Had been told (2 years ago) that her upper jaw stopped growing some time ago, she needs surgery and extensive orthodontia - it's not at all a cosmetic issue, she has difficulty breathing and eating - She'll be heading off to college in the next year or so and now is the age surgeons previously told us was optimal for this sorta thing - have heard this is a very common procedure, would love to hear some more first hand stories on what to expect (she needs her upper jaw broken in several places to promote bone growth, may also need a jaw joint tinkered with -
Anyone been through this?
TIA,
MZ

My niece had to have her jaws broken and wired shut. Other than having to make sure she got enough calories (oh to be young and have that kind of metabolism! LOL) She did fine.

She even has a underlying medical condition (rheumatoid arthritis) that the doctors were concerned the surgery would trigger a flare of....

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Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

My daughter(age 14) has a small lower jaw. She has braces now and will have jaw surgery sometime in the future. The surgeon is not sure if he will have to break both her lower and upper jaw. I am of course hopeing for just the lower.

My dd has also had all four wisdom teeth removed. Her braces are costing $6000. I couldn't get our insurance to tell me if they will cover her surgery or not. She really needs this surgery as brace will not do the job alone. She looks "funny" when she smiles, all you see is her upper gums.

No advise because both my brother and husband need that procedure and have not done it because neither wants their jaw wired shut for 6-9 months (time frame we were told). So, they are dealing with it best they can. If you don't get it fixed, the teeth will get worn down MUCH faster since they don't "hit" together correctly.

Good luck....

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