Metal Mouth Message Board

Hi everyone,

I am around a month or so post op from double jaw surgery to correct an overbite. I can't help but feel as if my upper jaw was overadvanced and over impacted. I know there is still swelling, but I consulted with other surgeons before and they had all said my upper jaw should just be moved up, not forwards. I went with my surgeon for insurance related reasons and he is very busy, so I did not know what my final movements were until right before the surgery. I wish I had been more firm about not proceeding with the surgery without a comprehensive review of what would be done and why.

Anyways, I just wanted to ask if anyone has had a similar feeling a month or so after surgery, but ended up liking the results later on. I feel intimidated to bring up my concerns to my surgeon because he works at a teaching hospital and is so well respected. I think he will be offended or annoyed, because he really is a serious surgeon and his team did work really hard and I am grateful for that. I also don't even know how to even proceed with a revision surgery because insurance may not want to cover it, and it may not be worth the trouble financially for a rivision surgery, especially with the physical risks too.

But I can't help wish for a revision or something that makes my face look 'natural' the way it used to. My cheeks are super bunched up when I smile and I look 'fake'. I don't think I have that much swelling because I can see my jawline quite well, and my lower jaw was moved over 10mm. Has anyone seen major improvements in tooth show and in the general midface area after 1 or 2 months post op?

Thanks in advance for listening

1 month post-op is extremely early to be making aesthetic judgments. While it may not seem like it, you still have a lot of swelling. Your results at 3 months post-op will be pretty close to the final results but the swelling doesn’t completely go away until around 1 year post-op. If you’re unhappy after 3 months, then consider bringing it up with your surgeon, but the “hot shot” ones do tend to be defensive.

The fact is that most people think that their new face looks unnatural and “weird” after this surgery. That mental aspect of getting used to your new face and acknowledging that it does look natural to other people is the most difficult part of the procedure IMO. I’m 5 years post-op and I’m still not completely used to it. Maybe in another 20 years (I’m not even kidding). It’s hard to give specific feedback without any pictures but perhaps you have some trusted friends or family you can ask to see what they think of your new appearance.