GUYS!

Great news bears! 28 more days until braces are OFF! I finally got the official date for debonding, March 31st! A week after I turn 30 but I'll take it!!

I cannot believe the end is in-sight. I am beyond excited to see my new smile, we are even having a smile reveal party. Still not sure what I'll be doing to show off my brand new smile.

It's almost here!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sadness, Depression & Advice for Others

Wow, I just realized I started this blog in 2015. My journey didn't even start in 2015 but the dedication to fix my smile finally became real in 2015. I've struggled with my appearance since graduating from high school in 2009.

But 4 years later and I'm so ready to see my new smile. I'm already so happy with all the changes the TAD's have made but it's the last 6 months that are the hardest.

I hate braces and what they have done to my self-confidence. I was put on an anti-depressant and just recently decided to go off of them and already regretting it. It's sad that I needed a substance to look at myself in the mirror and be confident out in public. To the people with braces, I'm not sure how you do it with a smile. Every chance I get I completely hide and avoid attention or smiling.

That's not me. This isn't me. I'm ready to be me again.

I want to say it's been worth it, but my only advice is to make sure you are happy already going into this journey. With a strong support system, family and friends, who care about you.  This is the time I needed to be dating, networking, and out living my life. Instead, I've been watching Netflix in my bedroom every weekend.

Over this....

It's been 14 months in braces.

I'm so sick of these things. I love the results of the TAD's so far but they just take forever to intrude. One side is higher than the other sadly so we cannot take them out.. I'll probably have these in for another 2 months at a minimum. 😥

Hopefully, by the end of this year, they will be off.

Sorry I didn't update in March.

- Kristen

Here's another progress photo that was taken just now. Again, this is pretty awesome progress from a year ago (photo below). I cannot wait to have the gum contouring to make my gumline even.

Below was with the palate expander. 

Update! *almost* 1 year down!

Hey there,
Forgot to update this with my progress thus far! So, started braces on March 28th 2018 and it's almost coming up to my one year anniversary! On August 1st, 2018 I had 2 purple temporary anchorage devices (TADs) screwed into my upper jaw with spring coils attached to the braces. The Damon braces straightened my teeth SO fast just wish the TADs would be as quick to intrude my teeth.

It's been about 6 and a half months with TADs and there's been intrusion although I can't say I'm as far along as we thought. It could be the travel restrictions being so far and having to see my ortho less than other patients. I'm not entirely sure but what I can say for sure, they are 100% intruding and moving up!

So exciting! To be honest, I'm already super happy with all the progress I've made. The below picture is top (February) and bottom (October) and some food in my teeth. lol

My 18 months treatment time will most likely be extended since I thought I would be in TADs for 8 months but it looks like they needed longer to intrude. I'll update once I have my next appointment on March 27th.

Thanks for reading and sharing my journey!

Braces ON! 18-month Treatment for VME and Gummy Smile!

Hi there! 

I'm officially back to brace face again but with a whole new outlook. I'm super excited to begin this 18-month journey and without jaw surgery. It's helpful that about a year ago I was in braces for the first time so this isn't new to me. I wish everyone who is on the fence about jaw surgery would find my blog and also another blog I just found. Link below.

https://mybraces4vme.wordpress.com/tag/vertical-maxillary-excess/

After all the research I've done for over 5 years on TAD's I finally found real results that aren't only in publications but met people with the same problem. For those who find this post and only read this one I am going to sum up my diagnosis since I was 18 (10 years ago). 

