For as long as I could remember my front teeth never touch, as a matter of fact only my back two teeth touched. Apparently this was done on purpose by my previous orthodontist, which wasn’t a big deal until I got older. As the years have passed, I have begun to have many issue with my jaw. Like most of you (close to 10 million Americans that is) I have pain in the jaw, it feels tired when I eat, and there are some crazy sounds that can come out of the side of my head sometimes!! Now, for a while I took the easy road and wore a night guard to keep my muscles relaxed (like I know many of you do also!), but I have decided to take more drastic measures and do something permanent! Working with a fabulous team of Dr. Worob, Dr. Cronin, Dr. Rouch (my orthodontist) and Dr. Gallagher (my oral surgeon) I have started down the path to orthognathic surgery!
I now have a full set of braces (for the third time, I might add this makes me look much younger!!! HAH) and will begin the step towards surgery! Kind of scary sounding huh? I thought so too, but with this awesome team I know I am in good hands. I will be in braces for about 2 years, and will have my upper jaw reset to where it should have been. Won’t that be incredibly painful, you ask? Not really, when my upper jaw is reset there will be some nerves cut (but don’t worry they WILL grow back) and I will be numb during the worst part of it all (if I can make It thru the braces first!). Now don’t panic if you are having symptoms of TMJ, according to the National Institute of Dental and Cranial Research most TMJ symptoms go away on their own and are due to trauma. Eating soft foods, using ice packs on the area, and avoiding extreme movements of the jaw will help these symptoms subside. Ibuprofen is also one of your best friends during these times of discomfort, and always give us a call and come see us if you are having symptoms! I just happen to be one of the rare few who has to take it to the next level! Wish me luck!! ~Tara
