- Pain: 0/10
- Inconvenience: 1/10
It’s been a slice, folks!
Today marks Day 90 of my recovery. That means my jaw is completely healed, as far as the medical world is concerned. Is my bite perfect? No. Do I still have numbness in my chin? Yes. Has my full range of motion returned? Not yet.
All that’s left now is orthodontic work. The elastics will slowly bring my molars back together and cinch my teeth up to close all the gaps. Feeling should find its way back to my face over the next few months. The mobility of my tongue and lips will return as the scar tissue breaks up.
If you’d like to see my general progress, you can take a look at my x-rays or my 3 month’s worth of mugshots. I have an appointment with my surgeon next week, so I may be posting my before and after photos sometime.
I still have a long way to climb back to the point I was at before. Baby steps are the way to go, though. For instance, I ate my first hamburger and my first chocolate bar in 3 entire months just yesterday. Every single day brings small accomplishments.
I’ve learned more than I ever thought I would from this experience, both undergoing jaw surgery and maintaining a blog about it.
- I learned that patience is one of the primary keys to life. Without it, you’ll end up in the same place, but you’ll be a lot angrier when you get there.
- I learned that time will heal just about anything. And while life seems to fly by at mach speeds, we still have 24 hours each day, and there’s no excuse to waste them.
- I learned that, when you’re completely healthy and able, you take absolutely everything for granted. Next time you sit down for a meal, give yourself more than 10 minutes to enjoy it. Consider the fact that you are indulging in comforts and securities that many people in this world don’t have the opportunity to experience.
- I learned that people are more accepting than we give them credit for. We walk down the streets judging people for what they’re wearing, how they’re holding themselves and what they’re doing. Little do we know that if we just stop to say hi to a stranger, we may find out they’re the kindest, most genuine person we’ve ever met. Stop being afraid of the unknown.
- I learned that committing to something for 90 days takes more effort than I ever thought it would. This blog was easy to maintain for the first few weeks because I was sitting at home with nothing on my plate. However, once I returned to my job, started being social once again and began to have plans, I had to start setting time aside to update this journal.
- I learned that, even if just a single person finds your experience useful, your time is still well worth the trouble.
Was jaw surgery worth it? Absolutely. Even though only 10 of my teeth are currently touching, my bite is still easier to use than it was before. Despite being slightly numb, I’m still able to chew much more effectively than before. I thought I looked like I had buck teeth at first, but now I’m comfortable with them and I like my smile more than before. And now, in what feels like no time at all, I’m back to normal, for the most part. I would recommend jaw surgery to anyone who is not comfortable with their bite or their side profile.
I’ve met people from all over the world through this blog–New York and Boston, Australia, England, Germany and several places in between. I can’t believe how many people out there have been through this same procedure or are on the road to have it performed. I’d like to personally thank each and every one of you for taking this trip with me. I appreciate every single comment that was made. I hope this proved to be a useful resource, and will continue to guide people along in terms of jaw surgery in the future.
I’ll most likely make 2 more posts on this blog: one in the near future to showcase my before and after photos, and another in roughly 6 months to briefly discuss the changes that take place over the next half year.
Once again, I’d like to extend a big thank you to everyone out there for keeping me motivated to complete this project. Right now, I’m off to enjoy a bike ride on this glorious summer day, which is sure to be followed by a cold beer. Cheers, my friends!
July 22, 2010 at 8:03 am
Hi Cass! Thanks for all the positive feedback. 🙂 Now that I’ve finished reading your mini essay…
1. I’m not sure about the exact numbers, but I think my bottom was moved back about 5mm and the top brought forward 2mm or something. Far less then yours, that’s for sure. You are definitely going to look different!
2. My surgeon said he gave me a bit of an overbite on purpose to provide for relapse. Your body will always try to go back to how it was naturally, right? I no longer feel like I have an overbite or buck teeth, no. I quite like my smile now (and will even more so when the braces come off). I think I just had to let braces work a bit as well as simply get used to having my teeth this prominent.
3. I wouldn’t worry about swelling until at least the 3-month mark. I think mine has all subsided by now, but they say that there may be remnants of swelling for up to 6 months. In any regard, at the 3-month mark I looked pretty much the same as I do now.