I noticed my gummy smile at 18. Saw an orthodontist who immediately diagnosed myself as having Vertical Maxillary Excess and only jaw surgery can fix. Since I was 18 I chose not to go that route and look for another way to camouflage this. I then found a cosmetic dentist and underwent lip repositioning surgery for around $4k. What an absolute waste since my problem wasn't an over hyperactive upper lip. Avoid this treatment as the relapse rate is EXTREME and mine only lasted for 6 months. Next 3 years went by and I came back to the jaw surgery route. My gummy smile only got worse and my mouth breathing wasn't ever brought up as the main cause. I researched myofunctional therapy but not enough data on adults for appliances to fix vertical growth only horizontal growth. After 3 orthodontists and traveling to Austin, I decided to go through with the jaw surgery route. After braces for 2 months and the worst communication ever from an oral surgeon and orthodontist plus not to mention 6 teeth being extracted? I canceled my treatment. My next option was to visit an ortho specialist for Biobloc in Michigan. He put me in an appliance to expand my upper jaw in hopes to bring my lower jaw forward but this wasn't a fix because it wasn't my problem. All of these treatments were just another temporary fix and ones that cost me over a total of $10k when you add this up with travel and down payments. The Biobloc forced my teeth forwards and created a massive overjet (great so pissed). Seeing the overjet made me so angry I just cut them off cold turkey (worst patient ever but they should have refused to help me). So then is when I researched TAD's more. I knew TAD's existed but I couldn't find any ortho who would do this (with results and photos to prove) on adults. That is until I found Dr. Frost. Dr. Frost is an artist and he practices this alternative and has flawless results. 

So to sum up my diagnosis of the above:

Mouth Breather; Chronic Allergies; Vertical Maxillary Excess (Gummy Smile); Narrow Arch/Palate; Lip Incompetence/Mentalis Strain; All my damn teeth; Over jet; Front teeth non symmetrical; Brain Fog; Sleep Apnea; Low Self-confidence 

Reveal picture of my current Damon Braces! One gummy smile and one closed mouth posture. 

Update: No more Biobloc & Back to braces WITHOUT SURGERY!

Hello Tuesday.
I am extremely excited to report that I strongly believe I've found the alternative to jaw surgery! I spoke long ago about TAD's but could not find an Ortho who practiced and had proved results of this working. Well, thanks to Instagram, I found a new orthodontist in Arizona. Flew out to meet him and FINALLY, there are real success case studies he has shown.

When I described my journey on how I got to this point, he was astonished. It's been almost 9 years since I noticed my face changing and it's been 7 years since I was told the only option was surgery. Although my complete mentalis strain and inability to show a chin will not fully be fixed, the gummy smile will be and it won't be as difficult to close. Looking in the mirror and at photos, maybe I won't resemble a "horses" mouth. The insecurities only have increased because my face kept drooping longer and longer.

The bad news, back to life in braces. I absolutely hated my braces and couldn't last 3 months. The difference today is I moved to Charlotte, NC. New city and the ability to hibernate a few years while I undergo the treatment. The plus is the treatment time should be only 20 months - 24 months at the most. It will be tough and again one of the hardest challenges to overcome. I've never been teased until I had braces. At 27 almost 28 years old, I should have enough confidence to say ******** (insert whatever bad word you can think of) off to the haters. Because I finally found the new revolutionary method for those who have a gummy smile due to vertical maxillary excess and WITHOUT JAW SURGERY!

Bring it on Braces (January 25th, 2018) I am ready for you 2018!

Success stories here:
https://www.instagram.com/frostsmiles/

And the initial case success I found years ago is here:
https://www.ortholemay.com/en/blog/19364/

Cannot wait to see mine in 2019!! Never give up every one.

Braces Off/No More Surgery & on to Biobloc

Well, another major setback and what was the start of a horrible braces experience. Thankfully, if I chose the extractions and surgery I would have been committed and much worse off.

What seems to be another major hurdle both financially and physically is starting to shed light. I finally went to see Dr. Gibbs about expanding my jaws. Although he is very far and it will be costing me plenty more money, I felt this was the only option left.

Not going to sugar coat this, I have plenty of doubts but much more hopeful than going through massive surgery and extraction. I've expanded about 2mm thus far and it's been 3 months. The hardest part is speaking with a lisp and confidence issues. While its slow expansion there's little to no pain.

I have a long journey ahead of me. Will keep you updated and remember lips closed, tongue roof of mouth and chew chew chew your food!!!

-Kjean

Second Thoughts...& Braces On

Hello there!

I am so sorry I have not updated on my progress. I felt the need to come on here because there has been many changes since the last time I wrote. I wish good ones...

