Not photos yet....

So I tried to post photos, but it just didn't work for me.... So they will be up when I can figure out how to work it....

More Info!!

Hey! It's seven o'clock in the morning and I have just gotten up, so I thought I would explain why I am getting this surgery by telling you how I feel at the moment. When I wake up, I feel like I have something sitting on my head, and the pressure is pretty big. When I get up and walk around I have a headache in the sides of my jaws and in my temples, but that usually goes away after a while. It is really quite painful though, and annoying. When I bite down, I only use about two or three teeth, so it can be difficult and uncomfortable to eat. Before I started the braces, my bottom teeth were bending backwards, which caused trouble eating and some pain. So my mouth was pretty screwed up! But hopefully it will be fixed after my op-that's why I am having it anyway!

I have my next orthodontist appointment in two weeks when she will be (hopefully) taking moulds and sending them to the surgeon. I have to get an x ray as close as possible to this date, so I will probably get it the day before or something like that, to help her make the moulds. I have an appointment with the surgeon a week after that, where he will look at the moulds and say whether I am ready or not. If I am, he will brief me about the surgery again, and give me a date. My orthodontist seems confident that I will be ready by the time I go to the surgeon, so hopefully it goes well. After the surgeon appointment, I have another orthodontist appointment a couple of weeks later when she will hopefully just be tidying up and making it pretty for the surgeons to look at :). She might also put some hooks on, for the jaw to be wired up after surgery. 

Sorry about the posts close together, but I had to give you all the info for you to get a clear picture. :)

The beginning of my surgery journey....

Hey!! So I inherited a class three underbite from somebody..... Not sure who to blame, but I am going to have surgery to fix it. It has caused a bit of pain and has made my chin REALLY huge compared to the rest of my face. (Hence the title)
I started my jaw surgery journey when I had my wisdom teeth out. I had visited my dentist for pain in the sides of my jaw, and she picked up that my bottom teeth had started to bend backwards, a sign that I had a class III underbite and that my bottom jaw was moving too far forward. She referred me to an orthodontist and a maxillofacial surgeon, who would be responsible for fixing my jaw, should I choose this path. I considered both the non surgical and surgical option, and after much deliberation, my parents and I chose the surgical option, as it had a greater chance of success, and would fix the problem, not put a bandaid over it. We met with both of them, and after looking at the x rays that I had taken, the surgeon decided that I was a good candidate for surgery. It was then organized for me to have my wisdom teeth out before commencing my orthodontic treatment, as the teeth could interfere with the braces. 

After I had recovered from this, I got my braces put on, which was not too bad at first, although they started to get uncomfortable when they were tightened and when I tried to eat. I had regular appointments with my orthodontist, who would check the state of my braces and change they bands and wires. During the whole course of the treatment, I have only broken one bracket so far (touch wood) and have proceeded on schedule.

I had my most recent appointment about a week ago, and she said that I was ready to have x rays taken and to meet with my surgeon again. I have to have my x ray taken as close as possible to my next orthodontic appointment, where she will look at them, and take moulds of my teeth if she is happy with the x ray. I then have an appointment with the surgeon the next week where he will tell me about the surgery and give me a date. 

I chose to have this surgery, as my chin is quite big as a result of the movement of my bottom jaw, and people comment on it often. I also get quite bad headaches of a morning and I only bite on a few teeth at the back, which could cause them to wear down. If you are considering this surgery and experience discomfort or lack of confidence, I recommend that you go ahead with it, with the advice of a professional.  I can't wait to see what a difference the surgery will make to my face! 

However, if you decide to go ahead with the surgery, here are some tips:

Ask questions-You need to be as well prepared as possible for the surgery and the after effects. The only way you can do this is by asking questions and making sure you understand what is going to happen.

Be careful with braces!- This is important, as one bracket broken can add extra months to your treatment time. It's better to just get it over with, and you can have the chewy lollies when you are better.

Be prepared for some pain- This is both for the braces and the surgery. I can't really speak for the surgery just yet, but sometimes the braces can be pretty painful, especially when they are tightened or the teeth are moving. 

Research- Every surgery is different, but it can be helpful to look at other people's experiences to get some idea of what to expect. 

http://myunderbiteadventure.blogspot.com.au/search?updated-max=2010-05-12T20:42:00-04:00&max-results=12&reverse-paginate=true this blog was helpful, even though it wasn't the same surgery. Her experience gave me some idea of what to expect when getting jaw surgery in general.

http://doublejawfix.blogspot.com.au/2011/05/time-to-get-boost-day-5-may-13.html this was also extremely helpful, as his jaw was wired shut and this is what I expect to have done.

You tubing other people's experiences was also helpful, as people often want to record their journey, like I'm doing now, and some people do this in front of a camera. (I just can't talk to a camera. :)I will be putting pictures on, just not videos.) Looking at how other people felt and looked when having this surgery and after wards, really helped me relax about it. It looks like a relatively common surgery, so I am trying to stay calm and not think about the needles. (I am REALLY afraid of needles, and some people had to give blood in case they need a transfusion. REALLY hoping that doesn't have to happen, but I have to get a needle anyway when they knock me out for surgery, so I'd better get used to it.) :/

Anyway, I will be posting anytime their are milestones, like appointments with surgeon or orthodontists, or x rays or stuff like that. If you have any questions, just ask in the comment section. Thanks!