A Little Bit o' Background...

For most of my life, my defining feature has been my gummy smile. For any of you that have a gummy smile, you probably know how hard it is to go through life, afraid to smile too big or laugh too hard. No doubt, showing a little bit of gums when you smile is youthful and attractive, but showing more gums than teeth just makes you feel very exposed and self-conscious. But you live on...

When I was twelve years old (in 7th grade), I got braces. I was SO excited because at that point, I hardly noticed my gummy smile past my crooked teeth!

Woof...Cute braid though!

It's hard to find pictures of me smiling big. This was the best

 I could do for the braces years (and the least painful).

I had braces for two years, and my teeth straightened right out. I also had a small overbite, which was also completely corrected by braces. During my treatment, we had asked my orthodontist if there was anything that could be done about my gummy smile. As soon as he mentioned removing a bone from my face, my parents immediately dismissed the idea. Unfortunately, I was too young to really understand the implications of jaw surgery and make a decision for myself. As nice as it would have been to have done this procedure before high school, this face is what made me who I am today. As grateful as I am for my current position in life, I'm ready to take a leap...

I'm not sure what inspired me to look into what it meant to "have a bone removed from my face." This past summer, specifically August 2014, I began researching jaw surgery. When I had a better understanding of what the surgery implied, I decided to make an appointment for a consultation with an Oral and Maxillofacial surgeon. I wanted two opinions, so I saw a surgeon with a great reputation, Dr. Silverstein, about an hour away. After a great appointment with him, I saw the surgeon that my orthodontist recommended. Because their opinions coincided, I decided to stick with the second surgeon, Dr. Lanzi, who is located much closer to me, who also happens to be the surgeon for the Philadelphia Flyers. Pretty cool.

During my appointment with Dr. Lanzi, we looked at my X-rays and learned that because of my overgrown upper jaw, my lower jaw is too low and too far back, which leaves me with an airway of only 4mm wide, instead of the average 11mm. Obviously a small airway can lead to various health issues, especially sleep apnea as an adult. For that reason, it was deemed medically necessary that I have this procedure done. My insurance company denied me the first time around, but approved the surgery after the appeal.

My surgery date is May 14th, 2015.

Days until surgery: 6

Anxiety level: 8