Tired of sunken midface and recessed jaws - planning to use a 3-way expander at 16 to avoid surgery later. Please give insight

[maxmogvril]

Hey guys,

I’ve been battling this thought for a long time, and I feel like I need to finally write it down.

I’m 16 years old, and I’ve spent most of my teen years extremely self-conscious about my recessed jaws, especially the sunken midface. No matter how well I take care of my skin or stay lean, the facial structure just doesn't cooperate. It makes me look tired, sad, and even older in some angles.


And the worst part?

The time to change it is now - or never.

At this age, my bones are still (slightly) moldable. I know that after 17 or so, the midpalatal suture fuses, and after that the only real way to correct this would be full-blown orthognathic surgery. I don’t want to go down that road.


The problem is… I’m stuck.


I’m on a waiting list for an orthodontist in my country. The system is overloaded. Even just the initial consult is 6-9 months away. After that? Add more months for X-rays, then braces, and maybe, just maybe - they’ll offer an expander. But by then it’ll be too late.


They’ll say: “You should’ve come earlier.”

I did come earlier. They just didn’t do anything.

So now I’m here. Considering an alternative.

 

[HighIQ ubermensch]

They’ll say: “You should’ve come earlier.”

yeah it's over

Surgery is your only hope nigger stop coping with palate expander

 

[weepmeep]

true evil

 

[IDontBlameAnybody]

Instead of putting all of your focus on non-surgical options, you must realize that most of that shit WILL NOT work as well as you'd expect it to. To truly improve your looks and have a good chance of a desired outcome, start saving up for surgeries and gather as much knowledge as you can to mitigate the risk of doing some dumb shit.

 

[maxmogvril]

Instead of putting all of your focus on non-surgical options, you must realize that most of that shit WILL NOT work as well as you'd expect it to. To truly improve your looks and have a good chance of a desired outcome, start saving up for surgeries and gather as much knowledge as you can to mitigate the risk of doing some dumb shit.

If I do nothing, I'm almost guaranteed to need LeFort II or even BiMax surgery later. This way, at least I might soften the case - maybe to just braces or milder intervention. I know it won't magically grow a whole new face. I just want to slightly improve maxillary width and possibly forward projection before the window closes and surgery becomes the only route.

 

[IDontBlameAnybody]

If I do nothing, I'm almost guaranteed to need LeFort II or even BiMax surgery later. This way, at least I might soften the case - maybe to just braces or milder intervention. I know it won't magically grow a whole new face. I just want to slightly improve maxillary width and possibly forward projection before the window closes and surgery becomes the only route.

Have you ever seen someone getting lefort 2 for aesthetic purposes other than that one giant implants patient? Yeah me neither, as of now LF2 is not performed for aesthetic purposes almost never. Other than that, sure ig go for palate expander or whatever if you want to. You’ll
need to wear braces anyways before a jaw surgery.

 

[maxmogvril]

Have you ever seen someone getting lefort 2 for aesthetic purposes other than that one giant implants patient? Yeah me neither, as of now LF2 is not performed for aesthetic purposes almost never. Other than that, sure ig go for palate expander or whatever if you want to. You’ll
need to wear braces anyways before a jaw surgery.

I appreciate the honesty. I know LeFort II isn't common unless there's a major issue, but I still want to give myself every shot I can before that becomes the only route. I’ll monitor everything and proceed smartly. Thanks for the reality check though - it’s helpful.

 

[Fusionxz]

ull need surgery either ways

 

[IDontBlameAnybody]

I appreciate the honesty. I know LeFort II isn't common unless there's a major issue, but I still want to give myself every shot I can before that becomes the only route. I’ll monitor everything and proceed smartly. Thanks for the reality check though - it’s helpful.

Np man, anything I say is meant to help you and not to make fun of you - I'm here to help not to put you down.

And don't take that as a "reality check" as if it will be over if you won't get LF2. LeFort 1 can make a massive difference to your face, trust me. Most of the rotters here are so out of touch with reality that they think that LF1 will not do anything and LF2 or LF3 is always necessary.

And the good thing is that LF1 can be easily done for cosmetic purposes and a lot of people get it and benefit A LOT from it.

I'm personally getting it, and even though I'm doing it for cosmetic purposes, my surgeon can get insurance involved due to my dental compensation which has occured a.k.a "bite problems" on paper. I still need to pay thousands of euros though. In Finland ik that if you get insurance involved you can get it for free pretty much LOL, but you must be a finland citizen.

 

[maxmogvril]

Np man, anything I say is meant to help you and not to make fun of you - I'm here to help not to put you down.

And don't take that as a "reality check" as if it will be over if you won't get LF2. LeFort 1 can make a massive difference to your face, trust me. Most of the rotters here are so out of touch with reality that they think that LF1 will not do anything and LF2 or LF3 is always necessary.

And the good thing is that LF1 can be easily done for cosmetic purposes and a lot of people get it and benefit A LOT from it.

I'm personally getting it, and even though I'm doing it for cosmetic purposes, my surgeon can get insurance involved due to my dental compensation which has occured a.k.a "bite problems" on paper. I still need to pay thousands of euros though. In Finland ik that if you get insurance involved you can get it for free pretty much LOL, but you must be a finland citizen.

Thanks bro, I really appreciate your reply - for real.
That actually helped me calm down a bit, I’ve been in full panic mode thinking it’s either do-or-die with LF2 or bust. But you’re right, LF1 can already bring a huge difference, especially in my case where my upper jaw is recessed and narrow. I’m 16 (just turned), so I’m still trying to get the most out of my natural growth and expansion before those sutures close. That’s why I’m currently considering a palate expander - to at least widen the maxilla and improve base support, maybe reduce the need for aggressive surgery later. If it doesn’t help much - fine, I’ll move on to surgical options. But I want to make sure I did everything I could before it’s too late, you know? And yeah, I’ve heard about using bite issues for insurance coverage not possible in my country, but still good to know. I wish you all the best with your LF1, man. If you’re open to it, I’d love to hear how it goes for you.

 

[IDontBlameAnybody]

Thanks bro, I really appreciate your reply - for real.
That actually helped me calm down a bit, I’ve been in full panic mode thinking it’s either do-or-die with LF2 or bust. But you’re right, LF1 can already bring a huge difference, especially in my case where my upper jaw is recessed and narrow. I’m 16 (just turned), so I’m still trying to get the most out of my natural growth and expansion before those sutures close. That’s why I’m currently considering a palate expander - to at least widen the maxilla and improve base support, maybe reduce the need for aggressive surgery later. If it doesn’t help much - fine, I’ll move on to surgical options. But I want to make sure I did everything I could before it’s too late, you know? And yeah, I’ve heard about using bite issues for insurance coverage not possible in my country, but still good to know. I wish you all the best with your LF1, man. If you’re open to it, I’d love to hear how it goes for you.

I’m getting braces in December-January, and then I have to wear braces for 1 year before doing the surgery, then braces for another like 6-12 months post surgery.

But yeah sure, get a palate expander and do all you want, nothing wrong with it. LF1 is an extremely good procedure actually and can make the world of a difference for some people.

 

[IDontBlameAnybody]

99% of Upper jaw surgery results online are lefort 1. You almost never see LF2 or LF3 done for cosmetic purposes. These people that get it are usually deformed or suffer from extreme functional issues (which in most of the cases can also be solved with LF1)