Metal Mouth Message Board

Hi guys,

I just had my double jaw surgery 3 weeks ago and everything is going fine. However am just curious as to why my case is very different to how I found online, firstly, my mouth was not wired shut, however I had 2 rubber bands on the sides for about a week. I'm not sure how I would've survived with my mouth wired shut as my nose was extremely congested and I breathed through my mouth the first 2 weeks. I remember the first night when I couldn't open my mouth however and my nose was becoming blocked I was having a panic attack which was relieved by the nurse pulling out a gauze from one of my noses. Eating as well, if I was banded shut I wouldn't get 1/10th of what I got just 2 days after surgery since I started eating with a spoon by then. Secondly, I don't have a splint that I see a lot of people have that get removed about a month later and finally, no elastics either. Nothing like what I saw online.

If anyone can shed light as to why this is, it would be greatly appreciated as I am just interested.

Thanks

It sounds like you're having a good recovery. I think (not 100%) that several factors probably play into it.
1. Age of surgeon or whether they are up-to-date with best practices.
2. The extent of the procedure-did you have both upper and lower jaw work? What type of work was done?
3. Surgeon's preferences.

I think you are very fortunate. I was banded with bands for ~4 days and drank milkshakes/soups for close to 12 weeks. There is no way I could have eaten solids before that. My jaw would pop like someone was flicking a rubber band at you when I opened my mouth super wide and sometimes when I drank a shake.
Karla

kplatt2010 wrote: ↑Wed Jul 11, 2018 5:50 pm It sounds like you're having a good recovery. I think (not 100%) that several factors probably play into it.
1. Age of surgeon or whether they are up-to-date with best practices.
2. The extent of the procedure-did you have both upper and lower jaw work? What type of work was done?
3. Surgeon's preferences.

I think you are very fortunate. I was banded with bands for ~4 days and drank milkshakes/soups for close to 12 weeks. There is no way I could have eaten solids before that. My jaw would pop like someone was flicking a rubber band at you when I opened my mouth super wide and sometimes when I drank a shake.
Karla

I had top and bottom done, top was moved forward a few mm and bottom back a few mm + genioplasty. I'm not eating solid food but a bit more than just soups, purees, ice cream, jello etc. That's unfortunate to here but at least it's over now.
I don't think my surgeon was lacking in knowledge but we'll have to see once I've recovered haha

Hi there! Congrats on everything going well thus far!

I had the same procedures as you (BSSO, Lefort 1, and genioplasty) and more or less have the same post-op set up, too (one double-band on each side of my mouth, no splint; could "eat" pureed food with a teeny-tiny spoon).

Based on this, I'd assume that:

1) Your doctor is a bit more progressive/advanced with MMA surgical techniques. From what I understand, it's actually no longer the norm to be wired shut.

2) You also have IMF screws instead of arch bars (seems to also be a more progressive procedure and/or used if the surgeon prefers it)

3) You didn't need braces before or after surgery

If all that's true, that all sounds pretty normal based on my own experience. I'm 8 weeks out and doing great so, I wouldn't worry too much about having a different set-up than others

runrabbitrun wrote: ↑Wed Jul 11, 2018 8:51 pm Hi there! Congrats on everything going well thus far!

I had the same procedures as you (BSSO, Lefort 1, and genioplasty) and more or less have the same post-op set up, too (one double-band on each side of my mouth, no splint; could "eat" pureed food with a teeny-tiny spoon).

Based on this, I'd assume that:

1) Your doctor is a bit more progressive/advanced with MMA surgical techniques. From what I understand, it's actually no longer the norm to be wired shut.

2) You also have IMF screws instead of arch bars (seems to also be a more progressive procedure and/or used if the surgeon prefers it)

3) You didn't need braces before or after surgery

If all that's true, that all sounds pretty normal based on my own experience. I'm 8 weeks out and doing great so, I wouldn't worry too much about having a different set-up than others

MMA surgical techniques, sounds fun haha and yes have screws however I'm not sure if they're IMF but I have had braces for nearly 2 years now. This explains a lot, thanks

However I do wish I had bands. When I had bands, they kind of guided my mouth shut but now since they're off, I'm free to move my bottom jaw and I'm not sure how I should bite since they all feel natural.

I too had only elastics after surgery. 2 on the left side and 1 on the right side. They were pretty tight but I was allowed to remove them while eating and brushing.
It made recovery a bit more easy.
Altough eating was still a chore, it's surprising how much muscle and movement it takes to get food of a spoon.