Anterior Open Bite - Clueless on what to do.

Hey,

I am a 20 year old student at uni. I suffer from something called an Anterior Open Bite - where the upper teeth do not touch the bottom teeth ( http://www.angle.org/anglonline/?request=get-document&issn=0003-3219&volume=074&issue=04&page=0558#i0003-3219-074-04-0558-f01 ) - check out the before/after pictures in that link near the bottom of the page, mine is very similar.

Lately, I have been really down about it. Mainly because my local hospital in London are refusing to treat my anterior open bite as I spend most of my year away from London for university. Rather, they would prefer that I get treated by orthodontics at the hospital near my university. This has been a very irritating prospect for me, as I find it very difficult to look after myself when I catch terrible flus/mumps viral infections etc at university. So logically for me to look after myself whilst I under go an anterior open bite correction procedure away from home just seems absurd. As the chances are I would be in a lot of agony from my jaw being repositioned and will probably have to eat food from a straw for a while.

My local hospital has proposed three arguments to why I am not to be treated by them. The first is that I am away from home for x amount of time, so it is only wise that I get operated at the hospital near my university. Secondly, if my metallic plates fall out after being treated in London at the town my university is at, then I will be *apparently* screwed as the hospital near uni would not know how to treat me. Thirdly, it's apparently negligence on their behalf to treat me in London, and then allow me to go away for university. Ideally, what my local hospital would like is if I stayed in London for three years for the duration of this treatment. This is really annoying because:

a) I am at home in the summer for 3 months - why can I not get my jaw treated then? Providing I told them months in advanced.

b) What if my "metallic plates" fall out in London, who will treat me then?

c) Why is it negligence for them to treat me because I am away from home for most of the year, when theoretically isn't it negligence for the hospital in the area where my university is situated in to treat me? I mean, it’s not like I am at university 365 days a year, rather 2 months at one time - maybe less, depending on the semester. This in my opinion is double standards.

Ultimately, I am adamant to get my jaw fixed because after all I want to be able to smile like this :biggrin:

. It has become a very painful experience not having the ability to smile with the top teeth touching the bottom teeth. Especially, when I am asked to smile like this :biggrin:

for photographs, yet I can't as I have an ugly gap between my upper and bottom teeth, so I will have to as a result smile like :smile:

this half the time. It makes me jealous knowing that I can't do :biggrin:

that.

I feel that I am entitled to a smile like everyone else, and I don't want to wait until I settle down in London after my degree (that's if I do) just to get the surgery needed for such a feat. At this rate, it is very depressing; because at the rate these clowns at the hospital at London are going at I will be 30 years old before I get a decent smile. Which in my opinion is old, as I want a decent smile at least by my early-mid 20s!

I am not rich enough to afford private treatment for this and am seriously considering writing to my local MP about how much of a joke the NHS is. But I am not sure if that would be the right thing to do.

Any ideas on what course of action I should take?

Thank you for listening for my rant. Good night

Reply 1

Anonymous #2

Can you just lie to them and say you won't be going away to university? Do they need proof that you aren't going to away from London? Obviously you should consider the possible negative consequences of lying to them, for example if your plates fall out you would have to get back to London quickly to get them fixed. Is it really their business where the hell you want to live as long as you are aware of the problems with it and choose to accept the risk?

Reply 2

wendizzle22

1

Can't one of your parents have a couple of weeks off work and stay with you at Uni while you get it done near university? If you're lucky and have 2 parents or anyone else who could look after you, they could get off work after the first parent, so you get a longer amount of time during which you are looked after :smile:

I'm sure they'd be happy to help you through an important time like this if they know how much you really want the treatment. Also, your flatmates/housemates/hall mates and help you.

Reply 3

Schroedinger's Pandora

13

My little bro had his jaw re-alligned because of anterior open bite.. I'm telling you.. Its wierd!! He has looked completely different since his op I hope you are prepared for that.
My ex had it too.. but in a funny way i thought it was a bit sexy. :confused:

Reply 4

Anonymous #1

OP

Can you just lie to them and say you won't be going away to university? Do they need proof that you aren't going to away from London? Obviously you should consider the possible negative consequences of lying to them, for example if your plates fall out you would have to get back to London quickly to get them fixed. Is it really their business where the hell you want to live as long as you are aware of the problems with it and choose to accept the risk?