As I mentioned previously, I chose to go through with the surgery and had my braces put on February 22nd. WOW. I was not prepared for the agony in which braces could bring. The pain lasted about a week but it was my appearance that completely through me a curve ball. I cry more often than I ever have in my life looking at my appearance in the mirror or a photo. I need them off.

I wish this was an "I'm doing great" post or it has gotten easier but in all honestly I'm completely miserable in these things. I turned 27 on Sunday and these are the best years of my life and I have men at bars making fun of my braces.

The surgeon said that they would need to remove SIX teeth, yes, SIX healthy teeth. My bosses think I am crazy for extracting healthy teeth when my mouth has NO overcrowding. I trusted my surgeon until I realized how long I would have to be in braces closing those gaps up. Just may have made a HUGE costly mistake. Without a doubt in my mind, I need the surgery. But how bad do I want the surgery right now? I have no boyfriend, hate my social life in braces, and my income cannot easily afford this all.

So...now what? I've struggled with this journey since I was 18. I thought I was officially starting the process of ending it. (Side note) I forgot to mention I HATE food in my teeth to the point where I only drink liquids if I am out. I've already lost about 7lbs. I can't continue this diet for 2 years or I will wither away to nothing. I also have the flu and have been sick 2 times. My immune system is not getting enough nutrients because I hate to eat.

My point with this post is...I am not ready for the surgery. Advances in technology must have answers to my problem. I've researched Dr. Mew again and myofunctional therapy. I am going to travel to as many doctors who practice this. Expand my jaws and move my teeth forward in the face and practice proper tongue rest posture and breathing through my nose. SO MUCH WORK. But anything to get me out of these braces and not have to go through this massive surgery, I will try.

I'm hoping my blog inspires people in the future to go the alternative route because I was the exception. I'm not giving up to try and avoid the surgery. We have so much technology out there there has to be at least one doctor who believes their treatment will work. I will listen, learn, and ask questions.

I will keep you all posted on if I decide to remove these awful things.

Vlogging Journey

It's been about 2 weeks since I've seen the orthodontist. They have been delayed getting back to me due to the holidays but they are reviewing my case on Dec. 21st for a treatment plan. I just want to have this process started and braces on already! Many years of waiting and I'm about to back out again (not really just can't sit still thinking about everything).

I've decided to vlog my journey on youtube as livingwithvme. The main reason is I want to look back and have memories but also help those in the future who have similar problems. Majority of the jaw surgeries videos on there are from underbites and I've read that the upper jaw surgery is worse.

Follow my vlog journey!

Progress - Met Oral Surgeon Who I LOVE

Finally, I was able to actually see a oral surgeon who specializes in this surgery and has years of experience. I found him through research and not through a common referral. I told him my unique story and how this journey is only just getting started.

Unlike orthodontists, he actually made me feel that my problem was NOT just cosmetic and I have a functional problem that needs to be fixed. There's an entire process before even discussing treatment options and I'm having my teeth cleaned then seeing an ortho next week. After that, we will determine a treatment plan and schedule my wisdom teeth removal...UGH. I'm hoping to have this done by the holidays since that is perfect timing for work.

I know the money and wearing braces was a major reason why I refused to go further. I'm now single, career is somewhat stable, and I have the ability to move back home before the surgery. Now couldn't be a better time to focus on myself and fixing my jaws and health!

The journey is just starting and even though I'm scared as hell, I'm excited to begin and get the next 2 years over with!

Hiatus and Coming Back

The last time I wrote a post I was looking back into TAD's and that was a complete waste of time. No Ortho will take my case. My entire jaw needs to be removed and TAD's have success moving a few teeth but not my entire upper teeth/jaw line.

I've been sleeping worse at night, can't concentrate, and have to gasp for air all the time. My airway is blocked and I breathe through my mouth.

I started this blog to join the community who struggles with the same issues I'm having. Even though I know insurance will deny coverage, I will keep fighting until one day the research changes and so does the assumption this is just cosmetic. It's so much more. I do not want the surgery, I've tried everything to relieve symptoms and to camouflage my appearance.

Once again I will make an appointment with another Orthodontist since they have to refer you to their Oral Surgeon. I didn't want my braces to "show" and hopefully the clear ones will be less noticeable since my job is sales and confidence is highly important.

