12 days post-op: bite off centre, still recessed chin.

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#1 Post by **redfoxjo** » Mon Aug 30, 2010 1:29 pm

Has anyone found their bite and problems before surgery are still there post-surgery? Thinking I've made a terrible mistake! I had upper, lower and palate expansion for long face, open and overbite. I don't feel I look any different except shorter face. I am feeling really depressed. I'm due to see my surgeon on weds who will need to replace the elastics that broke yesterday and I'm unable to replace because my surgeon is 4 hours away in another city. I am really scared this wasn't worth it. I hope these elastics will be the solution to these problems.

#2 Post by **chicago29** » Mon Aug 30, 2010 2:17 pm

redfoxjo,

I know it is easy to be a bystander and tell somebody to relax, but I really think you need to do that.

You've had a lot of posts that seem like you're freaking out. I've been through one surgery and I have another one, so trust me...I get it.

But I feel compelled to be a voice of reason here. You're 12 days post-op...that's NOTHING. The fact is you have no idea how things are going to shake out. To help you feel somewhat better, it is very common for people's bites to be messed up immediately after surgery. I know of no situations where elastics weren't able to fix those perceived issues.

In addition, you're making a lot of premature statements like you still have a recessed chin. You have to still be swollen, so I don't see how you can make that call yet. And even if it is still "recessed", it almost by definition has to be better than it was. Not everybody has a prominent chin. Personally, I'm not a fan of them at all. But I'm willing to bet you're going to find one day soon that what you have now is better!

Anyway, I'm not trying to be a jerk or be insensitive. However, for your own health, you need to relax or you're going to drive yourself crazy.

Everybody is on this board is here to help, and we all can admit to freaking out at something post-op.

I wish you the best of luck...and please keep us posted.

Regards
Chicago29

#3 Post by bb » Mon Aug 30, 2010 2:21 pm

my midline was worse after surgery but 4 months of elastics at night has fixed it.
Don't worry, the big job is done now it's time for all those little things.
And 12 days post-op!! a) you can't judge your face until the swelling goes down and b) you will need time to adjust to your new face- completely normal feeling.

#4 Post by **redfoxjo** » Mon Aug 30, 2010 2:28 pm

Thanks Chicago29, that's helped. I think I need a verbal shake as I am indeed freaking out. This is so much harder than I anticipated and I've worked myself up more reading horror stories on this board of people releasing, etc.

I'm comforted to know the elastics seem to be the key to sorting out bite issues post-op. As for the chin thing, I guess its because I have quite.s prominent nose so would have liked a more balanced profile after but there is only so much they can do.

It doesn't help I've got an infection too, that has made me feel blue and angry that my body is turning against me lol.

You don't sound like a jerk, its good to have someone experienced talk to me about it. Two surgeries? Sorry to hear that. Is everything ok now?

#5 Post by **chicago29** » Mon Aug 30, 2010 2:48 pm

One thing to keep in mind is that there are probably hundreds of jaw surgeries done every week. Generally speaking, you're only going to hear the problems and the issues. So, remember that the more you go looking, the more things you'll find to worry about. And, I learned this the hard way because I worked myself into a complete frenzy for the 1st surgery.

Yes, I have needed two surgeries to fix my issues, which isn't as rare as one may think. I had my upper/lower expansion back in February 2009 (lower expansion is quite rare, but certainly not upper), and I have my bimaxillary procedure scheduled for 9/15.

#6 Post by **redfoxjo** » Mon Aug 30, 2010 2:59 pm

That is very true. Nobody posts about the good stuff generally I've noticed.

So how come you needed two surgeries? My palate expansion has been a weird experience. Knowing my top jaw is essentially mobile for a while and that biting on anything hard could break it freaks me out.

Wow a lower expansion. What did that involve? I hope your second procedure goes well.

