My Jaw Moved Forward without Surgery

So I can't speak for everyone, but when I first started my treatment with the orthotic, I didn't do it for aesthetic reasons. I knew that my jaw was too far back, but I wasn't sure how well it would visibly change and move forward. Now I haven't completed my treatment, but I already have noticed not only a 90% decrease (if not more) in jaw pain and TMJ, but also a visible change too!!
It happened very gradually, but it has made a huge difference to the appearance of my jaw. I'm so glad, because it did bother me that my jaw was sitting so far back. Not only was it causing intense pain, but it was changing the look of my face. This happened over time, because I know I didn't have this problem when I was much younger. I guess your teeth just wear differently overtime, and in some cases this can really change the position of your jaw, not only the appearance of your teeth. I think people sometimes resort to surgery to fix this, when it's really just the teeth that aren't positioning the jaw correctly, not the jaw itself. This was definitely true for me. My jaw still isn't even, but honestly it is rare for anyone's jaw to be perfectly symmetrical. I think a gradual change is better than the extreme change that surgery provides, which may or may not cause problems in the future. (Plus it's extremely expensive!!)
So, if you are unhappy with the appearance of your jaw, and it causes TMJ, it may be that your teeth are preventing it from relaxing forward. If surgery isn't for you, you may be interested in trying Neuromuscular Dentistry and correcting your teeth/jaw in a more conservative, less extreme way.

Are Braces Better when You're Older?

So this post is really about a conversation I was having this morning with some co-workers. We were discussing braces and different experiences with them. Being that my last post was on having braces as an adult, I thought this was an interesting follow up.
The question was: is it really better to have them when you're young and irresponsible or to wait until you are older and better understand the importance of them? The reason this came up is that so many people when they were younger and had braces have since lost their retainers, or didn't keep up with it, and now are forced to have a ton of work done (pay all that money their parent's dished out, again) just to get their bite back to where it was as a kid.
Honestly as a child, I wasn't really conscious about how the state of my teeth would affect me later on in life. That's why we don't really stay on top of brushing or flossing until we have that first major cavity and realize, that sucked I don't want to go through that again! And honestly some of us still don't stick with a regular regime. So when you try and get a 10-year-old to take braces seriously, it's probably not going to happen. Maybe even as teenagers we still don't realize that if we lose or break that retainer, we're probably going to have to shell out another $8,000 later on in life. We just don't have any concept of what that means at that age. There's an exception to every rule, and I'm sure there are responsible children out there who still have perfect pearly whites. Yet it seems like from the consensus of those who I talked to, most of them and/or their siblings, are having to go back to the orthodontist to fix things they didn't keep up on as children. They either forgot about their retainer, or just didn't feel like wearing it.
Ultimately, if we have a problem with our teeth as children, there's really no way around it. The treatment is necessary, and some of us have some pretty serious conditions at such a young age so there's no choice to wait.
I guess the question is, should those who can, wait? As adults we have a different perspective on the whole thing. We know what $8,000 really means, we have a frame of reference, and we know that we never want to have braces again. I never had braces as a kid, I don't think my bite was really an issue back then so my parents assumed I was fine. Now I'm stuck with the bill either way, which is fine and I understand it is what it is. Still, I don't know how seriously I would've taken it as a child. All I know, is that I'm going to do everything possible to keep from having to do this again!

Adult Braces and Wearing a Jaw Orthotic

So, I've had my orthotic now for 7 months and there's kind of a physical and emotional breaking-in period. When I first got my orthotic I was so thrilled to feel the relief from all my joint pain. But, on the flip side, I also was extremely self-conscious about speaking and also having to explain to people why I was wearing this contraption, over and over. Now, having braces in my future, I am not looking forward to being an adult, trying to act grown up, but wearing braces.
I'm 26 years old, and so I'm still new to the workforce. Although I've been working for five years now, it can be difficult to gain respect among older, more experienced co-workers. So the idea of having a metal mouth just makes me feel more like a little kid trying to get the "grown-up's" attention. I also work one-on-one with customers in some circumstances, and with the orthotic, it makes it that much more difficult to try to act confident and speak clearly.
I definitely had to get used to the orthotic. For one thing, after I got it I had to go to a family reunion for Thanksgiving and it was somewhat embarrassing that I could barely talk. Add to that the fact that I have to find discreet ways of removing the damn thing from my mouth during meals, and then stick it back in when no one was looking. I was pretty much slobbering and slurring for the first month or so.
Now I'm much better at speaking with it, in fact, some people have said they don't even notice it any more. Which is fine, whatever, even if they do notice it I don't act like it's a big deal. Because it really isn't. I'm way more happy now than I was without it, and I actually hate not wearing it because my jaw muscles instantly seize up and spasm.
So will I get used to the braces? Yes. Will I regret having them? No. But will I be looking forward to the day when I don't have to deal with this anymore, YEP.
I guess it's not any easier getting braces when you're an adult than when you're a kid. As a kid, I suppose it's more acceptable, your friends are all wearing them, and it's a social norm. But being a kid and trying to be comfortable in your own skin is hard enough. Plus as an adult, is anyone actually going to point out that fact that you have braces? Probably not. I actually think it might be more understandable than my explanation of my orthotic and what it's actually doing. "Nope, it's not actually moving my teeth, just my jaw, but not permanently, it's just holding it in that position until they can move my teeth. See, your teeth actually hold your jaw in position..."
Basically they see braces they think, oh she's wearing braces. The End.
So it's not a problem really and I even feel ridiculous whining every once and a while about how I am getting sick of wearing it and the slight discomfort before it needs to be adjusted.. Will I still be irritable and somewhat self-conscious about the whole idea? Yes. Ultimately though, I can do this and I will do this. It's going to be such a short part of my life, and in the long run I will be much happier for it. My next appointment is May 7th, when they will be adjusting the orthotic again. Right now my jaw is in this weird in-between state of wanting to shift forward but being blocked by the orthotic, so it's been giving me a headache. But good news is I think it might be the last adjustment needed! Wish me luck!