Metal Mouth Message Board

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My misaligned jaw has always been a problem for me. I hate how it makes me look two-faced since the right side of my face is a lot bigger than my left, so my left and right profiles are completely different (first two photos). I've had a speech impediment since I was a child. I hate talking to people because nobody wants to try to make out what I'm trying to say or they say I have a funny accent. The jaw locks/tenses up when I yawn because it goes in a weird diagonal. I hate the crackling/popping noise that I get in my jaw when I chew or yawn and I feel like I get headaches all the time.

Here's the problem: I'm 20 y/o college student that has no health insurance with a single mother that makes less than $20,000 a year (I have never had health insurance). That pretty much means I'm out of luck until I'm out of college, and I hopefully get a decent job with decent insurance that will cover the surgery and I'm able to get time off from said job to recover from the surgery. Probably in my late 20s and such

It's doubtful, but is there anything I can do now? I'm just so tired of having to deal with this aspect of me and I feel like it would help with my social anxiety and depression.

hey there,
I completely understand what it feels like to be unconfident with your teeth, I felt the same way to.
I would definately say that u should get a secure job first after college and try to consider getting health insurance because it breaks down the huge amount of money u would have to pay for surgery.
I wish u the best of luck!!

Welcome to archwired, Svenskmn! I waited until I graduated and got a job with insurance coverage. Did putting off the surgery affect my social life in college? Certainly, just like it had in high school and middle school. That said, waiting until it costs you $2,000 (when you get insurance) instead of getting a monster sized private healthcare loan is by far the best option IMO. One asterisk though, is that as a low income student you may have some great (maybe even free) options from Obamacare. Have you looked at your state's healthcare marketplace? When I was in college Obamacare hadn't been established yet (only 6 years ago... Makes me feel so old ) but if it had, you can bet I would have looked into it! Good luck!!!

I definitely understand your frustration! I had been needing to get braces since I was 12 and my teeth were pretty jacked up. Of course my mom couldn't afford it either and so I had to live with it for years! I do feel like it held me back in college socially, but only a little. I was pretty good looking (if I do say so myself lol) but then I'd open my mouth and agh! Very unattractive teeth. It sucks because unlike working out or wearing stylish clothes etc., there's nothing you can do about your teeth on your own! So I had to wait until after college, until after I got a job with dental/medical insurance, and until after I could save enough for a deposit to finally be able to go ahead with braces at 2 months shy of my 24th birthday. It really sucks knowing you will have to wait so long for something you wish you could change right now. If it's any consolation, you are still quite handsome despite your jaw misalignment! And you may be able to check with your college to see if they have any way to assist you with speech therapy or if they have a speech pathology department? Could be worth a shot!

Best wishes to you!

Let me first say that you are a very cute guy.
I know how hard it is to get things done when you mentally place the asymmetry of your jaw as your number #1 priority, but you don't have a choice right now. I've been there.

Realistically, there's nothing you can't do right now that you'd be able to do after the surgery. It's all in your head.
Once I had the self assurance that I was going to get the surgery done and I was working towards it in the future, I was able to let go a bit and no longer obsess.

Just see this time as your pre surgery period. Do everything that you can do in the meantime to better yourself and live happily, up until you are able to get the surgery.

Once again, you have a beautiful face as is, and I mean that quite sincerely. I assure you that you will eventually have the surgery done. As long as you do things that will help get you to that point you have no reason to be concerned/obsess.

Let me first say that you are a very cute guy.
I know how hard it is to get things done when you mentally place the asymmetry of your jaw as your number #1 priority, but you don't have a choice right now. I've been there.

Realistically, there's nothing you can't do right now that you'd be able to do after the surgery. It's all in your head.
Once I had the self assurance that I was going to get the surgery done and I was working towards it in the future, I was able to let go a bit and no longer obsess.

Just see this time as your pre surgery period. Do everything that you can do in the meantime to better yourself and live happily, up until you are able to get the surgery.

Once again, you have a beautiful face as is, and I mean that quite sincerely. I assure you that you will eventually have the surgery done. As long as you do things that will help get you to that point you have no reason to be concerned/obsess.

And I assure you that you do not have to wait until you're in your late 20s to get it done. You have way more capability than that. You're creating a mental barrier for yourself. You could find a job with flexible hours this year that you could use to begin the jaw surgery process. First you'll likely need braces, so that should likely be your first goal. (Get a consultation first). There's no reason that you can't make the 6000$ for braces while going to college. And I'm sure that you could find a dentistry that offers good financing. I did.
Keep working and find either a surgeon that offers really flexible financing so you can pay for your surgery over a long period of time, and/or find a job that gives you the proper insurance (Make sure that the insurance will cover it beforehand... Most won't).
If you stay optimistic and stop feeling like your jaw is keeping you from accomplishing anything, then you will find a way to finance jaw surgery much sooner than you'd think.

Best of luck, and please look forward. You're quite good looking, and screw anyone who thinks less of you for your speech problem. You got this.

I have to agree with above, you are a cute guy! so at least you have that going for ya.

Secondly, start researching some orthos in your area and see them if they offer free consultations. see what treatment plan they can offer you and most importantly, what the cost of treatment will be. just to give you an idea, my treatment plan is ~$5800 paid off (interest free) over the course of 36 months or so. Less than $200/month. Although, another ortho i saw offered treatment for $2500, i just chose not to go with them because i didn't like the vibe i was getting from them tbh lol

Third, are you in the US? if so, what state? research some plans on your state's insurance market. If you are in CA, get Kaiser! they have a solid reputation for covering the surgery.

Regardless, i would suggest you see an ortho now first and get the braces if it's feasible for you. most cases require that patients be in braces for 1+ years before the surgery anyway. this is actually something that I wish i had done in college. I got a job with flexible leave and insurance after I graduated so if i had just taken the first step while i was young(er) i would've been done with everything by now.

I never had insurance growing up, so I never saw a dentist let alone an orthodontist and a maxfac surgeon to fix my jaw. So, I went on with life until I couldn't ignore it any more. Luckily for me, I was 2 years out of college, employed, and had good insurance for the first time in my life. So, if you can push it a little longer, I'd finish school and get a job and get the insurance before pursuing any maxfac work. Also the ortho alone would kill you right now. My ortho was 8K alone, and insurance doesn't pay for that.

In the mean time, see if your dentist can make you a night guard or even better a splint. That will help stabilize your bite/joints a little and probably give you some relief.

pantlover wrote: Third, are you in the US? if so, what state? research some plans on your state's insurance market. If you are in CA, get Kaiser! they have a solid reputation for covering the surgery.

I've got to respond to the Kaiser bit-- To the OP: I highly advise against them. Please read my blog regarding my EXTREMELY negligent care from them. http://www.confessionsofametalmouth.com


I even have a page dedicated to comparing the care I got at Kaiser vs. care I received outside of Kaiser for my revision surgery to fix the mess they left me with. I have the unique opportunity to compare since I've had care from both, and I can for sure tell you that while Kaiser does usually cover your surgery without any hassle, you kind of get what you pay for. They provide below standard care for jaw surgery. Absolutely no doubt about it.