4. People tell me my lisp went away and I speak a lot more clearly now, which is great! However, I’m unable to say the “th” sound properly. It’s quite humorous actually, but I’m confident it’s just because I’m still a little numb on my bottom lip and I have to adjust to my new mouth. You won’t have full movement of your tongue, lips and everything else back for quite a while due to scar tissue and whatnot, so your speech will probably change for up to 6 months. People on here suggested I try whistling as often as possible to contort my face and stretch my muscles. I suggest you do the same. 😀
I’m the same as you. I feel like I looked better before, but in reality, we look pretty much the same (except without an underbite). You just have to get used to your new face, and one you do, you’ll love it.
Also, don’t fret about anything until at least 6 months because your face may shift and your speech may change up until then. I’ve discovered that, above all else, you just have to get used to seeing yourself in the mirror again. And once all your swelling is gone, you’ll be a big fan. I promise. 😉
July 22, 2010 at 2:25 am
Thank you Graham for this wonderful blog you’ve created. And congrats on your successful recovery from jaw surgery! Looks like it’s just a matter of time till everything will be in the right place and you’ll have your braces off forever.
I am currently about 2 months into recovery and I have a number of questions for you that’s been lingering in my head for some time. By the way your blog is by far the most neatly organized and comprehensive one I’ve come across on jaw surgery, not to mention that your writing is often very witty and humorous . It’s helped me a great deal and I’m certain it has helped a great many others out there who’s gone through jaw surgery recently. Above all I admire your positive attitude in the midst of uncertainty and hardship. (I was especially impressed with how you handled the days after your splint was out.)
Please keep this blog available as long as possible because it will become, if it hasn’t already, one of the most valuable resources on jaw surgery recovery on the web for years to come. It’s quality work. I consider it a little classic of its kind.
To keep things as short as I can (since I’ve said quite a bit already and I know you are busy now that you have all your energy back), here are my questions:
1. I happened to have had a very very severe underbite, perhaps more than double yours at whopping 7 mm. Roughly speaking my surgeon decided to move my upper jaw by 4 mm forward and the lower by 6 mm backward. I would like to know how much they moved your upper and lower jaws respectively.
2. What is your current overjet? It looked like it was about a couple of mm judging from your post-op x-ray. Has it changed? Do your upper front teeth still hit the bottom brackets? Do you still perceive yourself to have buck teeth appearance but just got used to it or you don’t notice it anymore? I guess the subtle distinction here is that the former is that of acceptance and the latter is that there is no buck teeth appearance to be perceived anymore since the braces have corrected it. (Personally I didn’t think that you had buck teeth look at all. I wouldn’t have guessed it had you not mentioned it. I still don’t think you have the look according to the mugshots.)
3. Has your swelling gone down almost completely?
I recall that in your day 12 side profile photo your upper lip area was swollen quite a lot. My swelling was equally bad. I wonder if your swelling in that particular area has gone down 100% for you. I’m counting on mine because right now it protrudes somewhat and that’s making me feel quite uneasy. It makes me wonder if my surgeon had pulled my upper jaw a bit too far forward. I’m desperately hoping that it’s swelling and not my upper jaw or teeth. I feel like my upper jaw looks like that of Homer Simpson or Bruce Willis 🙁
4. I used to have lisp like most ppl with underbite. Now I no longer have it, however I’ve developed something else and now I kinda sound like Sean Connery. I used to pronounce “s” like “th” now it sounds like “sh”. Sounds like there’s air leaking through the gaps between teeth or something like that. My doctors said that if it doesn’t get better naturally perhaps I should consult a speech therapist. Did you have any similar problems or heard of anyone who does and what might possibly cause it?
I know it’s still kind of early (a mere 2 months into recovery) and the questions I’ve raised pertain more to cosmetics than functionality (except for the speech thing). But I think because I had such unusually severe underbite, my jaw surgery, in addition to correcting my bite, REALLY changed my face drastically – so much so that some past acquaintances didn’t realize who I was at a first glance. I think for me except for the very few days after the surgery the hardest things were psychological rather than physical. My bite seems to be good and I’m grateful for that. But unfortunately at the risk of sounding vain, I honestly find my current appearance somewhat difficult for me to cope with.
