So my main issue, the main unresolved issue is I do not feel comfortable about the proposed jaw movement my potential surgeon Dr.G has recommended. I have bugged Terra to death about this hahaha, but I really need to get this off my mind. The reason I question him and this proposed jaw movement is for 3 reasons
1- I've been following numerous cases online, many with overbites and gummy smiles FAR worse than mine with less movement and they look like themselves but better.
2- His proposed 15 mm lower jaw movement is the most significant of any surgeon I have consulted with and the procedure seems the most invasive. If I am impacting the upper jaw 5mm my lower jaw will auto rotate and out to meet it so it should be less.
3- The digital imaging he offered me was so hideous, that I still am having issues about doing this surgery.
I am not sure what to do at this point, should I call him and be like I dont like your proposed movement, or Im unsure if this is right... He seems like a great guy and he does some of the most complicated and advanced surgeries in the country so I know he's good. Am I being stupid fixating on something as small as mm's ?
Something in my gut is telling me I need to talk about this and come to some kind of a resolve or move on.
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Hi!:) I think it sounds like you really should ring up and ask your surgeon about the proposed millemetres of movement, because each millimetre does actually make a big difference. Also, it is down to oppinion what degree of movement would improve your face it's not an objective thing at all. My orthodontist and surgeon disagreed about an aspect of how my jaw would be moved at first, and I said I agreed with my orthodontist's oppinion and so that was what we went with. I think you really should let your surgeon know how your feeling, he would probably like to have you oppinion! and if not at least he'll be able to reassure you.
ReplyDeleteIt is your face after all and you have to feel completely confident in whats going to be done to it before you agree to it being changed:) I'm sure your surgeon would be very happy to discuss it with you!! Is that the prediction photo that you posted? I don't think it's hideous at all! that looks beautiful to me, but the measurements do sound extreme so I do think it would be good to tell him how you're feeling:) good luck! xx
Hi doll :)
DeleteYour right on the money, calling my surgeon would be a good idea and getting whats bugging me off my mind. I dont think anything he can say will convince me at this point that 15mm is right for me- my mind is made up from what I've seen online. My orthodontist is not very helpful he just says 'your going to work with one of the guys who writes the books on jaw surgery, who are you questioning' -- that is assuring and not at the same time.
Good thing that you and your ortho spoke up about your concerns and the most important thing is that everyone is comfortable and on the same page! What are your proposed jaw movements thus far and when will you be surgery ready?
Some surgeons take their patients opinions into consideration, others may consider it useless since its not a medically influenced or supported concern. He might take it as, oh well if you dont like how I do it, find someone who will do it how you want. I clearly think he's an awesome guy and is someone I want to do my surgery with, but we need to come to some kind of an agreement maybe less jaw movement and a genio or something. ..
Take care lady :)
Hey Susie, I think it may be best to follow your gut instinct. You should be totally comfortable with the surgery before going into it. I'm sure that the predicted picture you've shown won't be your exact result, so try not to get to hung up on that. My surgeon told me it's nearly impossible to predict how the facial muscles are going to move in surgery. So in that predicted picture, your jaw has changed, but your cheeks still look the same, and I doubt it will look like that after surgery. 15 mm is a lot though! I've thought my 10 mm was a lot! I think my overbite is much bigger than yours too...
ReplyDeleteTake care!
Hi Max,
DeleteThanks for your advice :) The only real detector we have is our gut, and we have to follow it! I think at this point I have legitimate reasons to be concerned. I can understand that my muscles and soft tissue will not look in the after photo, but its very stark to keeping soft and feminine features, it looks very masculine and strong not sexy lol. Yeah everyone is saying 15 is lot lol and Im getting a 5mm impaction upper jaw- so lower jaw is already going to auto rotate! With 15mm jaw movement they'll give me an underbite sigh... I'll call them again and see if we can come to some sort of an agreement...
catch you around lady :)
Hi Susie, I'm assuming you're referring to Dr. Gunson. I myself consulted with Dr. Arnett last July and am looking at a surgery date with him this August. I too had similar worries regarding the projected post-surgery image and with the movement that Dr. Arnett was discussing. I have both an overbite and anterior open bite. I will be having a similar surgery to you (upper and lower) and the projected movement for my lower-jaw is the same as you: 15mm. It's interesting to hear your concerns regarding the movement because when I initially found out I didn't have that reaction. From looking at the ceph diagram that's what is needed to bring everything into alignment. My primary concern is that as you stated, a 15 mm advancement of the mandible is A LOT of movement compared to what I have seen with most other people who have the same surgery. Feel free to e-mail me at zachary.t.newton@gmail.com if you want to talk more!
ReplyDeleteHi Zach ! I am indeed referring to Dr.Gunson but I think he sounds cooler w/ the Dr.G reference :)... Did you get a chance to talk to Dr.Arnett about your projected image, or did you just get over it and figure it wasn't significant? Yeah your proposed movement sounds very inline with overbite/open bite, what kind of upper jaw movement will you have? Did they propose a genio? That is very interesting they proposed you a 15mm advancement too, I noticed another girl who had an overbite with them they advanced her (drumroll) 15 mm... I am going to call and try to connect with Dr.Gunson about this more seriously, I dont think its right at least not for me. Granted Im not a medical professional, and granted I hate my projection, I'd rather go with less movement and have a less subtle result and maybe a genio. Have you connected with other Gunson/Arnett patients?
DeleteTake care :)
Hi, as everybody else here has said, I think you should definitely discuss it with your surgeon, and I do think 15mm is a big movement, the biggest I've read of is 12mm. With regard to your prediction picutres, I don't think you should take too much notice of them because they are often very wrong. I don't know if you've already looked at Whitney's blog, but I think this post might be useful to you, because her actual result is way better than her predicted pictures:
ReplyDeletehttp://whitneysjawsurgery.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/orthodontists-forecast-compared-against.html
I've even heard that some places don't show people prediction photos because it often looks so different and can either make you over optimistic and then disappointed when you don't look as good as they said, or make you over worried because they look bad!
Hi Susie,
ReplyDeleteI think the after picture looks great, but as it's a digital image, I don't think it will ever totally look the same as the actual result. If you're nervous about the amount of mm the surgeon has suggested I would consult a second opinion. I used to work as a medical secretary and surgeon's do not mind this at all, if it puts the patient's mind at ease, they should all encourage this and not let egos get in the way. Having said that, my surgeon just seems to see things that a normal person, like you and me, just can't see. My surgeon seemed to be able to see straight away that he would gain a better result doing both the upper and lower jaw surgeries, rather than just the lower, just by looking at me. I am sure that he knows what he is doing but if you are nervous then I would consult another opinion to see if there is a less invasive way of going about it.
Again, I think the after shot looks great but at the end of the day you have to weight up the pros and cons and see whether the surgery is right for you. Either way, you are beautiful!
Becky xx