3mm underbite - Braces/surgery Questions

[CW1994]

So I'm now 21, and have a 3mm underbite. I initially went to see about braces/surgery when I was 17, and got the photos/moulds taken, but then they didn't get back to me after that. So I made another consultation with the surgeon, and after that they didn't get back to me again. So now I've restarted the process in the city I live in now. I have another appointment in a couple of weeks where I will tell my orthodentist if I want to go ahead with it and get pictures taken.

How long is the waiting list to begin the process? i.e. from getting photos taken to when you get your braces on?

How long did you have the braces on for? My orthodentist said the process would take around 3 years from getting them on to getting them off. (The braces part is the biggest deal for me - and I'm worried they will damage my self-confidence a great deal for the duration I'm wearing them)

I'd likely have to get double jaw surgery, moving the top jaw forward and the bottom backwards a bit. I have heard moving the top jaw affects your nose. I'm quite happy with my nose as it is, and worried it may look upturned afterwards. Has anyone had experience with this? I sit likely to affect it much or just a tiny little bit?

Has anyone else here had surgery to fix an underbite of a similar degree? Was it worth it, and did you feel it fixed all your issues? (I understand 3mm isn't as severe as many underbites, but it does affect my speech slightly and one of the things I am most self-concious about my bite is the fact it makes me look depressed whenever I am not actively smiling or engaging in friendly conversation. So every time someone tells me to "cheer up" or that I look depressed, it's another blow to the self-esteem.)

I keep changing my mind on whether I want to go through with it, and whether I will regret it in 3 years time if I haven't went through with it, or if there's other ways to increase my self-confidence/esteem without it.

[CW1994]

Also, how long is typical to have to wear the retainer after the braces come off? I hear different things everywhere - every night for a few months to every night for the rest of your life. Is it actually necessary to wear it all your life?

[deathorglory]

From what I understand, wearing a retainer is a life-long thing. It might not be nightly for the remainder of your life, but it is forever even if it's just one night a week. All I know is, when I didn't wear my retainer after my first set of braces, my teeth shifted quite a bit. I intend for this never to happen again...these things are too damn expensive to just do over and over again...! I believe the retainer is 24 hours for a certain amount of time, then nightly for a long time, then it's up to your orthodontist if it becomes weekly or what have you.

From the blogs that I've read, the nose may turn upwards after double jaw surgery, but there is a stitch that the surgeon can do to limit this. Also, the nose may expand (?) a fraction of the amount the jaw is moved forward. I'm not 100% sure on this...I just had lower jaw surgery. I know that a lot of people have this concern with double jaw surgery, but it seems that almost everyone is happy with how they look once they're fully recovered.

I had my braces on for 1 year and 23 days prior to my lower jaw surgery. My total time in braces was estimated to be 18 to 24 months, but after surgery my orthodontist told me that everything looks really good and there's not too much more to do (just closing some vertical spaces) so I may be out of braces before 18 months is up.

The time difference between pictures with my orthodontist and getting my braces on was pretty quick. I had my consultation with them at the end of January, decided on getting braces (and surgery) mid February, then was braced top and bottom on March 7th, 2014. I had my first surgeon's consult on March 12th, but it was rather premature. I should've waited till I was closer to being surgery ready before seeing the surgeon, I think. I was told by my orthodontist that I could see the surgeon for another consult in December, which I made an appointment for, but by then my surgeon wasn't taking any new cases. I hadn't been surgery ready when she first saw me, so I wasn't on their "in process" list. The time periods may all be different from where you are, though. I'm currently in Seattle, WA. Not sure of your location :T

My lower jaw was moved forward about 7mm. I currently have a 3mm gap (down from 10mm!) between my front and back teeth, and life is pretty awesome so far. It's amazing to feel like my tongue actually fits in my mouth and isn't hanging over my bottom teeth! I thought I was going to feel self conscious when I got braces (I'm currently 29) but honestly, it doesn't affect my life in the slightest. Just last week someone asked if my braces were new (at my local coffee shop, which I go to almost weekly). People don't notice. Or they assume they should've noticed earlier. Either way, I don't care much. This is something I did to better MY quality of life and it's not even a permanent thing, so it's not something I even stress about. Also, even at 29 it's fun to gross my boyfriend out by showing him all the food that gets stuck in my braces