8 months post op thinking revision

[Sarah96]

Hello, i'm new there and i hope the best for every jaw surgery buddy.
I wonder if you can read my story, and share your opinions with me. I really need that.
I'm 8 months post op double jaw surgery and i'm extremely sad.

Shortly my story:
I had an open bite, extremely recessed chin, gummy smile and also my upper jaw was asymmetrical.

In highschool, i was so sad about my weird jaw since i got bullied. So after i finish my highschool i started to wear braces and after 1 year i got my jaw surgery!
This surgery was my long a-waited hero! I dreamt so much about that day. But my dreams had shattered.

My expectations of this surgery were:
To be able to bite down food
Closing my mouth without straining or forcing myself
Closing my mouth so i can breath through my nose
Reaching a normal profile and front look with a no-receding chin and no-gummy smile
Fixing the asymmetry of upper jaw

After my jaw surgery none of these problems has been solved.
Before surgery i consulted with my surgeon really well and he guaranteed that i will have great results.
But they didn't show me a photo how can i look after surgery.

They brought my lower jaw forward and rotated it. They impacted my upper jaw.
I insisted them to make a genioplasty too but they didn't listen.

Now my results:
My chin is still so recessed.
I can't close my mouth without forcing it.
Even if i force my mouth to close it won't stay closed.
When my lips relaxed, you can see half of my lower teeth and most of my upper teeth!!!
Upper jaw asymmetry is still there
Midline is off
My nose is crooked due to upper jaw surgery
When i smile/laugh my lower lip covers almost half of my upper teeth.
My bite has corrected.
Gummy smile altered a bit.

I tried to consult with my surgeon several times and he said wait for orthodontics to end. But ortho won't change anything about jaw related!
I was good while i had swelling but now 8 months post-op my face looks like just before surgery!

Guys, i'm so depressed. Whenever i tell my surgeon my problems he says i look better than before. Yes, it's true. I look %10 better than before. I still look like someone who needs jaw surgery.
After 8 months my surgeon accepted that my chin is recessed a bit. (But it's so much recessed) he offered me chin implant but i don't think it will work.

I don't want to go outside. I cry everyday. I don't have any hope. Please help me, how can i tell them i need a revision?
Is revision surgery risky? Is anybody living in the same hell as me?

[EWUgal15]

I can't really offer too much advice, but this blog might help you out: http://www.confessionsofametalmouth.com/

The author is a member here, although I don't know her user name or what threads she's posted on, and she is currently in the process of undergoing revision treatment. You may also want to check out the June/July Surgery Buddies thread to compare your situation with some of the other folks that are 8-9 months post op. They've all been super helpful and are pretty quick to respond.

I'm sorry I couldn't be too much help, but I thought a response of any kind was probably better than none. Hopefully this gives you a good starting point and I wish you the absolute best of luck in your situation.

[StefanoMI]

I'm 31 days after double jaw surgery and I can understand you. As the swelling goes down my face looks asymmetrical and my nose is a bit crooked.
My profile looks better than before, but from the front I liked my old self better.

My surgeon is also very egocentric and intolerant to critics so I don't know how to deal with him.

I also observed, from other blogs, that lots of people that undergo jaw surgery don't have their asymmetries fixed after the surgery. Many don't care but from the after pics I can tell their faces don't look perfectly symmetric....I wish you good luck, sadly surgeons are all cheerful and cool before we pay them, then they get hasty and liars.

[Sarah96]

Thank you both for your answers. EWUgal15; thank your for sharing this link. It makes me happy even if you just read what i wrote

StefanoMI ; you're sooo right! Doctors don't care about the critics we make. They think we don't have rights to say something about our OWN face. I wish you the best of recovery. I hope your problems will be fixed with time.

[jaime]

Sarah, I'm really sorry to hear about all the troubles you're having.

My suggestion to you would be to go get some consultations from surgeons and maybe from another ortho. You need an educated opinion from someone who isn't part of your treatment plan.

By the way, I'm 8 months post-op too and have had some problems as well. On Monday I am going to see my ortho for the first time since summer to talk about it.

Please let us know what happens with you! Also, feel free to join us in the June/July Surgery Buddies thread since we are all 7-8 months post-op, too. There is another guy on there who is having some issues as well.

EWUgal, thanks for posting that link! There is almost nothing on the Internet for people with botched surgeries. I don't know right now if I'll need a revision or not, but it is nice to find a blog to read about it.

[EWUgal15]

I don't even remember how I found that blog...I just remember that I found it before I had surgery and it scared the living daylights out of me...but I couldn't stop reading it. I remembered that she went through a Kaiser surgeon in Southern California, so I did a quick search and found her: LyraM45. You might be able to find a post or two from her about the revision process and you can always try sending her a PM with questions.

[ivonne]

Hi Sarah, Sorry to hear this.
I could only offer help after I heal because it seems I had the same problem as yours, except not as noticeable as you mention yours was.
I had my surgery at Kaiser Oakland

They did upper jaw surgery, lower jaw surgery, asymmetry reconstruction, and I believe a chin implant, not sure if what I read on the paper was the bone just forward
or an actual chin implant.

