I chickened out of my first meeting today

[AaronC93]

Hi all. This is my first post here. Hopefully i'll stick around when/if I eventually go ahead with the surgery.

Basically I went to a dentist for years, obviously, when I was a youngster. At the age of 11 I was told I needed braces, but for some reason my Mum never took me back to the dentist and I ended up forgetting all about it. I wouldn't have minded getting them (all my friends had them/were getting them at that age) but for some reason it was quickly forgotton about. Anyway, earlier this year (i'm now 18) I started attending 18th birthday parties and obviously, was in an enviroment where photographs are taking all the time. I genuinely got a shock when I looked at the pictures the next day and noticed how awful my teeth and smile were. I knew I didn't have perfect teeth, but for some reason I never noticed how bad they were. When I look in the mirror they just look a bit crooked, but in the photographs I was mortified. Even worse was when my friends all had clean, white, straight perfect teeth. I started attending the dentist again in June and got two fillins and a scale + polish and asked for braces. I got referred to the orthodontist in October and was told flat out I would need to consider surgery. I nearly cried. I was actually excited going to the orthodontists and couldn't wait to just get braces, but when I was told I also would get the surgery I just thought "nope. Not a chance." and began to worry that i'd spend the rest of my like with horrible teeth.

I did get referred to the surgery, though, and I was SUPPOSED to meet them today for my first meeting. I ended up being a bit late and because I have severe social anxiety, I couldn't face telling the receptionist I was late and ended up walking straight back out without speaking to anyone. Now I feel trapped. I'm going to phone up tomorrow and ask for another appointment and this time i'll commit to it, however i'm more worried about the braces/surgery process. What happens if I get halfway through wearing braces and start to panic and decide I don't want the surgery? Could I ever just get the braces without the surgery?

I do have pictures of my teeth/face (i'm aware I have very fat cheeks and lips and a long chin, and this would be another benefot for getting the surgery to have them fixed) if anyone wants to see, i'm not sure I'm allowed to post pictures here?

Sorry for the ramble, I'm just really confused and feeling sorry for myself. Why should I go through all that stress, pain and time just to have a nice smile when everyone else I know seems to have been BORN with perfect faces?

[Minerva]

Welcome,

What happens if I get halfway through wearing braces and start to panic and decide I don't want the surgery? Could I ever just get the braces without the surgery?

Get a diagnosis from the surgeon, and then you'll be able to learn more about the specific

procedure(s), recovery, etc... relevant to your case through this website and others.

You don't have to decide one way or the other right away if you're not ready.

[AaronC93]

[quote="deepbeep"]LOL! Do you browse 4chan by any chance? It's a place full of people like you.[/quote]

Nope. What do you mean people "like me"?

Cheers Minerva. I'm just really worried, I know that I should get it done and that it'll be really worth it, but i'm such a wimp.

[Minerva]

.[/quote]

I'm just really worried, I know that I should get it done and that it'll be really worth it, but i'm such a wimp. [/quote]


So am I

[cvn]

Hey Aaron - this stuff can be really stressful. Do you have a family member or friend who can go with you and support you, at least to get through the appointment? I know this stuff is scary and not much fun, but the doctors will tell you your options and possible outcomes and let you decide what is best for you and help you go from there. It might also be worth talking to a therapist - I really do know what it's like to look in a photo and not see the person you thought you looked like, and it does help to talk to someone about it who won't judge you.

Take a deep breath! It will be ok!

LOL! Do you browse 4chan by any chance? It's a place full of people like you.

Why would you think this would be an appropriate thing to post to someone who is having medical issues? I don't get it...

[latinafey]

I hope you have someone to lend you their support through this experience. If it's not someone close to you, maybe someone who can be on the phone with you prior to your doctor visit.

[Van'braces]

I decided to investigate braces, and then found out I needed surgery too. It totally freaked me out, but I decided to go for it, even though at 32 I'm one of the older patients of my Ortho'. The surgery went really well and I'm so glad I had it done. Id take a friend or relative with you to your next appointment, being anxious about this kind of thing is totally understandable.

[CaliforniaKid]

18 is a perfect age for surgery. many surgeons won't do surgery until they know for sure all your bones have finished growing.

before you meet with an ortho, make sure they have experience collaborating with surgeons. in fact, id recommend seeing a surgeon first, and asking them what ortho they most commonly work with.

if you live in california - yeah im biased - you'll have a lot of more surgeons to choose from. just know that surgery+braces will be AT LEAST 20k minimum unless your insurance is awesomepossom.

i was told i needed surgery when i first got braces (9 years old) and now im 22. like someone said above, bring a close friend or family member with you. especially a family member, if they're going to be involved in the finances cause surgeons will typically have their staff tell you straight up what the costs are after the consult.

really do research. meet with more than 3 surgeons because clearly you have anxiety, ortho is not as important.

just look at before/after photos for orthognathic procedures. aesthetically speaking, it is leaps and bounds above the results you'll get from braces. as far as pictures go, i recommend sending them to users who are common posters. one poster - i think her name is "asmileconnectsus" seems to know a lot and id pm her for some wisdom.

the sooner you get this done the better off you'll be. if you started braces tomorrow, you would be 6-18 months away from surgery. the 3-6+ post-surgery braces

good luck