Search found 22 matches

by smithie
Tue Aug 02, 2011 9:28 am
Forum: Oral (Orthognathic) Surgery
Topic: Want surgery vs Need surgery?
Replies: 11
Views: 2447

Re: Want surgery vs Need surgery?

For me, surgery provided modest benefits at a modest cost. The benefits were a better bite, it's easier to bite off food like pizza or noodles, it will reduce wear on my teeth, and it looks better. The costs were the stress of spending a day in the hospital and the difficulty of the recovery. For me...
by smithie
Thu Jul 14, 2011 9:18 pm
Forum: Oral (Orthognathic) Surgery
Topic: lower jaw surgery (BSSO) and experience of recovery
Replies: 11
Views: 20632

Re: lower jaw surgery (BSSO) and experience of recovery

I had a BSSO with about a 1cm advancement (no genioplasty) in March. It was not bad. Sent home about 4 hours after coming up from anesthesia, and was completely exhausted: I could not consistently keep my eyes open for another 12 hours or so. By the second day, though, I was fine to walk the dog, dr...
by smithie
Wed Apr 06, 2011 12:46 pm
Forum: Oral (Orthognathic) Surgery
Topic: How long did you take off work for recovery?
Replies: 22
Views: 6649

Re: How long did you take off work for recovery?

I took one week off after my BSSO. The only difficulty in returning was that I had a splint in for two weeks, so I talked kinda funny for the first week back at work (which included teaching two classes, which was interesting). My energy levels were back to normal as soon as I figured out how to get...
by smithie
Sun Mar 27, 2011 7:30 am
Forum: Oral (Orthognathic) Surgery
Topic: MARCH 2011 BUDDIES
Replies: 202
Views: 33053

Re: MARCH 2011 BUDDIES

thisisme, you should be able to shower whenever you want. The external dressings are designed to fall off after a few days of soap and water, you don't need to keep them dry or anything (in fact, if you want them to come off eventually, you need to get them wet). I used one of those poofy things to ...
by smithie
Thu Mar 24, 2011 7:25 am
Forum: Oral (Orthognathic) Surgery
Topic: PRE & POST-OP SUPPLY LIST---add your list or ideas
Replies: 85
Views: 121983

Re: PRE & POST-OP SUPPLY LIST---add your list or ideas

This looks like a helpful thread, but I just wanted to point out that I had outpatient BSSO surgery and didn't really do anything out of the ordinary to prepare beyond making sure I had orange juice, ice cream, and yogurt on hand at home, and I didn't end up lacking anything important. Also, the hos...
by smithie
Wed Mar 23, 2011 7:56 pm
Forum: Oral (Orthognathic) Surgery
Topic: Orthognathic surgery cosmetic
Replies: 7
Views: 1947

Re: Orthognathic surgery cosmetic

Of course it's cosmetic! But it's also for functional reasons, getting a better bite, having more consistent contact between top and bottom teeth, in some cases reducing the risk of sleep apnea and TMJ, and so on. I've generally explained it by saying that the surgery is to properly line up my two s...
by smithie
Tue Mar 22, 2011 3:56 pm
Forum: Oral (Orthognathic) Surgery
Topic: MARCH 2011 BUDDIES
Replies: 202
Views: 33053

Re: MARCH 2011 BUDDIES

I taught a 75-minute class this morning, 8 days post-surgery. It was... interesting, as I have quite the speech impediment from the splint. I don't think I'd do a job interview or anything with a splint in, but I can communicate perfectly well, albeit a little oddly. Also, in a major breakthrough on...
by smithie
Mon Mar 21, 2011 1:34 pm
Forum: Oral (Orthognathic) Surgery
Topic: MARCH 2011 BUDDIES
Replies: 202
Views: 33053

Re: MARCH 2011 BUDDIES

I cooked meat loaf last night; it tasted really good, but was bordering on being too difficult to eat to be worth it... I got through about 1.5 thinly sliced pieces before I was feeling full and tired of the food. Still, that's probably the most protein I've had since the surgery (not good), and I t...
by smithie
Sat Mar 19, 2011 9:32 pm
Forum: Oral (Orthognathic) Surgery
Topic: MARCH 2011 BUDDIES
Replies: 202
Views: 33053

Re: MARCH 2011 BUDDIES

dtdtdt, I have some numbness, but I got lucky in that I seem to have much less numbness than is normal. My lower lip and right chin have full feeling, and my left chin is only partially numb, let's say in the range of 40-60% of normal feeling (and even there, I think it's gotten better since the ope...
by smithie
Thu Mar 17, 2011 3:27 pm
Forum: Oral (Orthognathic) Surgery
Topic: MARCH 2011 BUDDIES
Replies: 202
Views: 33053

Re: MARCH 2011 BUDDIES

dtdtdt, congrats on being done. I've felt quite hungry at times too, but today I've felt full most of the day. I made blueberry pancakes with maple syrup for breakfast (used the fork to jam them through narrow opening between teeth, mash into roof of mouth, swallow), and went to Whole Foods to get s...
by smithie
Thu Mar 17, 2011 10:03 am
Forum: Oral (Orthognathic) Surgery
Topic: MARCH 2011 BUDDIES
Replies: 202
Views: 33053

Re: MARCH 2011 BUDDIES

So I had BSSO surgery on Monday March 14 and thought I would post about my experience. Overall, I'm very happy with how my recovery is going. I've had almost no pain, took only one dose of the narcotic pain killer they gave me and that was more to help sleep, and now I'm on only ibuprofen. The numbn...
by smithie
Sat Aug 14, 2010 4:36 am
Forum: Metal Mouth Forum
Topic: Braces and Teaching
Replies: 22
Views: 5370

I got my braces on during an 11am appointment, then taught a class at 2pm. I do not think your caution is warranted regarding braces. I've not had any teeth pulled, though. Good luck!
by smithie
Tue Jul 20, 2010 1:29 pm
Forum: Metal Mouth Forum
Topic: Wax - to use or not?
Replies: 15
Views: 2770

If your mouth hurts, use the wax.

That said, I've never had a need for the stuff. Guess I got lucky.
by smithie
Wed Jun 23, 2010 9:12 pm
Forum: Metal Mouth Forum
Topic: I dont think these teeth can be fixed, see pic, LOL
Replies: 13
Views: 3600

I have an overbite which is comparable to yours... I can still bite down a couple more millimeters in the bottom photo. The teeth are definitely straighter, but with braces on, it's hard to say about my smile... they're certainly the first thing I notice! Anyway, the top front teeth moved very quick...
by smithie
Wed Jun 23, 2010 5:47 pm
Forum: Metal Mouth Forum
Topic: I dont think these teeth can be fixed, see pic, LOL
Replies: 13
Views: 3600

I think my teeth had some similarities to yours (front teeth angled in, neighboring teeth twisted). Here's a before pic and an after 9 months of braces pic. I don't expect the overbite to be fixed much with braces, though there is a possibility I will have jaw surgery to move my lower jaw forward, a...