Facial Asymmetry and Underbite Surgery, 10 Years of Orthodontics

I started orthodontic treatment late, around age 24, 10 years ago. My jawbone was small, but my teeth came in large, so they were crooked, and I had facial asymmetry and an underbite. I had all my wisdom teeth removed, and then 4 healthy teeth were extracted as well before starting. About 2 years into orthodontics, the dental clinic recommended double jaw surgery, so I ended up having it urgently at Ulsan University Hospital. I didn’t really think about it, but my mom kept telling me to do it. The surgery took almost 6 hours, so my dad fought with my mom, saying I was going to die, and it was total chaos... The recovery went well. They tied my upper and lower teeth together tightly with rubber bands so I couldn’t move at all, and I had to spit out phlegm and blood through the gaps, plus rinse with antiseptic gargle and spit that out too. It was really hard. But because they aligned the jawbones, my upper teeth ended up slightly rotated. My front teeth weren’t centered on the philtrum, but were turned a little to the side... The doctor in charge just said, huh, really? and didn’t say anything else. At the time, I thought, maybe orthodontics will rotate them back? Anyway, 10 years passed like that. Now... because of orthodontic treatment, all my teeth have weakened and been damaged, and I have two molar implants. My front teeth are all discolored too, and I’m in the middle of root canal treatment. My jaw also clicks a little at the joint. Especially because I got into the habit of sleeping with my mouth tightly closed, my temporomandibular joint is extremely tense, which is uncomfortable. For those of you getting orthodontic treatment... get X-rays from time to time. All the tooth roots are tilting over. Since they force the teeth into position, the teeth may look neat, but the roots will all be leaning to the side. Dental care is really hard. And expensive too. As I got older, I thought... back then I didn’t know anything and just did what my parents told me to do... Looking back now, I wonder if partial orthodontics or dental cosmetic work would have been better. No matter how well jaw surgery is done, discomfort can appear as time passes and you get older... If you’re in orthodontic treatment, especially if you go to a clinic that specializes only in orthodontics, make sure you get your teeth checked regularly at a general dental clinic. If you end up getting crowns, extractions, and implants, all the money you spent will go to waste...