- Pain: 0/10
- Inconvenience: 0/10
It’s been a while since I’ve taken a mugshot!
Have you ever bitten clear through a sandwich? How about a piece of pizza? What about a hot dog? Let me tell you something: It is absolutely incredible! The mere fact that I no longer have to tear through my food like some rabid beast makes this entire ordeal well worth the time, money and discomfort. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I never knew how simple chewing was until now. It almost makes me speechless. I understand that this sounds ridiculous to those of you who were blessed with a working set of teeth, but I’d like you to know that you’re lucky. Very lucky.
As promised, I’ve returned with my before and after photos. While the change may not appear to be that great, it has made a huge difference in my life.
Before surgery (Feb. 9, 2010) – Notice the underbite (and the awkward smile).
After surgery (June 22, 2010) – Four items to note: a confident smile, the appliance in the roof of my mouth, the open bite on the lefthand side of my mouth and my off center goatee.
I had another appointment with my surgeon since we last crossed paths and he left me with the following statements:
- Feeling should hopefully commence its long journey home to my bottom lip over the next 3-6 months.
- The feeling I’m left with after 18 months is what I’ll live with for the rest of my life.
- I can choose to correct my open bite enough by wearing elastics until early next year, or I can opt for another surgery to bring my molars together.
I’ve eaten everything from pasta to cereal to salad to steak. In fact, the only item I’m still unable to chew at this point is a peanut (or any kind of nut, for that matter). They’re a little too solid just yet. Despite my open bite, I’ve been chewing on both sides of my mouth, but eating something like a steak becomes quite an exhausting activity. It doesn’t keep me from eating steak every single weekend though. I’m also able to chew gum again, which I’m grateful for, considering its my one and only addiction in this world.
I even got to experience chattering teeth again on one of our cold mornings! That, however, felt less than amazing.
I know my bone is completely healed because I’ve already taken several falls landing directly on my face and had no problems at all. On a seemingly unrelated note, never let the handlebars of your bike hit a tree while riding, because that very bike will launch off the trail. And then, whether you like it or not, you’ll get to experience all the excitement of doing a flip. I’m not saying that happened to me but, well, that definitely happened to me.
The Fortress of Ensure collapsed on July 12th when I attempted to add another can to its spire. About 15 people came from every corner of the office when they heard the crash. I recycled every last piece of rubble, donating over $6 of free cans to the company. The offending building block was a can of Sun Tropics Mango juice. I imagine people will one day share tales of The Great Collapse with their grandchildren, but they’ll be referring to the Fortress of Ensure instead of the Mayan civilization.
My one last piece of advice to anyone who has recently taken part in this party we like to call jaw surgery is this: Above all else, give your body time to recover. Eventually, you’ll stop chewing on your own cheeks and lips. You’ll naturally adjust to your new mouth and you’ll be very grateful for the ability to chew properly. It took me almost a full month before I could eat a meal without accidentally eating part of my own face.
I’ll likely make one more post in approximately six months detailing the final outcome of this little adventure. Until next time!
September 6, 2010 at 11:36 pm
My 5th day post-op is ending! Now that I can finally compare experiences with you, I’ve been wondering… WHYYY you look so nice and normal even at the peak of your swelling! You were so fortunate!
Random question: I find it REALLY hard to get that space between my upper teeth and the splint cleaned out. Food sneaks through the cracks and settles inside the splint. Did you have any effective way of dealing with that? I’m so paranoid about cavities and infections
September 1, 2010 at 2:12 am
Hi Vicky!
“Jawsome.” I like it!
I wish you all the best in this bumpy adventure you’re soon to embark on! Remember to get out in the fresh air. =)
August 30, 2010 at 10:24 pm
Hey,
Pleasantly surprised to see an update!! You look great, congratulations on getting through this tough process, it’s very well-deserved. Have you ever tried getting a count of how many people have thanked you for starting this blog? I bet there are a tooooonnnnn.
I’m getting double jaw surgery the day after tomorrow and I figured I would let you know that I started a blog too, since your blog was what motivated me to do the same! http://jawsomejournal.wordpress.com/
Thanks again for being such a great resource!!
August 2, 2010 at 12:13 pm
Hi Lihi, my only advice is to stay calm and don’t worry about anything for the first 2 weeks, because they’ll definitely be the toughest.
Just think about 3 months down the road when you’ll be back to normal!
August 2, 2010 at 7:15 am
hi graham! thank you soooo much for this blog! it has been so halpfull. Im going for double jaw surgery tomorow morning and Im so stressrd and scard I cant even explain how much. I know its all for the best and that the result is worth it. its jest that my bodey is so stressed I cant calm down. your expirience has been very inspiring. if you have any edvices for me Ill be happy to hear =)
thanks. and buy the way you look grate after!! =)
lihi.
August 2, 2010 at 2:01 am
Hi Alyssa,
I’m pretty jealous that you were able to start out with a cup. I had no hope of that for the first 2 weeks!