That is exactly the reason why I never lied to them, in case the plates fell out whilst I am at university. It is too late now to lie anyway, unless of course I tell them that I dropped out of university.

Can't one of your parents have a couple of weeks off work and stay with you at Uni while you get it done near university? If you're lucky and have 2 parents or anyone else who could look after you, they could get off work after the first parent, so you get a longer amount of time during which you are looked after
I'm sure they'd be happy to help you through an important time like this if they know how much you really want the treatment. Also, your flatmates/housemates/hall mates and help you.

It costs money for my parents to come up to Uni just to stay with me. Plus, it's uni work that I will be concerned about too, I have no clue how long I will be off uni after this operation takes place.

As for flatmates/housemates/hall mates - they are just unreliable.

A girlfriend at uni would be handy at times like this, but unfortunantly I don't have one :p:

My little bro had his jaw re-alligned because of anterior open bite.. I'm telling you.. Its wierd!! He has looked completely different since his op I hope you are prepared for that.
My ex had it too.. but in a funny way i thought it was a bit sexy.

Really? did he look different in a bad way? (Your brother?)

Well, at least you found that your bf looked more sexy! I cant really see myself looking that different, as the only thing I can imagine changing is the length of my face. It is currently slightly longated. But you never know, I might be wrong and may end up looking really minging after the operation noooooooooooooooo! :p:

Reply 5

wendizzle22

1

If your room has a little bit of space you could put in a little camp bed or just a mattress on the floor, to same money on hotels. I'm sure it'd be ok for a few days. That way all they'd have to pay for is the train ticket. I'm sure they'd make that small sacrifice for you!

Reply 6

Anonymous #1

OP

They wont do it. Spoken to them about it already. :frown:

Reply 7

Schroedinger's Pandora

13

Anonymous

Really? did he look different in a bad way? (Your brother?)

Well, at least you found that your bf looked more sexy! I cant really see myself looking that different, as the only thing I can imagine changing is the length of my face. It is currently slightly longated. But you never know, I might be wrong and may end up looking really minging after the operation noooooooooooooooo! :p:

No not really in a bad way, and we all said the same thing about the difference only being tiny when the doctors talked about a change in appearance but I couldn't believe it after the op and neither could my parents.
I guess even small changes to the bone structure of your face can make you look considerably different. Anyway.. hes fine with it, he had to have his jaw wired shut for a few weeks but he got by on weetabix- bless him.

And yeah It can be sexy. forgive me.. like i said my ex's teeth were the same and there was something about it i thought was [dare i say] cute?? :biggrin:

Theres this other guy at uni (a very tall black guy I certaintly wouldn't kick out of bed) I've noticed has it too. :p:

Reply 8

Schroedinger's Pandora

13

oh and by the way.. my ex never did get his jaw set back -- i mean i thought his teeth were lovely how they were :smile:

Reply 9

Schroedinger's Pandora

13

If you'd like me to put you in touch with my bro hes more than happy to talk to you about it.. :rolleyes:

Ohh..they dont automatically merge your posts anymore.. oops

Reply 10

Schroedinger's Pandora

13

sorry!!

Reply 11

Anonymous #1

OP

Hey,

Cheers for the info red_sox, I will PM you. :smile:

Reply 12

shinytoy

18

mate ii think you should just get it done at the hospital near uni. cos over the long term, if sth goes wtrong, chances are you spend most of the year ther so they will know how to treat you.

i mean, i know it would be hard for you and everyone would be looking and laughing at uni. but i guess the only other alternative is for you to wait unitl you graduate. i mean, either way if you have it done at home or away you'll still suffer the aftercare at uni.

unless you agree for regular checkups in london. even then i think you'd have to pay$

Reply 13

Anonymous #1

OP

Going back and forth to London is not a problem for me, as my brother is a pilot so I will get free airline tickets.

I don't really care what people think at university, rather what concerns me is if I get this operation done I will probably will be unable to eat for a while. Hence, I will lose a **** load of weight (I am a slim guy as it is). It's just not a good idea in that respect, as I have suffered from the mumps already, and it was absolutely dreadful because I was unable to eat properly at university (ended up in hospital with drips).

Anterior Open Bite - Clueless on what to do.

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