Sometimes

Sometimes I like to blame all my problems on my jaw. It's just been one of those days.

But there's only 28 days til I get my wisdom teeth out!
And 38 til I have tinsel teeth again.

The Deal

On August 2nd I had a consultation with a new orthodontist. He told me I'd need double jaw surgery, and possibly a genioplasty (just to help my profile). He said I'd need braces for about 6 months prior to getting surgery. I asked him if it were possible to have my mouth ready for surgery by December, so I could be operated on during Christmas break, and he said maybe. I'd have to talk to the oral surgeon about it.
So what's happened since August 2?

• I had a consultation with an oral surgeon
• He basically told me everything I knew from my orthodontic consultation and blog-stalking, except he told me I'd need to get my wisdom teeth out. Oh, and I'd have to wait til next summer for surgery. No chance getting it during Christmas break.
• I waited for two weeks for something to happen
• My family's insurance had the possibility of changing, so we didn't want to get the process started and then have to stop if the new insurance didn't approve, so I waited and waited for something to happen.
• Nothing happened.
• We didn't get new insurance.
• The wisdom teeth appointment was made!
• I'm getting my wisdom teeth out October 18, 2013
• The braces appointment was made!
• I'm getting braces (for the third time) October 28, 2013

It feels good to finally see progress after waiting for what seemed like FOREVER.
I hope to have info worth updating for soon.
Pictures to come.

Where to Begin?

After finding out I needed jaw surgery on the 2nd of August 2013, I spent two days holed up in my house throwing myself a pity party.

This was me.

It was during those two days that I discovered the online orthognathic community! I spent that time looking at blog after blog after blog and eventually, I kinda subconsciously decided that I wanted to make my own jaw surgery blog! I put it off and put it off because I didn't really know how to start it, but I'm here now! I have a jaw blog.

This isn't my first blog, but it is my first jaw surgery blog, so we'll see what I'll end up posting and how often I'll be posting and all that good stuff.

The Beginning

As a little 8-year-old, I was very self-conscious of my wonky teeth. My mom decided she'd take me to the orthodontist, and it was there my orthodontic journey started. The orthodontist told me I'd need braces.

Behold, my teeth before metal brackets had ever been attached.

 There'd be two phases of my braces experience. Phase one consisted of and expander followed by four brackets on my four upper front teeth, and I had those from about 3rd-4th grade.

Phase One

Post Phase One

Phase two was a full set of braces--top and bottom.

I got these puppies on September 2, 2008

The orthodontist said I'd have them for a year and a half. However, when you aren't very diligent wearing your rubber bands, you end up having them for longer than that. I ended up having them for 1 year, 1 month and 23 days.

The day they came off: October 25, 2010

"Ahaha! Braces gone!"

My smile July 2013

Also July 2013 (Excuse the wardrobe, I was camping)

The braces came off, I got a retainer that I wore diligently and I thought that'd be the end of my teeth/jaw/mouth woes, but I was wrong. Fast forward to August 2, 2013.

As the months went by, I'd noticed my chin had slowly began to disappear. It's like the rest of my body had gone through puberty, but my chin hadn't. After obsessing/complaining about my lack of chin to my family for quite a while, my mom thought maybe my old orthodontist hadn't fully fixed my jaw, so she decided we'd try out a different orthodontist.

I joked with my mom as we walked across the parking lot, "Knowing my luck, they'll tell me I need braces for 10 years!" I said.

"Or they could just say, 'There's nothing more we can do,' and send us on our way!" my mom replied.

The new orthodontist's office greeted us with big smiles and free slushies, which was nice considering what they were about to tell me.

After looking at my x-rays and pictures, the orthodontist told me I had an overbite and an open bite, and that the only way to fix that was orthognathic surgery, and possibly a genioplasty.
Meaning I'd get surgery on both my upper and lower jaws and possibly my chin.

And now here I am!