Metal Mouth Message Board

On March 10 I had bimaxillary surgery to correct an overbite/overjet, and not too long after the operation my surgeon informed me that my TMJ on the left side came out of the socket, and that another surgery called IVRO is needed in order to put the joint back in its place.
I'm already scheduled to go under the knife on June 30, but I'm having some serious jitters about this new surgery.
I havent even recovered from the first surgery, and less than 4 months later, I'm having another major surgery. I really thought that the bimax surgery was going to fix everything, and by the end of June I was going to get debanded and move on with life.
I would like to know whether there is anybody on this board who went through the same troubles, and had to resort to another surgery after the first major one.
Also I would like to know whether somebody had the IVRO done, and whether they are happy with the final results.
Thank you.

Davide

Davide,

I don't know much about the IVRO procedure. However, how the heck did your TMJ come out of socket? I've never heard of such a thing happening after a bi-max. Although, I suppose anything is possible. I've heard of people having some popping and/or some discomfort, but in all of those situations I believe the problems eventually remedied themselves.

Is this causing you any pain? Have you been seen by a TMJ specialist?

If I were you I'd be extremely cautious with this - Any time the TMJ joint is specifically involved I'd ensure I was in the care of specialists. From the research I've gathered, TMJ specific procedures are even more complex and involved than general orthognathic surgery to correct jaw misalignments. I'd hate to see you have this done and not know it was the right thing to do and the best way to treat your problems.

Please keep us posted and I wish you the best of luck!

-Chicago29

Hi Chicago,
thanks for your concerns and your good wishes.
What is exactly a TMJ specialist? Isn't a maxillofacial surgeon enough of a specialist to know whether there is a problem with the TMJ and how to fix it?
I don't really know how the joint came out of the socket, but I've been reading about condylar torque, malpositioning and malrotation. I do feel pain in my left joint (the one out of place), but I feel more pain in the other one, as my surgeon said that the right joint is doing all the work.
Just by looking at my face you can clearly see that something is wrong, as there is this very noticeable bulge right below my temple on my left side. My surgeon said that this is the first time that something like this happens to one of his patients. I guess you can call me the lucky guy.
I've been wondering myself whether there was a solution for this problem that didn't involve a surgical procedure, but apparently the IVRO is exactly the treatment of choice in cases like this.
Please let me know whether you run into more information. I'm certainly not eager to go under the knife so soon after undergoing bimaxillary surgery. Even though I'm using the IVRO to also get a genioplasty, I can assure you that the timing of this surgery is really unconvenient.
Thanks for your reply again.

Davide

By "TMJ specialist" I'd look for an oral surgeon that has extensive experience in dealing with TMJ issues. I'm pretty sure that this is another area of speciality for most oral surgeons. Just as all of them don't do orthognathic surgery, all of them are not versed in the best way to handle TMJ disorders.

You very well may already be going to one...If you feel your surgeon has specific expertise in this area then I'm sure you're fine and further investigation is unlikely to result in anything substantial.

The way I see it, it never hurts to have another opinion...especially when you have to go back in for "round 2" as the result of a complication.

Please keep us posted...I am sure you're not eager to do this either, but this time you know what to expect so you're well over half of the way home!

Take Care
Chicago29