Rosie0318 wrote:... I know that in the end my smile and profile will look a million times better - it's just that I'm a bit scared of the swelling, the pain, the appearance, the eating, etc. From your experiences, how long would you guys say it took for the swelling to come down? I know i'm stressing this a bit much, but since I work full time, the more time off from work means the less money i'll receive :-/ ...
In your post you say you're having your chin moved back -- I assume you mean that you're having your lower jaw operated on and not just a chin reduction. About the measurement:
4 cm is massive. I assume you mean
4 mm?
In terms of stuff NOT to be scared of:
Swelling: You will be very puffy for a few days to a week -- your lip may look like a balloon for a day or two. I had a compression bandage on my face for the first couple of days (in hospital) to control the swelling. It worked, but I had big bruising around my neck as a side effect. It is hard to drink properly, and you'll have to "sleep" with your head elevated.
Pain: I experienced basically no pain. I had IV painkillers at the hospital, and when I was released two days after I had my prescriptions filled and ended up not using any of the pain meds.
Appearance: A day to a week after, you will look bad. A few weeks after, the only noticeable sign was some remaining bruising around my neck. The swelling was down enough that onlookers didn't really notice, although I could tell I was still puffy. Longer term, the results are going to depend on your surgeon, but I don't think a 4 mm move by itself is going to be a night-and-day difference -- you will still look like you.
Eating: I'm the least capable person on this board in terms of doing anything correctly in a kitchen, or even finding the kitchen. But, using a blender, and stocking up on stuff like yogurt, apple juice, soups, ice cream, protein powder, Ensure, etc. I was able to get through it and it sounds worse than it is. And I did it solo -- I live alone, family is across the country, etc.
Stuff that I found more annoying than I expected:
1. Mouth opening -- I could only open "one finger" width a week after surgery. Gradually that has come back, but it is scary at first.
2. Oral hygiene -- A child size toothbrush and Water Pik really helped. My mouth felt disgusting for the first few days when you're not supposed to touch anything.
3. Numbness -- I'm 3 1/2 months post op and still recovering feeling in my chin and lower lip. Obviously numbness isn't painful, by definition, but it's bizarre. My chin felt like a lump of plastic the first month. It's mildly disturbing, especially for those of us who shave our chins every day.
But, now all of my molars actually meet (instead of just the back four) and my profile is better. Even with braces, I'm chewing better than before. I wouldn't have done the surgery to correct a minor cosmetic issue, but if you're planning to live a long life you're going to need a proper bite if you want to have teeth in the distant future.
