, but I also have a wedding to save up for since we are paying for everything on our own.... My question to you is, if this were you would you do a quick fix so your wedding pictures will be with a perfect smile or would you do the surgery??? Any suggestions or replies would be awesome-- or has anyone had the surgery they can share their experience with me??I appreciate everything!!! Thanks!!! I am seriously making myself sick thinking of what I should do!!!!

PhotoMoto

I would go with the first option.  When it comes to health I don't take any shortcuts.  Plus.. do you really want to wear a retainer for the rest of your life?  i wouldn't.You might ask your dentist if some kind of temporary veneers are an option, just for your wedding day or month or something, and then do the surgery after you have had time to recover from the financial blow of the wedding.

Shay022

I can totally understand where you are coming from.  I had braces in high school and my teeth are back to the way they used to be.  Only mine are a little crooked on the bottom.  Sucks, but I was immature at the time and didn't take the responsibility to wear my retainers.I personally would just deal with crooked teeth for now, and then fix them sometime after the wedding.  We are also paying for the majority of our wedding, so I get it that money is tight.When people look at your wedding pictures they are going to remember your special day, I don't think they will focus in on the bride's crooked teeth.  I think too many brides focus on looking "perfect" for their day. I personally, would let the worries go.

gobluebh

I have had the surgery, the braces, and the retainer issues... I had an overbite and got it corrected when I was 18 (I'm 35 now). My jaw was broke in two places and moved forward. It took about two months for the swelling to go down. It hurt for about three months. It's really fun, though, to get x-rays done and see the brass screws that are still in there from the surgery! I had my braces on for about four months after the surgery. I still, to this day, wear my retainer. I'm paranoid about my teeth going crooked. Even if you get braces, they could go crooked again if you don't wear a retainer. Retainers are not that bad. It depends on what kind your dr makes for you. I have a plastic one and I like it a lot. You can barely tell I have it in. I only wear it to bed. I wear it every night. I'm glad I had the surgery when I did. It is a bit drastic of a surgery. So, what is most important to you? It's all about your needs, and what is going to make YOU happy. If you really want to have straight teeth and it's something that is really important to you, I would go the route of the second dr. If it is important to you to get the overbite fixed, you could do the surgery now and you would be fine by your wedding. If you're not worried about your smile, and would like to save money, just wait until after the wedding. I can say from my experience, I'm glad I had the surgery and I'm happy with wearing my retainer... I know a lot of people who wear them, and they don't have a problem with it. If you need anymore details, or have any questions, feel free to let me know. I remember the surgery really well... I can give you any advice you might need!

Luvngrl247

gobluebh- I am curious to get a little more information what you went thru for the surgery-  I am wanting to have the surgery now and then get braces put on and taken off by next june- do you think that is do-able?  I havent even looked into pricing for the surgery and what/if my insurance will cover it, but I would love to get your thoughts about the whole process if you dont mind.  I have never known anyone who had the surgery so I couldnt really compare my options thoroughly!Thanks,

gobluebh

I had to have my wisdom teeth taken out first. I think that's typical. So, that was two days of hell... Then, I could have the surgery. By this point in time, I had already had my braces on for a year. My lower jaw never grew to an adult size. That's why I had an overbite. I was either going to have screws put in my jaw to hold it in place while the bone healed togehter, or I would need to have my jaw wired shut. Luckily, I was able to get the screws. They had to cut the top of my gums out behind my very back teeth to access the jaw bone. They also cut a 1/4" incision about 1" below my ear lobe, under the jaw line to access the bone area. It was a pain to wait for the stitches in the gums to heal, and you can't eat anything. If you want to lose weight, this is one way to do it... I was obviously out for the surgery. When I woke up, I was in a world of pain. My head looked like a mushroom because of all of the swelling. There is a lot of swelling. It takes about two months before the swelling is almost gone. A lot of it goes down within the first two weeks. Then, I looked like a chipmunk or a squirrel with nuts in my mouth for over a month. I was 'sore' for the most part after the surgery for the next three months. The first couple of weeks were painful. But, then the 'soreness' kicked in. But, then I had a better smile. Plus, it helps prevent tmj in the future. Another thing, they use these forcep-like things to hold your mouth stretched open for hte surgery. So, I got sent home with tubes of petroleum jelly to constantly put it on my lips to help them heal and keep them from hurting. My cousin Steph also had to have the surgery done. She had it done last year. She's a flight nurse in Alaska, and she's pretty tough. She had her upper jaw broke in four places. Like me, her jaw never grew to her adult size. so, they put prosthetics in to make her jaw bigger and join it together with the other pieces they broke. She had a long recovery time. She had a lot of pain. She planned her surgery for a couple of years because of everything involved... If I were you, I would ask your dr who would potentially do the surgery, what your recovery would be like, if he was cutting in to you how and where would the incisions be, and how he was planning on attaching the jaw back together. I don't remember how much my surgery cost, as I had it a week before I turned 19 because I was still on my dad's insurance and he had really good insurance. He paid for it for me. I think it depends on how much would be involved for you to consider doing it before the wedding.... It really wasn't all that bad. I just kept telling myself 'a couple of weeks and I will be able to eat normal food again'. Waiting for the stitches to heal inside my mouth was probably the worst part. Again, I'm glad I had my surgery. I also had my surgery 16 years ago... But, when I talked to my cousin about hers, they didn't sound too drastically different from each other. If there is anything else you would like to ask, specifically, please feel free to. Hope this helped some.

Spim7

I'm not sure where you are but, if you're in Indy try Hughes orthodontics. Dr. Jay A. Hughes, he is amazing. Let him know your concerns and budget and I'm sure he'll work with you.