Trista's Double Jaw Surgery
Donation protected
Hello! My name is Trista. I grew up in a very small town called Auberry in the state of California. I keep busy with work, church, fitness, and spending time with a few close friends and family.
As a child, I was very shy and insecure about my looks, specifically my smile. I would try to cover it up by tilting my head down when I laughed, I placed my hands over my mouth when I smiled, and I always fake smiled my way through photos so I didn’t have to show my teeth. Thankfully I wasn’t teased for my underbite or crooked/worn out teeth but I gather that was due to the shyness. It was hard to be outgoing when I felt like there was a huge target on my face.
Nowadays I am not as insecure about my smile as I was when I was younger. My focus was readjusted on the severity of my health condition and less on my physical appearance. I no longer eat basic meals without cutting them in to pieces like a toddler, I routinely exercise ever few hours to stretch my jaw muscles and relieve as much joint pressure as possible. This is done to avoid the rapid rate of deterioration of the bone and joints.
Currently I have met several dentists, orthodontists, one physical therapist, and 2 oral surgeons. I have a class 3 malocclusion. This means my teeth crisscross each other. My upper jaw is severely underdeveloped and sits to the left side while my bottom jaw is pushed forward and sits to the right. All of which causes temporomandibular disorder. Braces and surgery are a must otherwise I will be looking at a whole other surgery to replace the jaw bones that are slowly deteriorating due to my current condition so time is of the essence.
I have finally lined up an amazing team of doctors who are working hard to come up with a solid treatment plan. I’ve also obtained the best insurance that hopefully *cross my fingers* will not reject coverage of the surgery. In the next two weeks, we will be hearing from Kaiser hospital. If they take my case we will begin braces immediately. I will be in the braces for approximately a year. Once the teeth are positioned straight and I no longer have a physical bite, the double jaw surgery will take place. It will include Lefort I Osteotomy and a bilateral sagittal split osteotomy. The recovery will last about 6 weeks in which I will be wired closed with a splint to allow the bones to heal in the new/correct position. I will be on a liquid diet until the wires can come off and I’m healed enough to return to the orthodontist. The final phase will finish with braces until they are replaced with a retainer.
It will be a long and scary journey but with support I am confident I can reach my goal. I look forward to the first time in my life I will be able to eat and smile the way I've always wanted to. Every little donation and share can make a huge difference. Thank you so much for reading! God Bless!
As a child, I was very shy and insecure about my looks, specifically my smile. I would try to cover it up by tilting my head down when I laughed, I placed my hands over my mouth when I smiled, and I always fake smiled my way through photos so I didn’t have to show my teeth. Thankfully I wasn’t teased for my underbite or crooked/worn out teeth but I gather that was due to the shyness. It was hard to be outgoing when I felt like there was a huge target on my face.
Nowadays I am not as insecure about my smile as I was when I was younger. My focus was readjusted on the severity of my health condition and less on my physical appearance. I no longer eat basic meals without cutting them in to pieces like a toddler, I routinely exercise ever few hours to stretch my jaw muscles and relieve as much joint pressure as possible. This is done to avoid the rapid rate of deterioration of the bone and joints.
Currently I have met several dentists, orthodontists, one physical therapist, and 2 oral surgeons. I have a class 3 malocclusion. This means my teeth crisscross each other. My upper jaw is severely underdeveloped and sits to the left side while my bottom jaw is pushed forward and sits to the right. All of which causes temporomandibular disorder. Braces and surgery are a must otherwise I will be looking at a whole other surgery to replace the jaw bones that are slowly deteriorating due to my current condition so time is of the essence.
I have finally lined up an amazing team of doctors who are working hard to come up with a solid treatment plan. I’ve also obtained the best insurance that hopefully *cross my fingers* will not reject coverage of the surgery. In the next two weeks, we will be hearing from Kaiser hospital. If they take my case we will begin braces immediately. I will be in the braces for approximately a year. Once the teeth are positioned straight and I no longer have a physical bite, the double jaw surgery will take place. It will include Lefort I Osteotomy and a bilateral sagittal split osteotomy. The recovery will last about 6 weeks in which I will be wired closed with a splint to allow the bones to heal in the new/correct position. I will be on a liquid diet until the wires can come off and I’m healed enough to return to the orthodontist. The final phase will finish with braces until they are replaced with a retainer.
It will be a long and scary journey but with support I am confident I can reach my goal. I look forward to the first time in my life I will be able to eat and smile the way I've always wanted to. Every little donation and share can make a huge difference. Thank you so much for reading! God Bless!
Organizer
Trista Kaestner
Organizer
Fresno, CA