Sorry for writing so long and thank you so much for your help.
July 22, 2010 at 1:13 am
Hey Nycgirl!
My swelling is gone (in my eyes, anyway). I’m back to a normal life, eating and drinking whatever I please, and have 100% of my energy back.
I must say, being able to bite through a sandwich or a cookie is an incredible feeling. It’s so nice to not have to tear my food apart any longer! I never knew what it was like to have a clean bite!
So don’t worry. It’s a minor hardship, but 3-4 months afterwards you’ll be back to your normal life and you’ll appreciate your new bite. I’m still numb in one corner of my chin, so we’ll see if that feeling returns.
July 21, 2010 at 7:06 pm
heyy Graham:
im just wondering if swelling has gone down more?
also, are you back to your same routine as usual?
Oooo can you eat normally again?
-thank you, jus been real anxious for my surgery so im just gettin last minute details and what to expect.
July 18, 2010 at 10:53 pm
Chris, I’ll be wishing you luck on August 2nd!
Amitk, you’re just a lucky guy then. There are varying degrees of surgery. I have a friend who had it done late last year and he was eating within 2 weeks of surgery. This blog merely outlines my personal experience.
Rae, I’m from Alberta, Canada, and my surgery was $5000 for both jaws, $1600 for wisdom teeth removal and $7000 for braces. I’ve been in braces for 3 years already and have another year until it’s all done.
Average brace time is between 2-3 years. I’m just in them longer because my teeth were royally messed up.
July 17, 2010 at 11:37 am
Are you in the States? The surgery cost $3,000 plus $6,000 for all the orthodontic treatment, so 9 in all, but I’m Canadian, and so is Graham if I’m not mistaken.
Hardly any waiting for me personally. I had my surgery within a month of booking it.
Total treatment time from start to finish will be 12-13 months for me. It’s a commitment, yes, but just suck it up and do it, it’s not nearly as bad as people make it out to be.
July 16, 2010 at 11:45 pm
Hello, I loved reading your blog!
Some of the stuff you wrote was intimidating though because I am expecting to receive jaw surgery in the future. Your words were extremely insightful and I really appreciated the time you took to write this, it must have been a lot of commitment.
Anyways, I was just wondering how long you had to have braces on and how much of your jaw surgery you had to pay for, because my orthodontist won’t give me am approximate price (in the range of $5’000-$10’000).
I am hoping to have it soon but apparently the wait list for a surgeon is huge!
Thanks again, your awesome 😀
July 16, 2010 at 4:05 pm
I ended up seeing my surgeon on Monday, a little over 4 weeks post-op. He took off my splint and said I can now eat ANYTHING I want and that the next month was about strengthening my jaw muscles. I’ve eaten everything from steak to nachos this last week with no pain and relatively low inconvenience. Also, Graham, you know how your bite wasn’t perfect post-op? He said mine was spot on, and expected me to get my braces off within a couple months provided I continue to wear the elastics for 18 hrs/day.
I asked him specifically, why does it seem like my surgery went so well when people on blogs I’ve seen online seem to have a hell of a time. His response: “Gotta love blogs…” Said it all. But I asked him in all seriousness and he said it had a lot to do with my attitude and eating as much as possible and moving to soft food and tougher foods early on while keeping my mouth super clean, all of which I did, but it’s obvious that he’s also a rockstar in the O.R by what other doctors, surgeons, and his staff say about him.
That’s the honest truth. If you’re in the Toronto area, my surgeon’s name is Dr. Marco Caminiti and he is the owner of Crescent Oral Surgery. He also teaches oral surgery at University of Toronto. Had my wisdom teeth out there too and also had a remarkably fast recovery. Highly recommend.
Good luck all.
July 16, 2010 at 3:51 pm
HI,
Thanks so much for posting all of this its very interesting for me to see what I am likely to expect. I also have a class 3 occlusion and am getting double jaw surgery, on August the 2nd! fingers crossed!
