Three years of dental purgatory later…
Since I’ve been repeatedly asked to post a picture of myself sans hardware (read: braces and appliances), I’m updating this fancy little blog one last time.
I had a date with my orthodontist earlier this week where she kindly removed my braces for me. The entire process took no more than 5 minutes and was relatively painless. I was shocked that something that was such an inconvenience could be eradicated in mere moments. My teeth felt extremely slimy at first, but I later realized that I’d simply forgotten what smooth teeth actually felt like.
Following that, she made a couple of molds of my new mouth so their lab could fashion me a sporty new retainer! (Note: I’m not actually excited about having a retainer. I’m just making my best effort at staying positive.) I received the retainer a few hours later and learned how to snap it in and take it out. Then, upon shaking the hands of all of the lovely ladies who have taken care of me in that office for the past 3 years, I walked out the door for the last time.
I’ve created a little storyboard intermission for those of you who would rather forego reading altogether and just look at pictures.
Guess what, folks! I have big news!
I got rid of my braces!
Now I’m subjected to wearing this retainer…
…but it’s going to keep my teeth super straight! (Now that’s an unflattering shot!)
Wearing a retainer is frustrating at first because your speech is slightly lispy and you need to take it out every single time you wish to eat. It only took a day or two before I learned how to speak while wearing it and realized that removing it to eat is hardly an inconvenience, considering I can now smile at the table while I eat. It’s quite a brilliant thought! I’m supposed to wear this retainer every day for a year, then every night for two months, and then 1–2 nights per week for the rest of my life.
I wonder what’s waiting out there for me and my new smile…
Following my orthodontist appointment, I went to donate blood with a friend for the first time in my life. Now, despite having 5 years’ worth of tattoos, I’m actually horribly afraid of needles. I finally manned up and committed to donating only to learn that you can’t be a donor if you’ve had dental work performed in the past 24 hours. I still had the privilege of eating free cookies though, so it was a worthwhile trip.
“Would you like another plate of ribs?”
Later that night, a few friends and I went out for unlimited ribs (despite the fact that my orthodontist explicitly told me not to eat ribs for three days until the glue on the permanent wire on the backs of my bottom teeth was fully set). Folks, eating things like ribs and apples again is quite amazing. I felt like a bit of a glutton afterwards, considering I ate 5 plates’ worth. It was a celebration though, so I’m exempting myself for that one night only.
I’ll be driving to New York in a couple of weeks to experience New Year’s Eve in Times Square. I plan on doing something crazy, so look for me on TV! I’ll be the crazy Canadian running around finding cameras in a mad attempt to flash the entire world… with my new smile!
August 16, 2012 at 9:35 pm
Hey Graham, fellow Canadian here! Just saying thank you for your wonderful site! Going in for surgery in juuuusttt under 12 hours. Time to get to bed, Double Jaw + Genio. I had SARPE last year and your site helped then, and it will help now!! Cheers buddy. I hope your world wide journey is going great and you have hundreds of photos with a big smile!
August 20, 2012 at 10:17 am
Nathaniel, great to hear that your surgery is now 4 days behind you! I hope you’re enjoying the downtime and looking forward to embracing autumn with a new smile. Take care!
July 24, 2012 at 9:46 am
Graham,
Thank you for this blog. Over 2 years after your surgery, you are an encouragement to me as my surgical date is set for 8-21-2012. I am so anxious to get it over with and quite nervous about the recovery. Your step by step recovery blog is more helpful than anything else I have found. Your smile is beautiful and certainly an inspiration for those of us to follow in your footsteps. So, thank you!!
July 25, 2012 at 1:14 pm
Alison, thank you so much for your kind remarks. Good luck with your surgery next month!
July 20, 2012 at 9:50 pm
Sean,
This is just my two cents, but I think it would be a good idea to have an honest discussion and ask your surgeon which procedure he’s more comfortable with, and what he recommends.
I was also given a choice for a chin advancement. In all honesty, the computer simulation showed that the chin advancement would make my jaw look a little more masculine and defined, which I liked. But I also asked my surgeon what he thought and asked for his honest opinion. He told me point-blank that one less knife to the face is probably the better idea.
