I have malocclusion will I need jaw surgery to put it right

Q. Hello. I would like some advice please? I am a 23 year old woman and i hadn’t been to the dentist for 10 years up until i went again when i was 19. There was nothing major that needed to be done - about 7 fillings due to tooth decay, but other than that, i was told my oral hygiene was good. My Dentist did however also tell me that i have malocclusion. She explained that this is where the teeth don\’t join together correctly. My bottom row of teeth come out slightly. This has made me very self conscious about the way i look. I have spoken to my Dentist about it on a couple of occasions and i have expressed that i would like something done about it, but she kept putting me off by saying treatment would be too expensive and possibly unpleasant. I have found this quite disappointing so, could i please ask for your advice? I was told that surgery is probably what will put it right - the thought of having my bottom jaw-bone broken somewhat unsettles me but i also thought about braces… Could this also be a possibility to put it right? I would be most grateful if you could help as this is something i really want to have put right but i don\’t know where to go to have this procedure done. I look forward to your response.

 
A. Can I ask whether you had a problem with your appearance before your malocclusion was pointed out to you?

Jaw position can either be determined by your skeletal patterns or it can be determined by your teeth. If your teeth and not fitting together properly it could be that your lower jaw is further out for this reason.

there are other options to surgery which are less invasive and it is always better to try these options first. There is something called equilibration that may be an option. This should only be done by a dentist that is trained in occlusion. This is a skill that most that most dentists don’t have and you need to find someone who has experience in this field. If you live in travelling distance of Buckinghamshire I would be happy to see you for a complimentary consultation. You don’t have to have treatment with me but it would be much easier to advise you as to the best course of treatment. If you are in the London area then Dr Justin Glaister who is also an expert on this website is very well trained in this field could see you.

Equilibration would cost between £300 and £1000 it just depends how involved it is but this is probably the cheapest option there is for you. Another option that may be available to you is orthodontics (braces).

Dr Komal Suri
Smile Design Dental
www.smiledesigndental.co.uk
33 High Street, Wendover,

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Tags: braces, malocclusion

This post was published on Saturday, May 31st, 2008 at 10:45 amand is filed under Dr Suri's Answers, Experts Answers, Q. Orthodontics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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