Please send me tips on receiving insurance approval! I have Aetna and they do cover surgery. Here goes nothing!! Praying for some good news on this long battle my condition is only getting worse the more I put off surgery.

Never ending research.. Now looking at TAD's

I've been back and forth over this surgery. My case isn't that "severe" to me to go through surgery. I simply want to intrude 4 teeth and widen my arches. I've found these youtube videos. I'm not sure how this is even possible but I'm considering going to every TAD orthodontist in South Florida to find someone who has done this at least ONCE and it has worked.

I also have an overjet and lower crowding..I already know I need braces but if I can also move my teeth up slightly and have just a littttttlleee less gum showing, I'd be perfectly satisfied. Also need more room for my tongue and then I can train my mouth to close naturally.

I also still want veneers..so to go through braces, surgery, then veneers is, in my opinion, ridiculous. Now begins yet another search for a miracle orthodontist or oral surgeon. The answer from orthodontists is always "jaw surgery" without even looking at other cases who have corrected my VME without the need for surgery.

Our technology has improved so much..I'm determined to have amazing before and after pictures to show that this can be improved (maybe not perfectly but livable) without the need for such an invasive expensive surgery.

Here's to hoping and more searching...

The waiting game.

After traveling to Austin to see an orthodontic specialist in invisalign/braces for jaw surgery, I have decided to go ahead and see the oral surgeon for a consult. He will first do a prescan and send my information over to my insurance (which he is in my network so this is awesome). I would love to start the process ASAP but traveling to Austin for this is a pain. My friend is moving there and will surely offer a place for me to stay to get cheap rates for flights.

The ortho said full treatment time is usually at most 18 months, with 6 months of prep even before the braces come on (if I remember correctly)

If all goes well in May, I hope to hear back from insurance by the summer and start the process by fall. Does anyone passing by know if you can go on short term disability if insurance says its medically necessary? 

I plan on being out from work for 2-3 weeks to recover. Thankfully my current job doesn't require extensive telephone usage, so I really can work semi remotely. 

I almost fell asleep at the wheel this morning...and I thought I had great sleep the other night. My sleep apnea is catching up to me finally. It's extremely scary to drive 1 hr to work drowsy. 

Back to the search for an orthodontist/oral surgeon...

I've been in a hiatus with this frustrating journey. I will say that research certainly has helped tremendously. I know exactly what my problem is and how to fix it.

There are options to "camouflage" the gummy smile even though I've already tried botox and lip repositioning surgery. However, I know this will not fix the mouth breathing concerns/TMJ/sleep apnea/grinding teeth. At the end of the day I want to be happy and not "camouflage" my problems just for a slightly better appearance. Knowing orthognathic surgery is a huge risk has put my journey on hold for awhile.

I've picked back up and have scheduled another appointment with an orthodontist specialist in Austin, Texas. He specializes in using Invisalign in the front and traditional braces posterior with less treatment time which is what I am looking for. I cannot be in braces with my profession for many months sometimes years.

He then will refer me to an oral surgeon who I hope has experience in convincing insurance companies to cover the surgery. The hardest part so far has been knowing I want the surgery but not having the time or money to spend with a bunch of consultations. I relied heavily on the research online for this orthodontist.

I see him in about 2 weeks and I pray that God has a plan to really begin this journey to fixing my problems.

Here are some more pictures...

 Side Profile w/ Receding Chin when closing mouth

My bite..my lips do not touch and you can see the lines still 

My lip closed posture my chin bunches up and is strained

Insurance Companies Rant

After about 3 phone calls I started to realize it may be near impossible to find a surgeon that would do a free consultation and staying "in network" knowing that they view this as a cosmetic procedure.

I do not want this surgery based on cosmetic reasons only. I want this surgery because I cannot breathe through my nose and find myself gasping for air and with very little energy throughout the day even after 8 hours of rest. I'm determined to get all of the required tests done to prove just how medically necessary this is or my insanity will drive me to spend the money on it. Even 60k+ that it will probably end up costing unless myofunctional therapy works.