I shall teach myself to calm the heck down anyway and be patient and more accepting. It's just hard

#7 Post by **chicago29** » Mon Aug 30, 2010 7:51 pm

Many people that need significant expansion have two surgeries. The first is the expansion (usually a SARPE), and then the horizontal/vertical movement (bi-max).

If you had expansion during the bi-max, you likely didn't need to be expanded very much...

The lower expansion is done in much the same way - I had an expander (yes, I had two of them) in place and had to go through basically the same process as you would with SARPE.

Thanks for the well wishes on the 2nd surgery. I wish you continued healing and nothing but good news!

Regards
Chicago29

#8 Post by **indecisive1** » Tue Aug 31, 2010 3:19 am

Hi Redfoxjo. Please rest assured that things will improve dramatically once all the swelling goes down and the orthodontist takes over. Like everybody else has said, it is way too early to judge. I know exactly where you're coming from though. On the 23rd of June I had upper and lower jaw surgery to correct an open bite plus a genioplasty to try and balance out my recessed chin. I remember looking at my teeth when I got home from hospital and noticing that my bite was off. My upper and lower incisors touched but they did not overlap (if you know what I mean). I still felt like my chin was not long enough and even asked my surgeon 4 weeks post op if I could have a chin augmentation somewhere down the line. He assured me that my chin was in proportion to the rest of my face and would come out more once the swelling subsided and with regards to my bite my orthodontist would slowly move all my teeth into the right position. I left that day in a better frame of mind but still not convinced. I remember telling my husband that perhaps my surgery was not a success and that no one was willing to tell me. I even convinced my husband that something was not right. Looking back now all I can say is that I was a complete idiot. I am now 2 months + post op and my teeth moved into their correct position 2 weeks ago. I went to my orthodontist today and I actually told him that I never believed this would happen. My chin has also come out a lot more now that all the swelling has gone and I can honestly say it is perfect for my face. It is not too prominent yet my profile is now more balanced. Whoever sees me says I look "different" or "prettier" yet they can't seem to pinpoint why. We need to remember that our surgeons and orthodontists are professionals and know what they're doing. With regards to your chin my husband put it perfectly. he said that you don't want people to be able to tell you've had a jaw advancement, you want what suits the rest of your face a more balanced profile. Hope all this helps somewhat to ease your mind.

#9 Post by **redfoxjo** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 3:46 pm

Thank you so much Indecisive1 that post really comforted me. I'm so glad to hear your story and realise time is the healer. I know I'm being far too impatient

I had my second post-op. I mentioned my chin and my surgeon had a look and said if I'm still not happy once the swelling goes down, I can go for a genioplasty in 6 months time. Not sure exactly what this entails but I see it mentioned a lot on this board so shall do some research. I also mentioned my concern about my nose looking a little bent and he said he could do a rhinoplasty/septoplasty with my chin too. Thiss all on the NHS so am surprised this was offered so easily! It's kind of bittersweet as I've always wanted my nose done thinking it looks too Roman.

Apart from that he is pleased with how things are looking. He didn't seem too concerned by the infection which is being stubborn. Plus I can feel a lump on my jaw line of which my surgeon said was most likely a blood clot. Again he said this was normal and would go of its own accord. Me though as usual am a bit freaked! It feels really hard like a bolt which led me to believe it might be one of the screws in the hardware? It's visible too. Very odd.

How are you getting along now anyway 2 months post-op? Thanks everyone for your replies and sorry for being a big worrier

#10 Post by **redfoxjo** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 3:46 pm

Thank you so much Indecisive1 that post really comforted me. I'm so glad to hear your story and realise time is the healer. I know I'm being far too impatient

I had my second post-op. I mentioned my chin and my surgeon had a look and said if I'm still not happy once the swelling goes down, I can go for a genioplasty in 6 months time. Not sure exactly what this entails but I see it mentioned a lot on this board so shall do some research. I also mentioned my concern about my nose looking a little bent and he said he could do a rhinoplasty/septoplasty with my chin too. Thiss all on the NHS so am surprised this was offered so easily! It's kind of bittersweet as I've always wanted my nose done thinking it looks too Roman.