On another (more celebratory) note, I get my splint off tomorrow. I don’t think I’ve been this excited in a long time! Can’t wait for all the incredible meals to come 😀
July 19, 2012 at 6:10 pm
Hey Graham,
First off, I wanted to say that you have been fundamentally influential in my decision to go ahead with jaw surgery. Your site mixed excellent information with humor and lightheartedness, as well as the phenomenal results you now possess. Your new smile and jaw looks incredible my friend :]
I am aiming to have surgery hopefully towards December if all my orthodontic work goes according to plan. But I am really struggling to choose the appropriate form of lower jaw surgery. As I am sure you are aware, there is the IVRO (which has less chance of numbness) and the BSSRO which seems to have a much easier recovery process.
BSSRO definitely seems the most appealing to me and it seems to be very well documented (youtube, blogs etc) and is far more common and because with IVRO it seems as if they have to stack the bone at the site of operation, and to me I don’t like the idea of feeling a weird thickness, or ridge. However, I am also anxious about the heightened chance of numbness with BSSRO, particularly affecting the lips, as I would be worried about it effecting kissing.
I don’t really know where I’m going with this, just pre-operation jitters, and the tremendous pressure of picking between two operations which each have their own set of pros and cons.
I was wondering what your opinion on the two procedures was, based on what you’ve heard from fellow jaw surgery patients, as well as things your surgeon may have mentioned?
Anyways, sorry for the essay, and thank you again for the phenomenally helpful website. I hope you are enjoying your new smile :]
Best regards,
Sean
July 21, 2012 at 4:21 pm
Hi Sean,
I humbly admit that I’ve never actually heard of either of the procedures you mention. My surgeon simply assured me time and time again that he’s performed thousands of these operations and that was good enough for me.
While I believe in educating yourself at all costs, I advise you to shy away from the intricacies of the procedure and rather learn about the recovery and what steps to take to make it as smooth as possible.
The most important thing you can do is find a surgeon you trust. They are the experts and you should feel comfortable relying on their advice and wisdom.
Best of luck, my friend.
July 5, 2012 at 4:52 pm
oh & by the way, i read your comment up there, where you said that you’d never met anyone who had their wisdom teeth out at the same time as the jaw surgery. now you can say you have! (at least via internet). & i had a bone graft in the same procedure. that’s what’s uppp
July 6, 2012 at 8:59 am
Hi Courtney,
I’m seriously impressed with your positive attitude and energy after having to deal with all of those surgeries. You make my experience sound like a walk in the park.
Your smile will look wonderful when all is said and done, I promise. You must be a seasoned veteran when it comes to these types of operations by now, so I’m sure the next few months will be no problem for you. =)
July 5, 2012 at 4:48 pm
oh my gosh, i love this blog. i just now found it, and i’m on day 24 of my second double jaw surgery.
congrats on your smile, it looks great! i think i’m gonna have a party when i get my braces off and everything finished. i’ve been going to the orthodontist for 6 years now, and i’ve had 15 oral surgeries (i was born with a cleft lip and palate). i’m hoping that everything will be completely finished with by the time i’m a senior in high school (i’ll be a sophomore this fall).
seriously, i really hope my smile looks as good as yours when it’s all over and done with! (:
June 25, 2012 at 9:52 pm
Debra, I’m glad you’re finding my ranting useful, haha! I wish all the best for your daughter during her recovery!
June 25, 2012 at 1:18 am
Graham, Your blog is a wonderful source of information and entertainment. My daughter had double jaw surgery last week and your blog has been our bible. Thanks!
P.S. You look quite fetching too!
June 15, 2012 at 3:46 pm
Thanks Cassie and Joe. I hope everything will go well for me as it’s was for all of you who have done it already.
