I'm 7 weeks post op today after having upper jaw surgery, everything has gone brilliantly until yesterday I noticed that my jaw (Maxilla) moves up slightly if I press my teeth together. I'm totally freaking out! Do you think it's a non-union??? Or can this be quite common?
As much as I found my surgery quite easy I wouldn't want to go through it all again!
I do have a problem clenching my teeth whilst sleeping, it's a nervous problem I have. Do you think this may have caused it?
Any answers most greatfully received
Thanks
Sam
Last edited by Sambo on Wed Jul 13, 2011 2:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I am in no way a surgeon, but I've noticed that the people on this board who have had a problem with delayed unions all grind their teeth at night.
Mostly these things turn out to be delayed (rather then non) unions, and you'll just end up with extra restrictions until the bone heals. The only person I've seen recently who went back in for surgery had a much more minimal surgery from the first one. But, hopefully, it's just a matter of your union being a little slower then normal.
I am 5 months post op and still have this issue. No pain at all, but when I bite together hard or push my upper jaw up, it does move slightly. I've asked my OS about this, and he said it's fairly common when the upper jaw gets lowered (which I what I had done as well as moving it forward). He said it's a fibrous union, didn't give me any restrictions at all. He just told me he will instruct my ortho to stop using elastics because I guess the force of them pulling on my jaw might be delaying it from healing. I also clenched a lot when I was a fresh post-op. My OS prescribes Ativan 1-2 mg each night which I was taking for about 3 weeks but I still found I would clench my teeth at times. Hope this helps.
Upper and Lower Braces Applied: December 4th, 2009
Lefort 1 and BSSO Surgery: February 11th, 2011
hey my jaw was moving also and was discovered that i had a non union develop on my upper jaw because i clenched my teeth all the time. i had to have a second surgery done with extra bone plates put in and bone grafting. my jaw was still still mobile after the second surgery so i thought i would need a third one but got a splint instead and i eventually healed. it took like 8 months
haha its ok its not rude but its possible i have someone else's bone in my face
it took 2 and a half months to reoperate on me because they wanted to see if i would heal on my own. like i said the surgery wasnt bad at all...my face did swell a lot from the grafting but it wasnt bad.
Oh that's good! I was talking to my dad today and I said that I actually wasn't that bothered if they were going to have to operate on me again as it was really easy last time, the only thing that is bothering me is that I've had my braces on just over 4 years now and I just want everything to go right so I can get them off! ha ha
I'm actually meant to be having another surgery on August 17th, I'm getting my nose done (Septoplasty) as my Septum buckled during surgery and they said they're going to file the bridge of my nose down a bit too and I'm also getting a Genioplasty but if this is a nonunion I guess all that will have to wait!
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