Reasons Why

I am going through with this surgery in the hope that it will improve several quality-of-life issues that I have. There is no guarantee on many of these, but 'a significant chance' for most of them. Things that I hope will improve:

• headaches - I have a lot more headaches than your average person. They may be due to my muscles being tense because of my jaw not being in the right place.
• breathing - I cannot breathe out of my nose very easily. It feels like I'm breathing through a very long, thin tube if I try.
• chewing - I chew in very limited places in my mouth because I don't have all that many teeth which touch.
• cleaning - Things like flossing have been challenging because of teeth crowding and placement.
• tooth destruction - The improper placement of my jaws is leading to my teeth being destroyed. There is pressure being placed on the teeth that shouldn't be there, and already this year I lost one tooth because of it. Other teeth would follow one at a time if this were not corrected.
• aesthetics - This is last of all because I didn't/don't really think I have a problem with my appearance. I didn't like having crooked teeth, but the braces could have fixed that if it were the only issue. After talking with the surgeon I'm aware now of my 'gummy' smile that is a sign of what's wrong with my jaw, but if that were the only issue I would NOT be going through with this.

This is part of the letter that the surgeon wrote to the insurance company. I hadn't realized how bad off I was until I read this letter! It's funny how dire my case sounds when you put it in the medical-ese. It's also interesting to me that I should have an improvement in my ability to speak, according to the surgeon. I've always sounded very nasal-y. I wonder if that's going to improve! Also sometimes I feel like I don't speak very clearly, but I always attributed that to being sloppy and lazy with my mouth. It would be interesting if that would improve, as well.

Misty is a 30-year old female presenting with a Class III dentoskeletal deformity. Of note she presents with maxillary vertical hyperplasia 524.01, maxillary transverse deficiency 524.03 and mandibular sagittal hyperplasia 524.02. These medical diagnoses when combined create a significant anterior open bite and dentoskeletal deformity. They cannot be corrected without surgical intervention.

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A multiple piece LeFort I osteotomy.... This will be combined with a mandibular osteotomy setback.

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Misty has no esthetic complaints and is seeking the jaw surgery to allow a stable dentoskeletal relationship. She will have a decided improvement in her ability to chew, speak and breathe following surgery....