Metal Mouth Message Board

Hello!

I'm a week out of lower jaw surgery now (still haven't decided if it was a mistake...) and had some quick questions for those of you who have had it already. My bite isn't completely settled and without elastics goes apart by 1-2mm so I don't know how much is because I'm going to need followup surgery or how much is just life now and adjustment!

1. Without the elastics, where do you jaws want to go? My mouth naturally opens again, not massively but just so it's not clenched shut. I don't know if that's because my bite wants to be there, or because it doesn't have enough strength to stay put yet - it WILL close more but I have to actively keep it closed.

2. I think I've forgotten how to eat? I'm allowed to take the elastics off to eat now, obviously still soft foods, and apparently I don't know how to eat a bowl of ice cream. My mouth was doing all sorts of movements, sort of flailing around, every now and then one of the back corners would do something odd and it would really hurt. What is this?!

And finally...

3. To those of you who had problems bringing their lips together after surgery, how long did it take for you to be able to do this? I currently look like I'm permanently sneering at everyone, and though I CAN bring my lips together it looks silly and is an active effort!

Thanks all!

Hi revelvia,

I had my lower jaw surgery on Wednesday and home yesterday (thursday). Have to say it was pretty ok for me, yes I'm swollen etc but I'm finding the elastics now the worse. I can't talk right and have to keep them in all the time and only take them out when eating and brushing my teeth and have to wear them all night.

I think without the elastics the jaw will want to go back to where it was. Sorry I can't answer all your questions as such but I'm sure other's will but at least you've your surgery over you now as well. Thankfully I was fine with it all and if I had to do it again I would. Elastics seem to be the worse part for me, hate them!! Can't talk right and it's so frustrating!

Harmony

One thing the elastics do is help guide your jaw into the new, proper, position. Your jaw has been used to compensating for your old bite, and left on it's own, will only slowly adjust to the new one.

I think it was nearly until my braces came off that my jaw stayed in the correct position after not wearing the elastics for a while.

Hello

Well, I'm going to sound *REALLY* frustrating to you because I know what it is like to be 1 week post-op but really, your mouth and your bite and where your teeth want to go will change lots over the next few weeks so take it slow, you are still at week 1.
I posted on here 9 days post-op freaking out because I had this 'huge' gap for an overjet. Now it's a 'normal' size and not the grand canyon I was seeing.

You have not only had your jaw bones broken, but your jaw muscles won't know what to do with themselves and you'll have some degree of nerve issues going on. Remember you will continue to visit your orthodontist for a while yet after surgery who will make further adjustments to your bite, so don't worry that you will need more surgery, it is early days yet.

As for eating, I found I could only manage liquid (soup, yoghurt, water) with a teaspoon, so take little steps. As I went through the weeks after surgery, I could progress to a tablespoon and eventually to a fork. I did feel like a baby shoveling teaspoons of food in my mouth but you get there.
You haven't forgotten how to eat, your new mouth just needs to learn how to work again in a new way that's all

I didn't have a problem bringing my lips together but remember you will be swollen, give that time to go down and your lips will feel different again. It took about 2 weeks for all my swelling to go.

Hang in there, it does get easier!