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I am now 1 year into wearing my braces and I have to say the teeth are looking way better. I am now 52 and now my orthodontist wants me to have an evasive surgery to correct a slight cross bite on the left side rear of my mouth. The procedure he wants me to have is called a LeFort 1. This proceedure basicly cuts the whole upper jaw away from the upper skull by making cuts from the left rear upper molar to the back right upper molar. The surgen then splits the upper jaw upper palete and reset it to the correct position aligning it perfectly with the lower jaw which then is rescrewed back into place providing a permenant correction. The upper jaw is then tied down with the lower draw until healed.
It gets even better, I will have to be off work for 3 weeks to properly heal eating only milk shakes and soup broth for two weeks through a staw and slowly introduce soft foods until I can chew again. I do not have any issues chewing, no pain and and it will not really be providing any cometic benefit either Though it will provied perfect orthodontics with straight teeth with perfect bite. Am I crazy to have this proceedure? Please respond I am scheduled for surgery May 24th. I also have another post called "Braces at 50?" which I have tagged this as well. I really would love to hear from people who have either gone through this procedure or similar and read about your experiences though any comments will be considered. Thank you very much!
I had a slightly similar procedure - but the operation was done on my lower jaw only. I'm not sure what it was technically called but the bone was cut on each side, moved forward (to correct an overbite) and set with screws.
I, too, was essentially on liquid diet 3 weeks and soft food 3 more weeks. I am beyond pleased with my results and so happy I did it.
However, I understand that upper jaw procedures may be more complicated - and I was only 16 when I had mine done and was told that it would prevent future problems.
I think it comes down to a personal preference - maybe ask if he can refer you to anyone who has had the same/similar procedure to get feedback from them?
Thanks for the input though they are a bit different. I don't have an over or under bite. The cross bite is on the rear left molars not aligning correctly with the bottom left molars. I hope to hear from someone who has had a proceedure similar to what is suggested by my Orthodontist especially if they had it done closer to middle age.
Thanks for the input though they are a bit different. I don't have an over or under bite. The cross bite is on the rear left molars not aligning correctly with the bottom left molars. I hope to hear from someone who has had a proceedure similar to what is suggested by my Orthodontist especially if they had it done closer to middle age.
At 52 does a cross bite matter enough to restructure your skull?
IMO I'd wait until the braces came off to re-evaluate if there is any health benefits to be had since the procedure is so radical. I think you'll find that there is no meaningful benefit to be had.
Thanks for the input though they are a bit different. I don't have an over or under bite. The cross bite is on the rear left molars not aligning correctly with the bottom left molars. I hope to hear from someone who has had a proceedure similar to what is suggested by my Orthodontist especially if they had it done closer to middle age.
I posted on your other post..
I personally wouldn't do it. Why have surgery for something that's not noticeable? Will you develop arthritis from the fractures? Can you live with any possible pain for the rest of your life?
My daughter had a wrist fracture when she was in her tweens - her wrist has hurt since.
I also would get another opinion. I don't trust dentists as far as I can throw them. I've had a lot of unnecessary work done.
Thanks for the input though they are a bit different. I don't have an over or under bite. The cross bite is on the rear left molars not aligning correctly with the bottom left molars. I hope to hear from someone who has had a proceedure similar to what is suggested by my Orthodontist especially if they had it done closer to middle age.
Sorry - I think that's where I was going with it - I just didn't say it well. The upper jaw procedures have more risks as far as I know (I had that as an option and choose not to), and you are middle aged - so if it won't improve anything functionally or cosmetically, is it really worth the risks?
Isn't there some simpler way of correcting this? Like putting crowns on the affected molars that will correct the misalignment? My first thought is to get a second opinion as this sounds like using a sledge hammer to kill a gnat. Not to mention that a lot of money will be changing hands.
I was told by other doctors that my jaw would be wired
I had to have jaw surgery for a bad bite. I[mod] can't make specific recs, too new, read TOS [/mod]It was unbelievable. I had to have both the top and bottom done. I was told by other doctors that my jaw would be wired for 6 to 8 weeks and would be in the hospital for days. Dr. Schelkun never wired my jaws together and I was eating the day after surgery. It was only an overnight stay at the hospital.
Last edited by SouthernBelleInUtah; 08-12-2010 at 01:15 PM..
Whatever you do, don't get any dental surgery done, in a county hospital!! Here's my dental horror story, regarding oral surgeons in a county hospital. I had a severe bacterial infection in my throat, a few years back. It quickly turned into a facial abscess, and was very painful. I had no health insurance at the time. My totally clueless landlady then, suggested that I go to a county hospital for treatment. I did, and it was the biggest regret of my entire life!
I waited in their over-crowded waiting room, for at least three hours!
When they finally checked me over, they said that they must admit me.
They wheeled me in to a stark, bleak room, where they hooked me up to an IV, X-rayed my face, and did an MRI scan of it too. I spent the night alone in that room, petrified.
Next morning a couple of oral surgeons converged on me. They insisted that they'd have to remove the facial abscess surgically, and that the infection had spread to the roots of a molar. They also said that I might lose more than one tooth. They wanted to X-ray my lower jaw, to see just how many teeth that they'd have to extract. They mentioned that they 'would only remove more teeth, if it was absolutely necessary, and wouldn't just pull teeth for fun'.
They took me to the Oral Surgery clinic, and X-rayed my jaw. They never indicated how many teeth that they were planning to extract. They just shoved a consent form for me to sign under my nose, which I did, because I trusted their judgment. I shouldn't have.
I woke up in the intensive care unit a couple of days after the surgery. They'd shoved a breathing-tube through one nostril, a feeding tube in the other nostril, and put a large bandage on my neck. I also noticed that I had 5 molars missing-two were on the side of my jaw that wasn't even infected! They never explained why they extracted so many of my teeth. They never kept me informed about the course of my treatment, at all.
I spent ten days in intensive care. I was unable to talk, because they put the breathing tube right against my voice-box. All I could do was sip juice and water. The breathing specialist, said that the doctors never should've installed the breathing tube in the first place. They had to constantly suction mucus from my lungs during that ten-day period. It kept building up in my lungs, due to the breathing tube. Whenever they suctioned my lungs, it took my breath away.
One night, my lungs got so congested with mucus, that they couldn't supply enough oxygen to my heart, which stopped. They had to quickly administer medication to restart my ticker, and bring me back from the jaws of death!! Keep in-mind that this never would've happened, if the doctors knew what they were doing. Even the nurses always griped about how inept the doctors were!
They finally removed the breathing tube after 10 days. They wanted to keep me in the hospital, until my lungs cleared. After they finally discharged me, It took me 6 months to open my mouth wide enough to eat a sandwich! I also endured massive diarrhea for a week, waiting half a day to get prescriptions filled in the hospital Pharmacy, and another tooth extraction (which was painful, even after 3 shots of Novocain).
I recovered from this horrific experience physically, but it really traumatized me emotionally. I'll never go a county clinic or hospital again, for dental treatment!
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I was told by other doctors that my jaw would be wired