Apart from that he is pleased with how things are looking. He didn't seem too concerned by the infection which is being stubborn. Plus I can feel a lump on my jaw line of which my surgeon said was most likely a blood clot. Again he said this was normal and would go of its own accord. Me though as usual am a bit freaked! It feels really hard like a bolt which led me to believe it might be one of the screws in the hardware? It's visible too. Very odd.

How are you getting along now anyway 2 months post-op? Thanks everyone for your replies and sorry for being a big worrier

#11 Post by **WiredRunner** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 4:43 am

redfoxjo wrote:Plus I can feel a lump on my jaw line of which my surgeon said was most likely a blood clot. Again he said this was normal and would go of its own accord. Me though as usual am a bit freaked! It feels really hard like a bolt which led me to believe it might be one of the screws in the hardware? It's visible too. Very odd.

You can't see mine since I'm still a bit swollen around my jaw line but I have this exact same thing and was wondering what it was. I thought at first that I was feeling the screws but my dentist took a look/feel when I was in last week for a cleaning and said he didn't think it was anything to worry about (unless the pain/lumpiness got worse). It's been about two weeks and I think it's finally starting to feel better so (easier said than done) don't fret. Glad to hear that I'm not the only one experiencing this

#12 Post by **redfoxjo** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 4:55 am

Cheers WiredRunner that's helped calm me a bit. It didn't help that I smacked my face into my friends shoulder ha ha but I didn't notice it before so am a bit worried as to what it is. I'm due to see my surgeon again a week Monday which seems like forever away so I just hope it doesn't worsen. It doesn't hurt with me just sitting still but if I touch it it does. Do you have any idea what yours was then?

What surgery did you have done? It doesn't help the recovery process mentally and emotionally when these little bumps in the road keep cropping up

#13 Post by **WiredRunner** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 5:54 am

I had both upper and lower jaw surgery about five and a half weeks ago. I'm not sure what the lumps are but they seem to be getting better. The area was a little tender to the touch and I'd get short, random pains when I'd do certain things like take a drink from a cup or move my jaw in a certain way (but oddly enough I could never recreate it after it would happen). Hitting your jaw could have caused some irritation or bruising in there which could lend itself to the blood clot explaination. And, the pain resulting from smacking your jaw could explain why you didn't notice them before. I wouldn't worry too much about it unless it starts to get worse.

redfoxjo wrote:It doesn't help the recovery process mentally and emotionally when these little bumps in the road keep cropping up

Nice pun, by the way

#14 Post by **redfoxjo** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 7:01 am

Ha ha I didn't notice I'd done that. Oh happy days.

Ah I get exactly the same thing: the Sharp shots of pain are a real downer. I'm aware of it constantly which doesn't help.

How is your swelling nearly 6 weeks down the line? I am due back at work at the end of Sept and just can't see a light at the end of the tunnel at all. Every time I look in the mirror I think who the frig is that? I am convinced this surgery has made me look worse even though its impossible to tell with the swelling still and friends have been nothing but complimentary so guess I'm just winding myself up too much!

#15 Post by **WiredRunner** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 5:30 pm

Believe me, I can relate. I was very worried after surgery that I'd look so different and that people, not understanding what jaw surgery is all about, would judge me (a woman at work started talking this way when she found out I was having the surgery ... until I explained that my front teeth didn't meet and that most of my molars didn't touch). After the surgery, I tried to look down any time I walked past a mirror. I was so tired of seeing my puffy face. Now that I'm almost six weeks out, I like the way I look.

When did you have your surgery? The infection, I think, could definitely impact the rate your swelling goes down. Also, it never goes down as fast as you want it to. I'm still a bit swollen but it's definitely improving every week. I'd say I'm 85-90% normal. I've been taking pictures so I'll post a before and after soon.

Recovery is definitely no picnic but it will get better. Just keep your "eye on the prize" and remind yourself why you did this in the first place.