Anybody tightly banded shut with no splint?

[SamBracingForIt]

I just got unwired after double jaw surgery, after being wired shut for a month with a splint, and now only have some tight rubber bands holding my bite in place. My OS removed the splint, so it's teeth on teeth contact now, and I am actually missing my splint because I hate the way this feels! So tight, like my teeth are just going to crack. I'm allowed to remove for eating/brushing teeth, but even that, I'm scared to do because the rubber bands are so tight that I feel like when I'm reattaching them, I must be putting way to much pressure/pull on my still healing upper jaw. Anybody else have similar experiences?

[Nozzelnut]

You won't pull anything loose wearing elastics.

[snapdresser]

I was banded super tight like that and I healed up great

[SamBracingForIt]

thanks for the reassurance y'all!

[SamBracingForIt]

I was banded super tight like that and I healed up great

could you remove your bands for eating cleaning? i hate removing and putting them back on! I almost miss my wires... like my security blanket haha

[EmilyTravels]

I didn't have a splint during wiring or the tight elastic band phase (with archbars). Perhaps my case was a bit different since I fractured my jaw in a bicycle accident. When the archbars came off, my molar surfaces that had been pressed together for so long felt totally flat to my tongue. It was a really strange sensation! It didn't last forever, but it did feel really odd for awhile there. Most of my molars are crowned, so that may have caused that sensation for some reason.

When I took off my elastics, I was scared to open my mouth also, but all went well. My oral surgeon gave me various exercises involving opening my mouth (and later moving the lower jaw from side to side) to help regain normal opening, and I hated those. In time, I got better and better and now can open my mouth as wide as most folks. My oral surgeon was pleased. Some people take a long time to open their mouth fully and even have to have PT to regain normal jaw opening (3 fingers held vertically is the gold standard, and I am a bit better than that).

Good luck and hang in there!

[snapdresser]

could you remove your bands for eating cleaning? i hate removing and putting them back on! I almost miss my wires... like my security blanket haha

It was such a pain that I pretty much never removed them except for daily cleaning. I was using various tools like tweezers to put them on and take them off, so I asked my surgeon for one of her little tools and she gave me some that I could use, which made it soooo much easier. If you don't have one, I highly recommend you ask your surgeon for one.