Akvilina Arkadjevaitė
Already in my early childhood, my parents noticed that my bite is irregular, I bite food sideways, and I have poor articulation. I started wearing plates, but not very dutifully. It was even more difficult to speak clearly with the plate, so I didn't go to school or even leave the house with it. I wore the plate at this low-intensity pace for a few years, until I was a teenager, when it became clear that the plates weren't going to help me. The orthodontist recommended seeing a maxillofacial surgeon.
Although the first visit and presentation of the treatment plan was over ten years ago, I vividly remember the mild shock of learning that surgery was required on both jaws. It was not only the very high price of treatment that scared us, but also the very news of a difficult operation, a difficult postoperative period... We didn't even seriously consider whether to decide on treatment, because we knew the answer right away - it would be too difficult in every sense.
In the ten years leading up to this moment, I went through many phases - feeling sorry for myself, sad that I couldn't do anything, surviving bullying, and finally, reconciliation. Although I wasn't satisfied with my image in the mirror, I cared less and less about ugly comments, I started to feel more confident when taking pictures, I stopped trying to hide my smile too much - whatever you do, I was born like that. From time to time there was a desire to do something that would at least slightly improve the aesthetic image, but I myself understood that it would only mask the problem.
I probably would have continued to live like this, but a few years ago I started to feel that my back teeth were becoming sensitive, sometimes they sting for days to the point that I could hardly eat, it started to cause discomfort. At first I didn't realize it was a result of a bad bite until the dentist told me I had to avoid or stop eating solid foods because that kind of bite would only make things worse. I also began to notice changes in my appearance - it seemed that the asymmetry in my face was increasing over time. Irregular articulation has also not disappeared, on the contrary, it has become even more noticeable due to the work in which I constantly communicate with different people and have to talk a lot. I started going to speech therapists in kindergarten, and I finished it when I graduated high school, but the gap of almost one centimeter between the lower and upper teeth, along with other problems, was too difficult an obstacle to practice correct pronunciation.
Since then, little by little, I started thinking about surgical treatment again. My thoughts were completely different than when I was fifteen - I realized that I needed it, that it would allow me not only to have a symmetrical face and a beautiful smile, but also to avoid health problems in the future. I saved up for a few years until I realized I couldn't wait any longer. There are no more fears, I feel ready and can't wait to start the treatment. I am a realist and I understand that fulfilling my dreams is my own business, so I look at it responsibly and try to save money for treatment as much as possible. However, the amount is large, and it will not be easy to collect it alone in a couple of years. Therefore, I will be extremely grateful to everyone who contributed to my treatment.