Well, I've still chosen to see at least 3 doctors that are in network and see if they feel insurance will cover it. I'm scared because I do not want to have surgery. I've been trying my best to breathe through my nose and keep my mouth closed but it's led to headaches and extreme jaw pain plus allergies make it that much harder. I'll keep trying though until I can get a specialist to find another answer or cure to this disease. My quality of life needs to improve one way or another. I cannot keep feeling fatigue and depressed to do anything because lack of energy/oxygen.

I trust God has a plan though.

-Living with VME

First step..the consultations

I've done my research on orthodontists and oral surgeons in south Florida. I have 8 total consults to go to. Because my insurance will cover orthodontics, I need to go to in network orthos.

I don't know whether my insurance will cover the jaw surgery. Although it is cosmetic, there are a number of things that I believe should be necessary for surgery. For instance, I have sleep apnea and I am a chronic mouth breather with obstructed airways making it hard to breathe and I never fully feel rested after a nights sleep. I also have jaw pain occasionally and have to take a pill about once every 2 weeks when it bothers me.

If you found my blog because you are going through this journey too, please let me know whether it was easy to get covered and what your experience was. I'd really like to not become more poor when I desperately would like to solve my brain fog during the day and constant need for 4+ hour naps!

My estimated timeline for this journey is

Consultations in December 2015
Braces on February 2016
Jaw Surgery December 2016
Braces off July 2017

My Jaw/Gummy Smile Story

I am a 25 year old female that has had a gummy smile since I was a child. I have been diagnosed with vertical maxillary excess or "long upper jaw." For most of my childhood, I went without any diagnosis and never had braces. My teeth were always "straight" but I was a mouth breather with a gummy smile. At rest, my lips are slightly apart and show teeth. It wasn't until my freshman year of college did I really become self conscious about the gummy smile.

When I was 18 years old in High School 

I then decided to go to an orthodontist for an evaluation. During my first ever orthodontist experience, he noticed my teeth had shown a few gaps. He claimed that he could correct but he could not fix my "lip incompetence" or gummy smile. I decided to go through with a mild form of invisalign to fix 2 spaces. Within 7 months, the gaps closed but I now had a slight overjet and still the gummy smile and now an even harder time closing my mouth.

After doing even more research to fix my gummy smile, I decided to undergo "lip repositioning surgery." I wish this cosmetic dentist would have told me the relapse rate of this surgery. I still had no idea why I really showed so much gums. It wasn't my "high lip" when smiling. It was my jaw. Not knowing that, my smile looked so forced and fake that my teeth barely even showed. Three thousand dollars and 1 year later my lip repositioning surgery relapsed and I was back with the same gummy smile.

 After lip repositioning surgery. 

My new smile, barely showing my teeth.

Next, I started to research botox which would essentially do the same as the lip repositioning surgery (I suggest botox over that surgery any day). Botox works for about a month if I am not fulling smiling and laughing. Still this is not a permanent fix and it's about $60 every 6 months.

More research for 2 years has led me to finally fix my long upper jaw and lip incompetence. I have a narrow palate (I suspect from the invisalign treatment early on) and show a lot of black in my buccal corridors along with severe overcrowding due to shifting teeth on the bottom of my mouth which has made my lower jaw also narrow. First I will widen my upper jaw and fix lower crowding with braces. This will widen my smile to show more teeth and hopefully disguise some of my gumminess when smiling.

My mouth closed..receding chin and lip incompetence

I am going to see 4 orthodontics and 4 oral surgeons to get the best possible opinion for jaw surgery. Next, I am going to train myself through orofacial myofunctional therapy to keep my lips closed at rest and breath through my nose. I am trying now but my tongue barely has enough room to stay at the roof of my mouth with my teeth together; therefore, I keep my teeth apart slightly.

I also hope that this will move both my jaws up slightly, but after reading minimal research, this is not really proven. However, once I can successfully close my lips with proper tongue placement, without having to think about it, I will look into a sliding genioplasty since I have a receding chin when closing my lips and mouth.

I have taken before pictures of my journey along the way and will blog my journey from here on out living with VME, to improve my quality life, and to finally fix the root cause not just the symptom of my long narrow face.