It is a bit difficult to judge without photos, in my opinion when the lips naturally fall and the teeth show is very beautiful, like Megan Fox, as you see in all her photos
and on most model photos showing the teeth is always what sets them apart.
I am not sure to what degree is yours.

I am still healing, and will keep you updated on my results.
You could always seek a second opinion, and also for women having a bit of a recessed chin is also natural and normal, compared to men.

[snapdresser]

Sorry to hear about your difficulties, Sarah! But I do agree with ivonne, a slightly (a few mm) recessed chin and showing teeth are considered aesthetically pleasing. It would be easier to comment on whether or not your concerns are founded if we saw a before/after picture of you. You said you don't want to go outside and you cry every day, but at worst you "look like [you did] just before surgery". Is it possible you're being too hard on yourself?

That said, I also agree with Jaime. If you're not happy with your surgical results there's no harm in consulting with another surgeon and see what they say.

[Sarah96]

Hey, i can't believe that i receive more answers! It made me happy.

Jaime; i want to consult with another surgeon but i can't be able to spend same amount of money again. Anyway, i'll just talk with another one just to get an opinion.
Also i'd like to join that topic too, i will read now. And i'll share what happens to me. I hope you don't need revision. Good luck.

ivonne; you had the same problem? I hope your healing is good and fast. Let me know about your progress! Also, you're right about showing a 1-2 mm of teeth is beautiful but i show both upper and lower teeth in resting position. Also whenever try to keep my mouth closed, it's only for a few seconds then lips open again. It shouldn't be that hard to keep them together. I have mentalis strain even when my mouth is open.

snapdresser: thank you for your message. Unfortunately, my chin is at least 7-8 mm recessed. I will upload my photos since it will be easier for you guys to make comment. Is it okay to post photos on this forum? If it's okay i'll upload some photos of me.

[snapdresser]

Yep, you can post pictures in this forum.

[Sarah96]

Hello. I have some news. I talked to my ortho and surgeon again.
First i told my ortho the issues i have. I told him that i can't close my lips at rest. And he said ''no one can do'' What the hell? I told him that everyone i see can close their lips naturally without forcing it but '' I CAN'T '' He told me if i bring my lower jaw forward then i'll have an underbite, which was true.
But there is something i should mention. Right after my surgery, my jaw was still set back like 4-5 mm. I could see and feel my lower teeth were set back. They did fix that with orthodontics. But since then, my profile has not changed! Only thing has been changed is my bite. They told me that my muscles pulled my jaw to its position before. But they told me that they fixed that with orthodontics. Before surgery the plan was for me to get rid of braces after 6 months. Now i'm 8 months post op they say that i need wait for 6 months again. I talk my surgeon about the same things, plus i mentioned the asymmetry problem has not been solved. His answer was crazy. He told me that ''yes you have some asymmetry but so what? You definetely should go to a psychologist. '' He left me with same problems i had, he made my nose crooked and now he doesn't care about how to solve problems. Instead he tells me to go to a psychologist. (I get therapy many times... It didn't help since my problems are still here.)
Guys, i'm dying inside. I uploaded photos to another topic. You can see how my jaw looks like. I'm almost 20 now and my youth will be over soon. Or my life will be over sooner. I don't really know.

[snapdresser]

I agree with your doctors that you're being too hard on yourself. I saw your pictures and you look good!!! You're having a hard time seeing that, though My nose is crooked, my SG left my chin still somewhat off-center, my surgeon may have impacted my maxilla a bit too much, and these things do pop into my mind, but I make an exercise of trying to see the bigger picture and get rid of those destructive thoughts. It helps when I see old pictures of myself. I can hardly even stand to look at them anymore. How about you? Do you have pictures of your old profile you could look at for reference? Your results are nothing that you should be afraid to go outside or be crying about and the fact that you're saying you're dying inside and your life may be over soon is very worrisome. Wanting some additional movement in the chin is a possible and actionable goal, but nothing is worth THAT. Feeling for you and wishing you the best.

[davinci7]

Hi Sarah96,
I have the exact same problems as you and my surgeon has responded in the exact same way. It's unbelievable. I am 2 years post op and tomorrow I am going to see him AGAIN to see if he can somehow improve things with the genioplasty that he never gave me (even though I asked for it). Your surgeon doesn't happen to be in Sydney does he?

My mouth won't close, my face still looks the same with a very recessive jaw. The orthodontist actually did most of the work after the surgery because my teeth didn't meet. They kind of cheated by putting an angle on my teeth so they would come together to compensate for the lack of jaw alignment.
I don't even know if the genioplasty will work because it's not my chin that is the problem but the jaw itself.

I know exactly how you feel but unlike you I am not 20 years old (I'm 50) and this was my second surgery.

[Sadjaw]

I hope you are better.

[Sadjaw]

I have similar problems. I have an overbite and my lower jaw was moved. My ortho did the wrong treatment. My teeth have been pushed out, my front teeth stick out, there is not enough space in the lower teeth now to push it back. I have a protrude face. I can not open my mouth and have constant click on my back teeth and pain in my left jaw. Very unhappy about my surgery.

I always have been a strong women, I am in my fifties, but I am having a hard time going out. My ortho say that I look better...
I am not sure what to do, we can ended up worst. I wish I can reverse the treatment. Any advice would be helpful.