Deep bite or recessed jaw?

[jawed]

I've been to see three orthodontists now and all have had very contrasting opinions about the issues I have. The first orthodontist took an x-ray of my bite and analysed the results, concluding that I have a very slightly recessed jaw bone. I've noticed this myself. When I bite down, my lower jaw seems to be pushed way back into my skull. My crooked upper front teeth in conjunction with my protruding bottom front teeth force my jaw into an unnaturally recessed position when I bite down. In a neutral position (when I'm not biting down), my bottom teeth actually protrude out further than my upper teeth. I assume that's where my bite should be, but the way my teeth are has me forced to bite down in a way that really sucks my chin in. Apart from the fact that my lips project out due to my weird teeth, I quite like the shape of my face/jaw when I'm not biting down. When I bite down, though, I do look terrible, and I swear that wasn't the case 2 years ago.

I always assumed that once I had my bottom teeth pulled in right back as well as my crooked upper teeth straightened, my jaw would naturally come forward and achieve a perfect bite, but so far none of the orthodontists I've seen seem to agree with me.

The first orthodontist told me that surgery is the only way to attain a perfect result but highly advised against it. His alternative was to disguise my slight malformation with orthodontic work. What he suggested made no sense to me, though. He wanted to pull my upper front teeth back and bring my lower front teeth forward. My lower front teeth are sticking out at an almost 50-degree angle, pushing them out further seems like madness. Surely, that would only make my bite deeper? Anyway, this guy cancelled two appointments in a row with me on very short notice, so I haven't been back to see him.

The second orthodontist told me that he thinks I'd be a great candidate for jaw surgery. When I asked him whether we could avoid surgery and just correct my bite and bring my jaw forward that way, he told me that he was very limited in what he could achieve. He said that we could try to disguise it, but that halfway through the treatment it would be likely that we'd just concede to jaw surgery and essentially begin the treatment from scratch. He booked me an appointment with a maxillofacial surgeon which I attended last week. This surgeon, although he didn't have access to my x-rays and thus couldn't form a proper conclusion, almost laughed me out of the building when he saw me. He said that I didn't look anything like a candidate for jaw surgery. He told me that my jaw is set back because my bite's incorrect, and that if my teeth were perfectly aligned my recessed jaw issue would be fixed accidentally. He told me that he's going to get ahold of my x-rays and assess them, but is confident that I don't need surgery. So, now I'm considering sacking off that orthodontist, too.

The third orthodontist seems good, though hasn't offered much in terms of potential treatment but that's because I've only been to see him twice. He says that I have some abnormalities that would be corrected with braces, but that overall my teeth are great. My teeth aren't great at all, not to me anyway. We're meeting again on the 20th of this month to discuss my expectations. I'm going to tell him I want a perfect bite that allows my lower jaw to function in a neutral (more prominent) position, but for some reason, I feel as though he's going to tell me we can't achieve it. If he bloody mentions jaw surgery I'm going to go insane.

It feels like I'm trying to climb up a waterfall with these people. Every appointment is, like, a month between each one another. I just want to get my bite sorted out so that I can live without insecurities and get on with my life. Please.