I had four years of braces, from 12 to 16 and eventually got them off because my ortho couldn't fix my crossbite. He suggested jaw surgery, but at the time (1992), it mean being wired shut for six weeks. Thinking the whole jaw surgery thing was basically a huge inconvenience for something that was entirely cosmetic, I decided against it.
Fast forward 18 years...
In April, I went to my dentist for a regular check-up and low-and-behold one of my teeth is loose. I was told it had to do with my bite. Since my teeth don't hit in the right area, the root is being worn down causing mobility. The thought of having to be in dentures made me think that it was worth it now to explore jaw surgery. Plus it would be nice to be able to close my mouth all the way, have my teeth hit in the right place and get rid of my morning headaches.
After meeting with an ortho, then the oral surgeron, then the ortho and the oral surgeon again, it was decided that the best way to go was SARPE, then braces, then another jaw surgery to fix the lower jaw and bring forward the upper jaw. SARPE was necessary to expand the upper jaw first to make sure all the teeth fit into place when the lower jaw was brought over. According to my ortho, all will be completed in 12 - 15 months.
Currently, I have my separators in so I'm anticipating the SARPE surgery which is scheduled for June 21st. I mostly keep myself calm, but am anxious about the surgery and the dreaded gap I'm supposed to get. My oral surgeon said they're shooting for 10mm and I'm hopeful that won't mean a giant gap in the front. I had an RPE in high school and never had a gap, but I'm pretty sure with SARPE it's going to happen. The anticipation of what will I look like and how will I handle it keeps me up sometimes. Above is a pic of my mouth today with my separators for the RPE that goes in on June 18th.
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