I am going to recount the days for my lower jaw operation for you guys and those who are considering about doing it. =)
The first time i was told about this kind of operation was when i was in Secondary 4 when the dentist came for the check and stuffs. The dentist suggested me to go braces and might need operation to correct as well but then i wasn't really care about how i look like and cost will be a factor for me as well.
Coming to this decision was really an easy one in end 2007 when i visit the SAFTI MI (a medical place for Singaporean Soldier) for my wisdom tooth extraction. The medical officer asked me, "Do you have a problem with my biting and stuffs?" and suggested that I will need to go for some operation to correct my biting and it will improve the articulation of my speech. Maybe it is just a habit over the years for not articulating my words properly. And i thought, maybe i should give it a try. I didn't really think much about it and agreed. So the dentist referred me to National University Hospital (NUH) to let the dental officer check whether i am suitable for this treatment.
At the first consultant, they say i will need to go through the jaw operation which i kind of expected and i will have to go through the braces stage which will takes 1 year 6 months then operation and another 6 months. Due to the government subsidy, i will need to wait for their call to see when they can see me to this case, maybe 6 months or 1 year? But i received a call a week later to ask me to go for the braces treatment. (Maybe my treatment need operation and it will be a good case study for the student, so i was kind of on the piority?) Haha...
So i started my Orthodontics (braces) in Feb 2008, my doctor was then Dr Neo Bi Juan who explained to me about the surgery, the complications and cost of it. At first i was informed about $5k surgery cost, treatment for 2 years, cost of Orthodontics will be $2200 excluding other things like extraction of tooth, talking to my parents about this decision before we start doing it. Having some savings, i thought the cost will be reasonable now and i will working to pay off the treatment. I agreed and thought it wouldn't be too long to see any result.
When i told my mum about this treatment, of course she didn't like the idea of me having to go through the operation and wonder if only Orthodontics will do the job of correcting my biting. Well, i will say it is possible but you will still have the long lower profile. At the moment, i also didn't know why was i so persistent about this treatment. But well, if i had already made the decision, no one can change it. So my mum sort of didn't say anything about it so i went ahead of the treatment. I know she is worried but as time goes by, we just put the idea of surgery behind and concentrated on the braces treatment first.
Over the months, many people tried to put me out of the idea for going through the operation and think i look perfectly fine with my what i have now and stuffs. But well, sometimes when you already made the decision and go through the braces treatment you don't really want to look back. Get it done asap. And the truth is, i get pissed off when people try doing that. And i guess when they are not in my shoes, they don't feel it. It is easier to say, "You are ok what?" If i haven't started the treatment maybe i will adhere to what others say but i am already there. What is the point of stopping me at this moment? I admit that halfway through the treatment, i thought of giving up but i shouldn't stop since i am already in it. Partly due to the extended period of treatment that is putting me off. But till now, i pulled through...
For this Orthodontics treatment, i removed all my wisdom teeth and upper #4 and lower #5 i think. The treatment was delayed due to how they want to move the teeth to get ready for the surgery. I took about 2 years and 6 months due to some movement as i didn't remove my upper #4 and lower #5 together. It was only 6 months later that they realized that my lower gum is too thin and might not be healthy so suggested i remove the lower #5. So the spaces between the teeth need another few months to close up.
And finally the day is here for my operation, 24th August 2010. Life changing experience.
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