Binta
June 14, 2012 at 7:07 pm
For what it’s worth, I got on a plane 4 days after my surgery. My ears didn’t pop until about a day later and I got motion sickness while on the plane, but other than that, there wasn’t too much discomfort or pain. In fact, I explained my situation to the flight attendant, and got a better seat and was given beverages more frequently than anybody else 😉
June 14, 2012 at 6:35 am
You will be fine! I had my surgery December 21 2011. I had both jaws done, genioplasty on my chin and all four wisdom teeth removed. By January 6th I was back in Nursing school full time. February 18th I traveled to Mexico for a vacation. I was eating pretty much everything except sandwhiches or hard chewy stuff. I could eat chicken, pizza, pasta, soup, toast. Just keep in mind that when you start eating its not going to be perfect right away. I think people think oh I can eat now so I should be able to eat like I did before but that’s impossible. Things take longer to chew, and you still don’t have much energy. By the end of January I pretty much had all of my energy back. When I was in mexico I went ziplining and jumped off a zipline into the water. My healing was quite fast or maybe I just got bored. I still found it hard to talk at times or I would just get tired but either way I was pretty much back at my normal life by two months. The month date is approaching and I can say I still have some little cheeks ( people say I don’t, but I see them) I only wear elastics at night and I am legit eating everything again, and its easier. I don’t have any pain, I managed to get most of my feeling back ( chin has a bit of lost feeling but i don’t notice it) still can’t open my Jaw very wide but I am working on it. You will honestly be fine. The first 3 days are the worst. Then it just gets frustrating after that bc I felt like I should be able to eat but couldn’t and was starving. You will be fine. It’s not as scary as it seems and you will be so happy you did it!
June 13, 2012 at 7:53 pm
Thanks Mike and Graham,
Following your advice I went to see my travel agent this morning about changing my ticket to November 10th. Also I have been able to extend my holiday to September 4th.
But since I got my surgery date, I have been thinking a lot and cannot take my mind off it. Do you guys have any tips?
Thanks
Binta
June 12, 2012 at 8:40 pm
Hi Binta,
I’m on Mike’s side regarding your travel question. I would postpone travel until at least 1 month post-op. Ask your surgeon for their advice, though. If they recommend avoiding airplanes for 6 weeks, I would pay heed to that advice. The pressure in the cabin of an aircraft can be incredibly uncomfortable when your bones are shifting.
As for your job, if you need to speak to people, I would take 4 — 5 weeks off. If you can be relatively silent, as I was, then 3 weeks should be fine.
If you have any other questions, just let me know. I’m happy to help.
Cheers to you as well, Mike, for sharing your timeline. I feel like most people are simply looking for reassurance that they’ll make it through this alive, so social proof can be a powerful motivator for them.
June 12, 2012 at 6:42 pm
Thanks Mike. I will contact you for sure.
Binta
June 12, 2012 at 4:02 pm
Hi Binta,
No it was done at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, CA.
Feel free to email me directly: conway.michael.f@gmail.com if you want more details.
Mike
June 12, 2012 at 3:51 pm
Thanks Mike. Then I will try to talk to my travel agent and see if he will be able to postpone the ticket for a later date.
Did you get your surgery in Canada ?
Binta
June 12, 2012 at 3:42 pm
I hope Graham doesn’t mind if I share my timeline:
Bi-Max Surgery November 28, 2011
Tight elastics off on December 8th
Top plate off on December 23rd
Was not to travel for 6 weeks (mid January)
I travelled internationally in mid January without incident. Ask your Dr. but I think that August 15th is too soon. You will likely still have really low energy levels.
-Mike
June 12, 2012 at 3:24 pm
Hi Graham,
Thank you very much for this lovely blog. I have a double jaw and chin surgery for a class II open bite scheduled on July 31st,2012 in Vancouver, BC. After searching online and you tube, I was scared to dead and was even thinking of backing up and cancel the whole thing until I discovered your blog. You are a life saver and your results as amazing.
I have took 3 weeks off works, do you think that’s enough or should I add few more weeks? Also, I was planning to travel out of the country on August 15th, 2012 Do you think it’s okay or should I cancel it?
Once again thanks you
June 10, 2012 at 1:05 pm
Great. Thanks alot mate
Will definitely bring this up next time i meet my ortho. Should prob discuss this with my surgeon as well.
Thanks.
June 10, 2012 at 8:02 am
Hi Fahd!
I had my wisdom teeth extracted a full year before my surgery. I haven’t met anyone who had both the jaw surgery and their wisdom teeth removed at the same time. I believe they generally space those two procedures out by at least a few months to allow for proper healing.