Metal Mouth Message Board

While on vacation about 12 days ago, after eating and doing my jaw stretching I realized that two teeth on the left side of my mouth were touching that never used to touch before. And this was also causing me to not be able to bite down on the right side. It would get worse throughout the day and would be ok in the morning. I called my ortho and he said it was probably and inflamed muscle slightly dislocating my jaw, since he didn’t think it was structural since I was 7 weeks post-op.

When I got back from vacation and saw the ortho, he then sent me to my surgeon to get everything checked out. The surgeon checked out my jaw, had a second surgeon check out my jaw, and they both said everything felt ok. But they wanted to send me down for x-rays just t make sure. Well after getting the x-rays done, it turns out that the screws came loose and my jaw has shifted in the left side. The surgeon told me they are going to have to go back in and re-attach the stuff on that side and I will have to be wired shut for another 2 weeks. Needless to say, I started freaking out inside my head. I cannot handle being wired shut for another two weeks. That was the worst two weeks EVER.

The doc called me later and told me that he might not have to wire me shut since it will be a less evasive procedure, and will take less time to heal. But, there is always a ‘but’. He said if its only the left side he has to fix, I probably wont have to be wired, if for some reason he has to move the plates on the right too, I have to be wired shut.

I hate not knowing what’s going to be happening. I’m pretty much not going to know if I have to be wired shut or not until I wake up after surgery. I don’t like that

I had complained of some soreness to the doc on a couple visits after surgery, but he pretty much shrugged it off to being ‘normal’. And the swelling never did go down on the left side of my face…now I think I know why, everything was working itself loose on that side.

So now I pretty much see myself back at square one after surgery. 8 weeks, and I have to start over again. Hoping I will still be able to get out of my braces by my 2 year mark.

Oh wells. I go in Thursday and hopefully everything will ‘take’ this time and I don’t have to do this again.

Hi,
I'm sorry to hear your story. I am 4 weeks post op now and will be having x-rays in 2 weeks time to see how everything has settled. I understand completely that this is the last news you want to hear. Good luck with the second surgery. I suppose its better that it happens now rather than in a few months but it still sucks.
Good luck with it.
Tony

Jeez, two weeks is what I have remaining out of a total of 5 weeks of being wired shut after experiencing exactly what happened to you. Only in my case xrays revealed the loose screws 4 days post-op. I think discovering this early in the healing process combined with the fact that only screws (no plates) were used led to not having to undergo surgery again.

I completely understand your reluctance to being wired shut again. OTOH, 2 weeks will fly by before you know it. At least I'm hoping so.

So sorry to hear this! It would be so frustrating to have to go backward in progress instead of forwards, once you've already been through surgery. I think we have to keep in mind going into jaw surgery that we have to follow through and deal with whatever situations arise in order to heal completely. You are doing the right thing to get this taken care of and get your healing back on track.

I was tightly banded for about 1.5 days and I thought I was going to lose it. I feel for anyone who has to be wired shut for any period!

Sorry to hear about your jaw shifting, good luck with everything. If what you need is to have your jaw wired, then go for it and try not to think too much about it. Two weeks is better than six weeks, that's for sure.

I"m so sorry to hear that you have to go in again. I'm sure they won't keep you wired for 2 weeks again--if they have to wire you at all.

Best of luck. Keep us posted.

Thanks everyone. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Hopefully the next couple days will fly by, I just want to get in and get this taken care of right now.

That does suck that you have to go through it again, hopefully it works out for you. At only 2 weeks of being wired though, you don't have my sympathy , I was wired for 6.5 weeks straight. You're correct, it does really suck but is needed to get things to set properly.

oh my goodness, sorry to hear about you having to get a second surgery! lets hope everything takes better this time around for you!!!!

I just went in for my 2nd post-op operation since upper, lower and genio on July 22nd. I had 6 screws taken out of back lower jaw as some were pushing out and causing an infection. My OS decided to take both side out to even out my swelling. I also had skin tags in lower jaw that were removed as well. Hopefully the 3rd time is the cham! I awoke yesterday to that oh so familiar swollen face and lips that look like they have plates in them. I wasn't wired again since my bones healed enough. They did have to do some bone scraping to get screws out. The pain and uncomfortablesness is not half of original surgery. My bottom lip is numb all over again, even though I never got fully back anyway. I am hoping for a speedy recovery. Try to keep your chin up-the end results will be worth it.

Yeah, one of the things I'm worried about is losing all the feeling that i have gotten back in my lower lip. I hope it doesnt get too bad. But I am not going to hold my breath. Just hoping everything goes well tomorrow and it will the the last time I have to go in for anything like this. Thanks for the well wishes everyone.

Well, my 1 hour surgery turned into a 3 hour surgery. They replaced all the hardware on the left side of my jaw as it never healed at all for some reason. They used longer screws, and they threw an extra screw in for good measure. I guess I also had one screw loose on the right side so they replaced that one and put an extra screw in on that side too.

I am rubber banded shut til Tuesday night, til the doc can take a look at me and see how its going. 6 more weeks of no chewing but hopefully everything takes this time cause I'm not sure how long I can live like this. Good news is I didn't lose any of the feeling I gained back in my lower lip! So hopefully that will keep getting better

You never really realize how much you use your mouth until you cant use it. :p

Best of luck to your recovery. Hope all goes well and there is no need for further surgeries.

Hey there how r u doing? I hope everything is going ok for you now.

wow you have been through lots
thinking about you and hoping and praying that it all turns out the way it is suppose to this time,,,,stay strong stay positive