Metal Mouth Message Board

Hi, all! I wish I had found this board months ago when I was preparing for surgery.

I had a LeFort 1 Osteotomy 3 weeks ago to correct an underbite, along with crossbite correction (where they cut my upper jaw into three pieces and put it all back together with 4 plates and 16 screws...not sure what it was called... from what I can find online perhaps a 3-piece LeFort?), along with removal of all 4 wisdom teeth. Post-op was absolute misery for a week, and I'm feeling MUCH better now. However, I still have a *lot* of swelling in my cheeks close to my nose, as well as my upper lip. I no longer look like the grinch, but have graduated to a more "monkey-like" look (according to my loving wife..!). The tissue/swelling is very firm to the touch, and it seems to be abating ever so slowly. I have seen several LeFort surgeries where the swelling was mostly gone in a week, but I don't believe they had everything done as I did.

Wish that said, does anyone have any idea when my face will begin to look "normal" again? I know the swelling can take as much as 6 months to completely go away, but I'm talking about the portion of the swelling that is very obvious and noticeable. Any input would be appreciated!

Just give it time. Obviously, if you start running a high fever or have other signs of infection (pus, hot and red swelling, etc.), that's bad. Otherwise, it's just a process that takes time.

Most swelling faded by 3 weeks, my lips took about 5 weeks, and my cheeks have minor swelling at the 7th week. I look somewhat normal from what people say, but I can still feel and tell there is still swelling in my cheekbone area where the plates are. I had a segmented three piece Le Fort I as well and it was crazy to hear that the front four teeth are not attached by any plates and left to heal on its own with the assistance of a thick wire over my braces. It is still loose so I won't be able to bite into things for about three months, but I can chew using the molars. Your additional swelling is likely from the additional wisdom teeth removal you had. Have you been walking, drinking lots of water, head elevated, etc..?

Thanks for the replies! I have been drinking lots of fluids, doing my mouth exercises as well as other physical activity (walking, etc.). I stopped elevating my head significantly--basically sleeping in a sitting position--after 1.5 weeks (although I sleep on a fairly thick pillow). I was also instructed to massage my face several times/day with a warm washcloth, and I've been doing that as well. Yesterday was the three-week mark for me, and I just assumed that by now my face would be back to normal. Given what all was done, I'm not surprised that it isn't.

Most of my swelling is gone, and all that's left is the "hard" knots of tissue/swelling under the skin. It's primarily on my cheekbones and along the line above my teeth where the cut was made in my jaw. The swelling in my upper lip (especially on the inside) has gone down considerably, but it's still larger than normal. At this point, most anyone can tell that something is amiss with my face--it's not proportional. It's interesting to see how people react... many people won't make eye contact...!! The novelty is wearing off, however, and I want to just get back to (mostly) normal.

I have my next follow-up appointment with my doctor tomorrow, and I'll be sure to ask more about the swelling then. I know they'll just tell me that it's normal, and that everyone heals differently. All true, but I'm getting impatient!

Jinx--so you looked a bit abnormal until the 5 week time frame, or were you mostly there at three weeks?

My experience was pretty much like yours. Yeah, I don't see much difference in swelling since 5 weeks, but my coworkers say they do so I don't really know. My doctor said that those knots on my cheekbones will take a long time to heal like 3-6 months. I know what you mean with impatient though, I have a cruise planned for 2 months from now (at least I can eat now though).

I watched a few videos on YouTube about people's LeFort "journey". It seemed most--if not all--of their swelling was gone in a month or less. I wonder if it's because they had a LeFort without the maxillary expansion. I was totally not prepared for the length of time I'm seeing with this swelling. I'm 4 weeks post-op today, and I still have swelling in my upper lip (giving me a perpetual frown), numbness from my lower lids to my upper lip and the (large) hard knots in my cheekbones. Like you said it seems that it's not changing at all.

Another interesting thing... my surgeon rarely uses a splint, and I didn't have one after my surgery. I asked him about it last week during a follow-up, and he said that of the 13 surgeries he had performed that week not one used a splint. He said he typically only uses it if there is a lot of movement required in the surgery, and typically that only occurs with an upper/lower jaw situation. Did you have a splint with your surgery?

I'm eating pretty well and have been since week 2. Granted, it has been softer foods, but I've maintained and actually gained weight since my lowest weight after surgery. I still can't bite through anything tough, but that's not supposed to be until week 10 according to my cheat sheet.