Having a list of food to eat when I was all healed up just seemed like the right thing to do. =)
July 31, 2010 at 9:11 pm
I just have to say, this site is officially a lifesaver! I got jaw surgery (similar to yours) last Tuesday and found this yesterday. I am still numb and swollen as anything but I don’t feel as alone now!!! I like to read for the next day to see what to kind of “expect”… and the end results on Day 90 give me hope! And I felt weird making a list of food to eat when I recover… but I see you beat me to the punch, haha. Oh and it’s unfortunate you had to use the syringe… my doctor just told me to get a cup and go for it.
July 29, 2010 at 9:48 am
Hey Nuno, I was off work for 2 weeks following surgery. I’m a programmer, so I was able to keep quiet for a few weeks after that.
If you have to speak a lot in your line of work, I’d probably take a month off.
July 29, 2010 at 2:02 am
Hi Graham! You look awesome and healthy! This gives me hope! By the way tomorrow is my 10th adjustment of braces. I can hardly wait for surgery to overcome! I have a question to you: How long were you off work after surgery?
Keep smiling!
July 23, 2010 at 5:06 pm
Yep, braces should be off early next year. Most people only need them for a few months after surgery, but I (apparently) needed them for a full year.
July 23, 2010 at 4:55 pm
hey graham, wow,you look amazing! after looking at your before pictures i jus realized my underbite is really severe, i pray i get the same results. i love your smile in the mugshot
its good to know you have just surpassed a major surgery and now all thats left is braces off. By the way did they tell you when they might take your braces off?
July 23, 2010 at 4:03 pm
Well, thanks and hopefully in about a months time, I will be feeling as good as you do. Can’t wait for the swelling to be gone so I can see my long awaited jaw line. I’ve never had one before.
July 23, 2010 at 3:46 pm
Hehe, I remember all the crazy times I had trying to get food into my mouth at first.
I was also swollen more on 1 side of my face than the other. It’s not a big deal.
I just used a normal heatpak that you microwave. I don’t think the type matters as long as it gets warm. I found the heat also helped me fall asleep.
The beauty of it all is that you can’t really wreck anything unless you get hit in the face or bite something really hard. Opening your mouth and stretching it may hurt, but it’s not actually damaging.
I’d ask your surgeon, just to be safe (re: the swelling). I called my surgeon a few times with questions just so I knew what was going on was normal.
July 23, 2010 at 3:42 pm
Hi again Graham, I’m more swollen on one side of my face than the other and have been since surgery and everything seems to have improved until now when it all seems to be at a stand still. The very back inside of my mouth is still REALLY swollen. What kind of heat pack were you using?
I am eating solid food, thank Heaven! I still avoid a lot of food because my teeth are still numb and many things feel like they’re putting too much pressure on the bones. I’m nervous about my mouth opening because my surgeon said after two months it gets harder to regain your original opening. I tried eating a tater-tot yesterday and had to maneuver the tot into my mouth because I couldn’t open wide enough to throw it in.
July 23, 2010 at 2:33 pm
Will, this blog was great entertainment for the first few weeks, but it was tough to keep updating once I was able to get outside and live life again.
But if you end up documenting your recovery, I’ll by all means follow along. =)
July 23, 2010 at 2:32 pm
Haha, it looks funny, eh Christel? I swear it grew in the middle but was all brushed to one side in those photos or something!
July 23, 2010 at 2:27 pm
Sandy, most of my swelling was gone after 2 and a half months. The fact that you’re still extremely swollen at 7 weeks is interesting though. As long as you’re not in crazy pain (ie. an infection), I think you’ll be okay.
To reduce swelling, I just applied heat every single night. I literally fell asleep with a heatpak on my face for the entire first 3 months.
As far as opening your mouth wider, I didn’t do anything special. My muscles just naturally began to stretch again from talking and yawning.
Are you eating solid food yet?
July 23, 2010 at 11:10 am
Nice Graham… I feel inspired to do a companion blog, but this time I’ll call it: http://www.singlejawsurgery.com haha… I’m 4 weeks out before my surgery… looking forward to that date and getting this started. Thanks for the update and before/after photos. So nice to see you can eat properly… All the best, Will
July 23, 2010 at 10:32 am
it’s so off-center!!! and ur opening line makes me want a hotdog *shakes fist*
July 23, 2010 at 10:20 am
Graham, thank you for keeping us updated. You look amazing! I’m so happy to see you doing so well. I am 7 weeks out of surgery and still have swelling that doesn’t seem to be getting any better. My ortho couldn’t even get to my back teeth to put the wire through, as they were engulfed in the swelling. I was hoping you could tell me when you felt like the majority of your swelling had dissipated and if you have any tips for getting the swelling to continue going down. I believe you were around the 3 month mark, right? Were you still really swollen at almost 2 months out? I periodically use heat and ibuprofen in an attempt to get it down. Also, I can’t open more than a two fingers width. Any tips to get that opening wider? Thank you in advance. -Sandy