Gettin' Ready for Surgery and Braces

[browneyedgirl16683]

Hello all,
I am getting ready to have surgery on my upper jaw (not sure of the technical term). My surgery is scheduled for June 20th. Two days before the surgery I am having an expansion device put on my upper palate. Then comes the surgery (along with pulling two baby, exposing two adult teeth and pulling two impacted wisdom). Im almost 24 and still have baby teeth! Then in a few months I will get braces (for the second time). Anyways, I plan on being gone from work for about a week but really have some questions on what to expect.

How long does it take for the swelling to go down enough that you are not embarrassed to appear in public? And is a week enough time to take off work? (I am a bookkeeper and work in an office of 6 people)

How quickly after the surgery will my gap show up?
How long will there be a gap in my two front teeth? Should I consider fake teeth until it is closed up?

Any advice??

Thanks!

[browneyedgirl16683]

Thanks Meryaten! I will definately check out that link.....

Good luck!

[ctoler1920]

I have to have this surgery as well but I don't think a week will be enough time off. I have read other threads where some people are off of work/school for 4 weeks maybe longer. I am not sure what type of company you work for and if they off disablility you might qualify for it.

[browneyedgirl16683]

Well thankfully, my boss is very flexible and understanding so if I need to take more time off then I can. Also, I have the ability to work from home as well. I was curious though how long I would be on painkillers. My surgeon already prescribed me Percocet but I know that you are not supposed to drive when you are on those things so that may be what keeps me from going to work.

Good luck with your surgery!

[monarch64]

I had SARPE done May 2nd, and I took three weeks off work. My company considered it a leave of absence under my short term disability benefit, so I was paid 100% for the first two weeks and 60% for the third week. I honestly could have gone back to work the third week, my swelling was down considerably by day 10, but I wanted to make sure I didn't push it and give myself plenty of time to heal and rest.

I was off the prescription painkillers (I had vicodin) by day 4. After that I took Advil when I was feeling achy. I should also mention i had all 4 of my wisdom teeth removed along with my SARPE procedure. I had barely any bruising, and my swelling peaked on the 3rd day and a week later it was not noticeable to anyone but me. Over a month later, I still have a teeny bit of swelling around my nose and mid-cheeks but I would say I'm 95% swelling-free at this point.

If you have an understanding boss, I would take as much time off as you can. If your job requires you to speak a lot, or you don't think you'll feel comfortable in front of others til you can eat more easily and your swelling is down, I would say try to take two weeks off instead of just one. It's not as if your life has to be put on hold, or you can't drive after that first week, but I say take care of yourself and take the opportunity to get lots of rest.