Lower Jaw Surgery?

Question

Hello! When I first started high school in 2001 (14 years), I was told I had an underbite. I then got braces on. I had them on until 2004 (17 years), which is when I had my underbite correction jaw surgery.

4 years have past and my jaw grew back... almost to an underbite again. I will be 21 in August. I'm going to have the surgery AGAIN at the end of December.

I just wanted to know if you all believe my jaw has stopped growing... I really don't want to go through with this again. I've had to get braces on AGAIN just so I can have the surgery a second time. This has caused me to go through depression.

My personal worry is that after I have my jaw surgery for the second time, my jaw will grow back AGAIN. I would really appreciate some thoughts on my situation... honest and professional answers.

Answer 1

Well, that sort of surgery is usually put off until about the time you had the first one done, because it is so hard to predict growth in adolescence.  In most girls, by age 17 there usually isn't enough done to significantly change things, but unfortunately that's not always the case.  By the age of 21 though, I would think your jaw would have reached it's final size- so a repeat surgery at this point should let you finish once and for all.  I've know a few people who had it done, in fact I worked with one young lady who had to have several facial surgeries done on both upper and lower mouth due to malformations.  She had them done throughout her childhood, and the final surgery was done to correct the remaining underbite when she was 22.  After that, she did quite well.  I remember her saying the same thing you are now, and wanting to know that this would be the last surgery.  The oral surgeon and maxillio-facial surgeons both assured her it should be, and it was.  I last saw her at her wedding, which took place several years later.  She made a lovely bride, with a beautiful smile by the way.  I'm sorry you have to go through the misery of it again, but I do honestly think that now you are finished growing and should see this as the end of the trouble.  I bet it is depressing to face again, but if you concentrate on the end goal, once it's all done and over with you should feel the mood lift a lot.  I can sort of relate, as I was born with severe enamel hypoplasia- which meant most of my teeth were not covered in enamel.  I went through years of "final fixes", loads of oral surgery to bring each tooth into position, caps, bridges, root canals- you name it.  In the end, I lost most of them anyway- shattered in the effort to remove a bridged group of caps to recement a loose one.  I was depressed at first, then it occured to me that I would finally have teeth that didn't hurt, wouldn't shatter unexpectedly, and which didn't require tons of money and misery to repair/maintain.  Once I realized I had finally reached the end of it all, my mood definitely brightened.  I think you will reach the same point, in time.  Good luck dear, and may your bite and smile end up perfect!

Answer 2

I have an underbite and they refused to do it until I was 18.

I had to get x rays done on my hands so they could see that I had stopped growing.

They did it when I was 16 because I was fully grown.

Answer 3

Jaw surgery is very safe nowadays. My cousin got her dental implants and Lasik surgery in India by a company called Indian Health Guru Consultants. The Price for dental and Lasik surgery is very less in India. She paid 25% of the price she was quoted in America.

Indian Health Guru Consultants is very famous in India They arrange Dental surgery, jaw surgery, Lasik eye surgery, Dental Implants etc for foreign patients in India. I read a lot about them in the Newspapers and magazines- about their patient stories.

They arrange financing for USA, Canadian, UK and other international patients who plan to have surgery abroad for low cost, as dental and eye surgery is not covered by insurance. They also have photos pasted of their International patients. You can checkout their website. There are huge cost savings. As a doctor I personally believe that surgery can be easily handled in India, as the quality of healthcare available In India is simply best in the world. The surgeons are USA/UK trained and facilities are 5 star.

http://www.indianhealthguru.com

Hope this helps.