Metal Mouth Message Board

I'm set to have my double jaw surgery in a month or two, and I'm getting a little nervous. (Reading horror stories probably doesn't help).

My #1 concern is permanent numbness in the face.

My surgeon comes highly recommended in the Houston area, and Houston is one of the top medical cities in the U.S. -- so I'm pretty confident in my surgeon.

Just wondering -- is there anything specific that causes someone to have permanent nerve damage? Is it (bad) genetics? Or does it all rely on the surgeon? Any info will help

Thanks

I expect the likelyhood of permanent numbness is probably a combination of your particular anatomy, sensitivity to nerve damage, and the surgeon's skill.

Unlike some other tricky facial surgeries, it's rather easy to spot the nerve trunk and move it, so the chance of it being cut is pretty much zero. (If you watch videos of a BSSO, you can clearly see the nerve trunk; it's a pale yellow thing. And clearly they have to move it out of the way, which is what causes the at-least-temporary numbness.)

Zeroing in on 11 months and I do still have numb areas of my face. I'm mostly used to them, though it is annoying when I can't feel food hanging out there. I'm not giving up. I've heard stories of it taking years, so there's hope in the nerves returning!

Well, I'm six months post op, and I actually ended up with hypersensitivity on one side of my lower chin and lip. Not sure if that was lower jaw or genio. Right after initial numbness went away, even the slightest breeze made me shudder, but slowly it's gotten better. It's not gone entirely, but I trust maybe at the year mark it might be a distant memory.

My surgeon was extra careful to avoid the nerve and said she had an almost perfect success rate. Only one patient's nerve was so delicate that it almost severed and she stitched it. The surgeon told me that person regained feeling so that was good!

I almost wish I had gotten numb instead of hypersensitivity Good luck!!

Your age also plays a part in your healing; younger the better.