Jaw Surgery?

I'm interested in potentially having jaw surgery on my lower jaw, however no amount of Googling is finding me a decent amount of information on it.

I don't even know who I need to ask in order to get it - is it my dentist? a hospital? I can't work it out!

Has anyone here had it and if so how much did it cost?

Reply 1

Fail Whale

7

Dentist. When I had a problem with my jaw I saw my dentist, and he referred me to the Maxillofacial Department at hospital.

Reply 2

Hello Laura!

12

Dentist.

What's the problem with it? What do you think you need doing to it?

My lower jaw was too small, so I had braces for a couple of years until my teeth were in the right position to have the operation.

Never had to pay for it since it wasn't just a cosmetic thing.

And now I have no feeling in the right hand side of my lower lip and chin. Hurray!

Worth it though.

Reply 3

michael clayton

15

I was referred to the maxfax depatment of a hospital- they told me that i could have a bimaxillary osteotomy. Truth is that I have no trouble eating food (just biting nails lol) and it is of little cosmetic concern to me as it is almost unnoticeable.
......now I'm about 2 study dentistry so my advice would be as follows:
1. Have it done if you have difficulty eating
2. Have it done to improve your appearance- it could boost self-confidence etc.
3. Be aware of the risks- orthognathic jaw surgery is a major op
4. Have faith in the surgeons- they spend 12 years at university and are not only highly skilled individuals but they understand exactly what ur going through.

Reply 4

romeosbitch

15

Hello Laura!

Dentist.
Never had to pay for it since it wasn't just a cosmetic thing.

And now I have no feeling in the right hand side of my lower lip and chin. Hurray!

Worth it though.

This. Although my whole bottom lip and chin is numb which is fun when I spill things down my face.

Go to the dentist and enquire. If you have a private dentist, unless you have medical insurance then you will have to pay. And if you have medical insurance then you need your dentist to be completely sure it isn't cosmetic because then they won't pay. My parents had a mini tussle with Bupa who nearly refused to cover it even though I had such a gap when I tried to put my teeth together that I could wiggle my tongue through it. Now I've gained a nice jaw and lost a party trick.

Reply 5

Hello Laura!

12

romeosbitch

This. Although my whole bottom lip and chin is numb which is fun when I spill things down my face.

Haha, snap!

I don't even attempt to eat unless I have a napkin avaliable now.

Reply 6

felt_monkey

12

Hello Laura!

And now I have no feeling in the right hand side of my lower lip and chin. Hurray!

I can be your twin; I have no feeling on the left half :awesome:

OP, if you have any questions feel free to ask. I had mine done on 30/12/08, and the anniversary of it a few days ago was quite emotional :sigh:

. Oh, and it costs nothing, you can have it done on the NHS. Normally your dentist/ortho refers you to a maxfax surgeon. Research 'bimaxilary osteotomy', that should come up with a lot.

Reply 7

jaw

3

what type of operation are we talking here? :unsure:

Reply 8

felt_monkey

12

jaw

what type of operation are we talking here? :unsure:

We're going to perform surgery on you. You don't mind do you? It's a secret :wink:

Reply 9

Hello Laura!

12

Wow, so many people have this! I don't know anyone else in real life who's had it except my mum.

I can't remember the technical name of my operation... It was in 2006 though.

Reply 10

CrazyBadger

Does anyone who had this not have permenant nerve damage >__< I'm supposed to have this in 6months or so and im getting freaked out :s-smilie:

I'd rather keep the feeling in my lower face if possible :no:

Reply 11

Hello Laura!

12

No, to be honest, I don't.

It's really not a big deal though. Once it's been like that for a while you don't even notice anything is really wrong. For me it's not as bad as being numbed up at the dentist as I still have some sensations there. It doesn't make kissing any less enjoyable either.

'Permenant' counts as anything longer than a year I think, but even after that the feeling could still come back slightly.

You've got to take into consideration as well how much your jaw is bothering you. If you're actually in line for the operation I assume the positives of it definitely outweigh any loss of sensation.

The only thing I don't enjoy is when I'm getting an exam at the dentist and she retracts my lower lip with the mirror - I really hate that.

Oh oh oh, and also, for about 6 months after the operation rice always got stuck at the back of my lower jaw on the right side and that was a total pain. Especially since I'd eat rice with every meal given the opertunity.

Reply 12

Jukukiwaiyi

1

yeah what is it for, is your jaw too backwards for example? Either way it's best to see a dentist, he'd know whats best for you

Reply 13

romeosbitch

15

CrazyBadger

Does anyone who had this not have permenant nerve damage >__< I'm supposed to have this in 6months or so and im getting freaked out :s-smilie:

I'd rather keep the feeling in my lower face if possible :no:

The silly thing is i'm sure that on the handy leaflet I got it said that only 5% of people suffer nerve damage but on here it seems like everyone who's had it done has lost some feeling.

I had mine done in 2006 so I'm pretty sure mine is permanent, I started going to acupuncture to re-stimulate the nerves which did help slightly and strange things like brushing a certain tooth and kissing lots result in a nice tingly sensation. Kissing is still fun and it doesn't matter if they get over zealous biting my bottom lip either so it's all good.

A strange question however, I had my jaw moved backwards (as in my lower jaw was sticking out way too much) and now it's in its proper place I find I can't open my mouth wide enough to... eat a banana without leaving teeth marks. Has anyone else had that problem?

Reply 14

felt_monkey

12

romeosbitch

The silly thing is i'm sure that on the handy leaflet I got it said that only 5% of people suffer nerve damage but on here it seems like everyone who's had it done has lost some feeling.

I had mine done in 2006 so I'm pretty sure mine is permanent, I started going to acupuncture to re-stimulate the nerves which did help slightly and strange things like brushing a certain tooth and kissing lots result in a nice tingly sensation. Kissing is still fun and it doesn't matter if they get over zealous biting my bottom lip either so it's all good.

A strange question however, I had my jaw moved backwards (as in my lower jaw was sticking out way too much) and now it's in its proper place I find I can't open my mouth wide enough to... eat a banana without leaving teeth marks. Has anyone else had that problem?

My mouth can't open terribly wide but it's not too much of a problem. Do you find that when you drink something that's really cold, you can feel it on the outside of your mouth, on your chin? It feels like your chin's wet. It's really annoying...

Reply 15

wordsearch

OP

1

Thanks for the advice so far everyone! I'm surprised it's free; but at least that explains why no amount of searching could find a price, haha! I assume there is a massive waiting list for it then?

Also has anyone had any problems speaking as a result? I saw online that it can cause problems that can screw up your ability to speak, has this rung true for anyone?

Reply 16

BJack

19

wordsearch

I'm interested in potentially having jaw surgery on my lower jaw, [...]

The way you phrased this makes it sound like you want it done for cosmetic reasons (or some other non-essential purpose). Major surgery shouldn't be undertaken lightly, what with all the potential — and apparently rather common — side-effects.

Reply 17

Hello Laura!

12

wordsearch

Also has anyone had any problems speaking as a result? I saw online that it can cause problems that can screw up your ability to speak, has this rung true for anyone?

I didn't, other than what could be expected from having a bit of an achy jaw and not really that interested in talking to people very much cause I was tired. Never noticed anything since the pain went away.

Someone said something about leaving teeth marks on a bananna... I DO THAT TOO. ButI can open my mouth quite wide when I'm not eating. Hah, I must just be a bit strange. :woo: