X-rays-Pre and Post Op

My orthodontist finally loaded the x-rays taken last week to my online account so now you can see the difference in my bite that the surgery created. On the top is my x-ray one week before surgery. You can really see my overbite on that one. On the bottom is the x-ray from a week after the surgery. A few things to note: obviously the pins in my jaw. When I blew up the photo it looked like there were 6 pins in my jaw and I believe there are 3 on each side of the jaw. Another thing is that my bite is now aligned and if you look at the curve of my chin (not the bones but the soft tissue) you will see that the curve/depression is much less severe in the post-op x-ray. It is a subtle change that is probably not detectable by anyone but my surgeon, but an improvement nonetheless.

Post-op surgeon visit #2

Actually it is my third appointment with the surgeon since my surgery because I had to go in when I had that infection, but it was my second scheduled visit. During me first visit the surgeon told me that during this appointment they would teach me how to take the bands that are holding my jaw/teeth together. I was super excited about this because that would mean I would get to use a spoon and my tongue and could eat some soft foods. Wednesday night is Jonathan and my wedding anniversary and I was excited that we would be able to go out to eat. I had it all planned out, we would go to Al Forno and I would order gnocchi and soup and I would feel full and satisfied.

At the appointment the surgeon said everything looked great, but that he did not want me taking the bands off just yet. So now I have to wait until Thursday until I will be able to put a spoon in my mouth and try eating soft foods. I am really bummed and disappointed but I guess it is only 3 more days. Looks like on our anniversary I will be eating cake blenderized into a milkshake.

Even more than the food, however, I was looking forward to being able to brush the insides of my teeth and my tongue for the first time in 2 weeks. I can only imagine how good it is going to feel when I can finally open my mouth and put a tooth brush inside and get my mouth and teeth super clean.

Post-op orthodontic appointment #1

Yesterday was my first post-op appointment with my orthodontist. They took some x-rays which I will post as soon as they are loaded into my online account, but other than that nothing really to report. My orthodontist (who actually had the same surgery herself 10 years ago) told me that the numbness in my lip and chin could take up to 6 months to subside and that she still has a tiny spot on her face that failed to regain feeling. She also told me that I should be eating solid food again in about 3 weeks. We took a look at the x-rays and did a side by side with the pre-surgery x-rays. My bite looks almost perfect and she showed me how repositioning the bones will end up giving me a much nicer shape to my chin in the long-term.

One thing I did not know is that there is actually more than 1 screw on each side of my jaw. There appear to be three on the right side and I can only imagine a similar number on the left. Someone asked me the other day what the actual surgery was and instead of trying to explain it I have put a picture above. (I had the mandibular saggital split only, not a lefort osteotomy or a genioplasty). They essentially split the lower jaw right near where your wisdom teeth are (or should be), advance the jaw and then fix the bone in the proper position with screws. The only cuts that are made are tiny incisions on the jawline.

Other than that, not much else. The infection seems to be clearing up and the swelling has gone way down. I have an appointment with the surgeon on Monday and am going to ask him if it will be okay for me to go back to work sometime this coming week.