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Lips not touching after surgery?
Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2014 1:16 pm
by redwine
Had lower jaw surgery recently and as the swelling is going down, I'm noticing definite asymmetry and my lips are beginning to not touch on the left side. Is this normal? I am tightly wired shut with a splint for now. Will my lips begin to touch again as feeling comes back or when the splint & wire is removed?
Re: Lips not touching after surgery?
Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 2:15 am
by purpleandteal
im almost 6 weeks post double jaw surgery and i had the same worries. i was told that as swelling reduces and cuts heal, i will get full animation back which will make me lips touch (something they'd never done before) and i wouldnt feel so asymetrical as both sides of my face would be moving normally. so far my lips are now touching :0) and every few days im noticing a little more movement within my face. if you are concerned, talk to your surgeon or orthodontist, they should be more than happy to settle any worries you have
Re: Lips not touching after surgery?
Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 5:35 am
by sunnyD
Hello I'm 5 weeks post up and my lips are not touching as well. I see tiny improvements everyday but I pray to god they touch at rest in the long run. I have a feeling they might not because when the surgeon did my genioplasty he said he tilted the chin down as well. I'm guessing this will pull the rest of my soft tissue slightly downwards as well on my bottom jaw ;(
Re: Lips not touching after surgery?
Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 6:02 am
by boodles8
When I was 6 weeks post mandibular setback, my lips were also incompetent--by 3-4 mm, I'd say, though I never measured. I had not had this problem prior to surgery, and I had a setback, so it seemed a strange outcome. However, I'm now 5 months out, and my lips are no longer incompetent. I don't really know what changed; I don't think I was noticeably swollen. But take courage that it isn't necessarily a permanent problem, even at your seemingly late stage!
Good luck.
Re: Lips not touching after surgery?
Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 8:06 am
by sunnyD
boodles thanks for the words of encouragement! I'm hoping they touch too when everything settles
Re: Lips not touching after surgery?
Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:41 am
by redwine
I go in for another follow up tomorrow and this question is on my (reather lenghty) list. In the meantime, thanks for encouraging words! At this point I need all the encouragement I can get!
Re: Lips not touching after surgery?
Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 7:19 pm
by sirwired
The braces themselves don't help, as they push your lips outwards. My lip incompetence didn't disappear until the braces came off.