importance of post-op elastics?

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#1 Post by **suetemi** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 4:08 pm

Hey all,
I am nearly 4 weeks post-op. My surgeon has me in elastics right now. I thought it was to get my jaw muscles used to the new position to prevent the risk of relapse, but he said it was to help the orthodontist along with some teeth movement (I haven't seen the ortho yet and won't for another few days). The elastics have been giving me headaches and I quit wearing them for about a week.

Then today I noticed how much further forward my lower jaw is when I have the elastics in than when I don't (with the elastics the upper incisors overlap the lower ones directly, and without the elastics there is about a 2mm gap between the lower and upper teeth), and I admit I freaked out a bit because I thought it might be relapsing. If my surgeon had told me I had to wear the elastics to prevent relapse, I would have worn them religiously. However, I admit I haven't been taking the elastics-wearing very seriously because I figured I'd be going to the ortho soon anyway so what difference does it make if I don't wear them for a while.

#2 Post by **suetemi** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 4:11 pm

So my question is (this no-editing option is driving me crazy), how important is it to wear elastics post-op? Did you have to wear them, and if so, did your surgeon tell you what they were for? Do they help in preventing relapse movement? Or are they actually for teeth movement like my surgeon told me, rather than jaw muscles? As you can imagine I threw the elastics on quickly after my freak-out and am wearing them now and will wear them 24/7 from now on!

#3 Post by **zoeandnimo** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 5:39 pm

Hi there...I was under the impression that the elastics are to help bring my bite together now that my splint is off and the surgery is done. I'm also 4 weeks post-op, and it sounds like we have similar things going on with the elastics - mine actually bring my lower jaw forward to the point where my top and bottom teeth HIT - which is driving me crazy but I assume there is a point to it.

I'm seeing my OS tomorrow and my Ortho on Wednesday so I"ll learn more then. I've been wearing these 2 weeks now.

#4 Post by **megs29** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 5:59 pm

I would assume they are pretty important..like you said to prevent relapse and to train your bite to stay in its new place..

Im about 6, 7 weeks post bsso advancement and genio and Only the past couple of days I'll put them in a couple hours after removing them, but I always make sure to sleep with them on,and wear them majority of the time.

Im actually seeing my ortho AND surgeon tomorrow to find out if I can just stop wearing them, cause I healed ridiculously fast!

#5 Post by **suetemi** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 6:28 pm

megs29 wrote: but I always make sure to sleep with them on,and wear them majority of the time.

I slept with elastics in the first couple of weeks or so but each morning I would wake up in the wee hours of the morning nearly in tears from a headache. I don't know why but they caused my jaw muscles to tense or something. I told this to my OS and he took out two of them and reconfigured the other two to ease up the pressure, but it still hurts if I wear them for more than an hour or two.

#6 Post by **monarch** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 9:07 pm

Sue, I don't know about whether the elastics are to prevent relapse or what, but my son's surgeon did say that the elastics will hold the jaw tightly together, as if you were clenching your teeth. He said this is an unnatural position for the jaw, because people never have their jaws in this position unless they are chewing. People's jaws are usually more open and relaxed in everyday life.

So by keeping the jaws tightly together, it can cause TMJ pain and headaches.

#7 Post by **cj2387** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 11:19 pm

On May 7th, I'll be a year post op of jaw surgery. What I had done during surgery was the breaking of my upper jaw, moving it forward to correct my underbite and stretching it down since it was higher up than it should be. I had bone taken from my hip to fill in the gap in the middle of my face, and I also had genioplasty where they moved my chin back because it was very prominent. They would've liked to move both jaws, but my lower jaw line is very thin and wouldn't have been stable post op.

So...about your question with elastics.
Elastics are there to help settle your bite after surgery...since there is a chance of unwanted movement (which I went through and I ended up having my jaw wired shut) and to also retrain your muscles to their new position since they are not used to being in the new spot. I'm unsure if the elastics can reduce the risk of relapse fully, but I know they are quite helpful in making sure you heal properly. These elastics are not used for teeth movement...since that's why you have braces on. They are purely there to help guide your bite to healing in the new position that it was placed in.

I hope that helps.
If you need to know anything else, you can write to me.

#8 Post by **suetemi** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 12:04 am

cj2387 wrote:...since there is a chance of unwanted movement (which I went through and I ended up having my jaw wired shut)

Unwanted movement..what is that, exactly, or how does it occur? What happened in your case?

#9 Post by **TinaAH** » Sat Apr 25, 2009 5:37 pm

My surgeon's exact words were "They are like training wheels for your jaw". They help train your jaw to know where its supposed to be post-op.

--Tina

#10 Post by **moth** » Sat Apr 25, 2009 6:47 pm

i finally had elastics put on 2 weeks ago and my bite has shifted into place! i am lightly banded with 2 elastics. my bite was quite off immediately after surgery and i was getting pretty worried, but it now seems to be sitting just right (except for the fact that my molars don't touch, but i guess that's a job for the orthodontist). they have definitely helped bring my bite together. i am wearing them 24/7 at the moment. although whenever the OS changes the elastic configuration, i get pains in my right jaw joint whenever i lie down and i can't sleep for a few days until my muscles get 'settled'.