July 14, 2010 at 8:12 am
Hi Vicky! I wish you the best of luck when your date finally arrives. =)
July 14, 2010 at 1:41 am
I am SO glad I found your blog through Google! I also have a class 3 occlusion and am getting the exact same type of orthognathic surgery in a month or two (the date isn’t set yet). Thank you for sharing your experience with everyone, it’s a comfort to know what to anticipate when the time comes!!
July 2, 2010 at 12:01 pm
Not a problem Zu, glad to be helpful! I wish him all the best.
July 2, 2010 at 4:03 am
Hi Graham, I just wanted to thank you as well for all the info you posted. It can be useful to more people than you think! My boyfriend’s jaw was broken in an assault, and aside from the shock and all that, the recovery process is quite similar. We found a lot of information here that helped us (his doctor told us very little!). Day 63 now and the feeling in the lip and chin is slowly coming back, yay!
All the best x
July 1, 2010 at 9:35 pm
Good luck with it Angie! Are you going to need a splint?
July 1, 2010 at 9:29 pm
Having similar double-jaw surgery whenever surgeon decides the time is right. Was at orthodontist today and just reminds me how scared I am. HAPPY to find your website dedicated to the subject. Thank you!!!
June 29, 2010 at 3:46 pm
Energy is directly related to your healing and calorie intake. As soon as I was able to eat again, I gained 15 pounds back, along with all of my energy, in just over a week.
That’s so weird that you’ve healed so fast. The procedure must have been vastly different, because I can’t understand why one person would heal so much more quickly than the next. I can understand the splint being taken out at 4 weeks, because I was a worst-case in that regard, but the fact that all your feeling is back already is quite amazing.
June 29, 2010 at 2:45 pm
No, it is certainly not the only situation in which they will be cautious. You’d hope they were always cautious! But personally, I was told 6 weeks. Having said that, I won’t be attempting to eat an almond any time soon.
In your case, there was probably no urgent need to remove it, so I guess why take any chance of interrupting your recovery? How did your recovery go, overall? How substantial was the setback after removing said plate?
I had a “similar” experience, though not nearly as bad. You know those surgical hooks they put on your braces to attach the elastics to? One was left behind…in my face.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs090.snc4/35863_107967069252849_100001186699515_59093_236343_n.jpg
June 29, 2010 at 2:15 pm
I think the surgeon’s erring on the side of caution is not always to do with pushing by a patient.
I had an issue that the surgeon thought might require a removal of the plate in my lower right jaw. I saw him about the problem at 8 weeks and he really did not want to take the plate out until at least 12 weeks post-op in order to let the bone heal together enough
June 29, 2010 at 2:11 pm
Very interesting, I was told 2 months, but that average healing time was six weeks for the jaw in particular. But, I was also told to take it easy for 3 months.
Doctors will heir on the side of caution when pushed by a patient, but if you ask them what they have seen in their experience (with patients YOUR age and level of physical health), they will respond differently. In any case, I, personally, will be listening to my surgeon, and taking it easy for three months!
Energy is definitely still an issue. I -was- training for a marathon before my surgery (I only had two week’s notice to take the surgery date) and now I’m sweating and feeling rundown doing half an hour at brisk walking speed on a treadmill. Still not sure I understand what is taking place in my body that I see such a drastic difference in my energy levels. I assume it’s all calorie intake and expenditure, and that while you’re healing it is critically out of balance.
June 29, 2010 at 1:13 pm
amitk,
It’s true, all recoveries are different. My surgeon, along with others from my city, suggest taking it easy for 3 months. It’s good to hear that you’re recovering so quickly. I had swelling for a lot longer than you did, that’s for sure. My recovery appears to be a worst case scenario.
Also, regardless of how you feel and what you’re eating, it still takes up to 3 months for your actual bone to fuse back together. Anybody who has ever experienced a broken bone, whether surgically or otherwise, knows that they don’t heal in 2-3 weeks.
That’s cool to hear that the recovery for some people is so short and sweet. Let me know when you’re back to full-fledged eating and activity again.
Do you have all your energy back as well?