Metal Mouth Message Board

I had double jaw surgery 6 weeks ago and according to my surgeon/ orthodontist the swelling is mostly gone.. I have had a splint on since surgery and it has been removed this week so I haven't been able to see these issues before. The surgical movements I have had done to fix my underbite are 3mm impaction, 6mm advancement and the lower jaw moved back 2 mm and rotated to fix a crossbite. 50% of my upper teeth seem to show when I smile normally and 100% when I smile fully but my face seems squished and my cheeks protrude so much it seems unnatural.. my smile just seems weird. from the side my chin looks like it is still protruding so much it looks like I still have an underbite. the reason they impacted my upper jaw was mainly because I had a gummy smile... but I don't think it was that bad, also, when i laughed my upper lips went inwards due to my recessed upper jaw which would cause more of my gums to show but it still wasn't that bad... looking back at my pre-op pictures. so now that my lips do not do that anymore they now cover half of my upper teeth. The thing is, I did not know the surgical plans nor was I allowed to speak with my surgeon at all before my surgery. basically my orthodontist prepared all the surgical movements and models and instructions were given to the surgeon and he didn't even know anything about my case and only saw me once for 2 minutes 4 months before surgery for the first consultation. Is it normal for the surgery to be planned by an orthodontist and to not even consult with me not even once??? and could they have done something wrong with the plans due to lack of experience/knowledge in my case?? also another thing to note regarding my bite is none of my teeth close... there is a huge gape between all of my molars and i can't bite anywhere.. only one front fang closes down??? somehow my bite seems worse than before surgery..... is this normal??? I didn't have a choice regarding the surgery since i had braces for 10 years prior to this trying to prepare my for surgery and my dad forced me to go on with it regardless of all my doubts leading up to it... I don't know what to do or who to talk to.... I don't think my dad will allow me to see a second opinion surgeon because its all in my head.... is it really?? am I being over paranoid or are my concerns valid? in case they are valid... is it possible to get a revision down graft and fix whatever else is wrong with my bite?? or is it not worth it...

I know you're stressed and panicking but that paragraph was very hard to read and all over the place.

My general advice is to be very firm and stand up for yourself when discussing this with your ortho/surgeon. Voice your concerns very clearly with them and push until you get an honest answer.

And no it's not normal for your surgeon to be out of the loop. Typically the surgeon plans all the movements and tells your orthodontist how he wants the bite prepared.

Hi There-six weeks is still early. I had double jaw surgery and thought the same thing. Please know that your face will continue to change and it will take upwards of a year before you are transformed into the final "you".

Think about it; you've had your jaw broken in multiple spots and it's healing. From personal experience; during my first 12 weeks, I was not moving my jaw very much except to talk and drink liquids. Talking and drinking was a big endeavor in itself after this surgery. Any sort of movement (talking, eating, etc.) increases the blood flow to the affected area and will make your jaw swell a little. This is because you're in fact exercising the jaw muscles.

Regarding your bite; you need to talk with the ortho and discuss the plan for addressing the issues and whether braces will fix issues. I say this because typically there's about 6 to 12 months of final tweaking that they need to do following the surgery. A good ortho will listen and try to work with you.

Take a deep breath and remember this is still early. You will look different but you're like a butterfly that's just coming out of your chrysalis; be patient. I know that's hard.
Karla