The First Step of a Long Journey

It is well known that the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. 

Well, here is my first step on a long road...

After quite a few years of denial, cutting/tearing up my food, and saying, "it's not actually bothering me; I can live with it," I am finally admitting I need jaw surgery. 

The biggest clue that surgery is non-negotiable was when I went to the dentist for a regular visit, and after a first look at my bite, he asked, "...How do you eat??"

I promise this was not the face I made when I finally realized what needed to be done, but here is a before-any-treatment picture. And an introduction to those who don't know me, but might be going through their own Jaw Journey.

"But whyyy?! You're teeth are so straight!" 

I get this a lot. Thank you! Yes, they are straight, but it isn't my teeth that are the problem. My jaw has moved to a point where I have an open bite. This means that when I bite my teeth together, the top and bottom teeth do not meet.  

Smiling

Biting down/Clenching

Right now when I clench my teeth (seen in the picture above), my teeth only touch on my very back molars. If that's not enough, it's really only my right back molars that touch. The left ones just barely meet.  

A short dental/ortho history:  
I have had a lot of metal in my mouth... Expanders, retainers, two sets of braces, and permanent retainers.  So, I'm no stranger to the orthodontist, and I really like mine. Thank goodness! He has done all of my ortho work. I trust his judgement and am comfortable with all of the ladies that work at the office. That makes a huge difference about how I'll feel through the whole process. 

When I got my braces off in 2007, my bite fit nicely like it should.  It wasn't until after I noticed significant change in my bite when I set and up an appointment with the orthodontist.

My bite in 2007, just after braces got off:

Hah! Justttt kidding!

My orthodontist, Dr. S, was obviously disappointed with the movement. We updated my records with a lot of pictures, Xrays, and impressions.  He then referred me to an oral surgeon he has worked with for years, Dr. M. 

When I called to set an appointment for a consultation with Dr. M, the first appointment was six weeks out! So I took it and waited... and waited... and called Dr. S to send over all my records... then finally the day came.

Yesterday, January 8,2014, we (my parents & I) met with Dr. M for the first time. I had done a little reading about him beforehand.  He is a highly ranked oral surgeon in Atlanta, was the oral surgeon for the old Atlanta Thrashers hockey team (haha!!), and is a doctor for the Atlanta Braves. *Cool note: He was a doctor for Jason Heyward after his jaw was broken at bat!* 
All of this is very reassuring, but meeting him made me feel even better.  He was very nice, and I am very happy with him doing my surgery. 

During the consultation, he assessed what was going on with my jaw and gave us a few options before he gave us his opinion.

• Option one is a two part process.  A first outpatient surgery that will expand my palate, wait some time, then proceed to upper jaw surgery that entails bisecting it before re-positioning and bolting in place.

• Option two is one bigger surgery where my upper jaw would be trisected, repositioned, then bolted in place.

After describing the two options, he said that his own opinion would be to take option one.  It is two procedures, but neither is quite as invasive or risky with a little better recovery times and reliable longterm results. I have a lot of faith in the experts, so I am 98% sure we will be doing option one. 

Here it is in a little more detail...

1. Wait for approval from insurance for the surgeries.
2. Go to the orthodontist to get a palatal expander made.
3. Get expander on.
4. SARPE (Surgically Assisted Rapid Palatal Expansion) - 1st surgery where Dr. M will cut my palate bone in two, so the expander will widen my palate as I crank it with a little key every day.  I did a little research on this, and from what I've seen I'll be rocking an enormous gap... So, that will be great when trying to meet a guy. HAH! They always say you'll meet when you least expect it. This would definitely be when I leastttt expect it. 
5. Expand my upper jaw
6. Get braces on and tweak teeth positioning over 9-12 months preparing them for surgery
7. 2nd surgery - the upper jaw surgery: jaw bone is cut in two, re-positioned, bolted into place

Thrilling as it sounds, I am hopeful that my life will improve once it is all done. 

Because right now being able to bite things with my front teeth is a foreign concept, I grind my teeth at night, and I have found myself having a dopey look on my face because my lips are having trouble staying closed from the bite.

I think I will end this post here. I am sure I will have time to post my "what if?", "what now?", "HELP!" post in between appointments.