Type 3 jaw

honeymonster

Hey, I have a type 3 jaw where my upper jaw is smaller than it should be compared to my lower jaw. As a result one tooth couldnt come through and theres a bit of a gap. I went to my dentist who send me to a orthodontist who is sending me to a oral surgeon. He said he will put braces on to push the teeth out and widen the arc so the tooth can come through. I was wondering if anyone has had this procedure done, apparently its very rare.


Stephen

Pet

I think you're probably thinking of SARPE, which is surgically assisted rapid palate expansion.

Here is a good message board for all sorts of jaw surgery questions, and right at the top is a thread about SARPE. It's not actually that rare, it's just probably less frequent over here, because Americans are really fussy about their teeth..

Big_G

It is actually that rare.
This type of jaw relationship affects about 4% of the Caucasian population. This is a difficult one to treat because it is usually caused by growth discrepancies. So once you stop growing (you actually just slow to an almost undetectable level of growth), it is difficult to fix this problem without surgery.
In an (unpublished) study of orthodontic treatment need in 100 children in North Dublin, I think we came across one child with a class III malocclusion.

eth0_

You might want to listen to this Radio 4 show on jaw and maxillofacial surgery, very interesting. It's amazing that people can speak and eat soft foods within a few days of surgery!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/casenotes.shtml