November 2013 Surgery Buddies

[kimnmoody]

Alicia110613 - I know! Can't wait for them to be off. I think mine are coming off in March but I'm seeing my ortho on 30th Jan so he'll probably give me a date then. I saw my surgeon today and he said everything looked good to him and that the braces could come off now but it's up to the ortho. At least the bone is healed. Not looking forward to any yanking though! Do you know when you're getting yours off?

Gum contouring is where they laser a bit of your gum off to expose more tooth to reduce a gummy smile… sorry that sounds so gross!

[Alicia110613]

I think I'll find out in early Feb. My bite is fine but my ortho is concerned about taking the braces off too early before the bones are fully healed. I'm praying for March as well.

[survenant]

I still have a bit of unilateral posterior crossbite on the left side so I think I'll have braces for at least another 6 months.

[kimnmoody]

Survenant - I don't know if you're op was in the UK with the NHS like mine but are you expecting to pay for your gum contouring? Do you think we would have to wait for our braces to be off?

[survenant]

No, I'm in Canada, we have a free healthcare system, so I didn't have to pay for my surgery (yay) but dental care is usually not covered. I think I'll have to pay for gum contouring. It's no big deal, I can't imagine it costing more than 500$, right?

[kimnmoody]

Probably not. Over here I think it costs around £120 per tooth.

[Alicia110613]

Hi guys,

Any of you still have some swelling in your gum, near the surgical site?

My outer appearance/face is swollen at all now (i.e. at 2 months), but I notice the gum around one of my back molar is still quite abnormally large and it grows into the bracket. Certain parts of it also hurt if I touch it. It doesn't affect anything except I was wondering how that bracket can ever be removed since there's not much space there whatsoever...

[survenant]

In my case there is now swelling left in the gums as far as I can tell.

My only problems so far is my left side posterior crossbite that I hope will get fixed soon and the fact that I still have some chin/lower jaw asymmetry. I think, the crossbite worsens the jaw asymmetry, time will tell.

Just to clarify, my asymmetry is much much lower than it used to be, so even if it stays it's not so bad.

[kimnmoody]

Do you have an ortho appointment any time soon Alicia? I'd recommend showing your ortho. I had a similar experience and it turned out to be a small infection under the bracket causing the swelling. He gave me antiseptic mouthwash and I used one of those tiny braces brushes to clean right around the tooth and under the gum. It was nothing to worry about just a bit gross.

I still see a little swelling around my nose but not much. My surgeon said because my top jaw has been brought forward my face might be a bit flat so he could put cheek implants in if I wanted. That can't happen for another 6 months though until my face has completely settled/recovered.

[Alicia110613]

Hmm I guess everyone is having different problems. My ortho appt is still 3 wks away, but will make sure to ask! The swelling was there since the surgery and it's gotten better significantly though since a month ago - but just going away too slowly and I'm concerned about how they can remove the bracket on that tooth if it doesn't get better soon.

Thanks for sharing your experiences!

[survenant]

Well good news, I met my orthodonist this thursday and he said that the posterior open bite on the left side is easy to fix at this point.

Bad news, I need to wear elastics 6-7 top to 6-7 bottom. They are really hard to put in place plus they tend to break easily when I eat a snack.

I guess I have at least 4 more months of braces.

[riley3245]

Hey everyone. Hope everyone is doing well. I have been busy studying for the bar, but I have a small problem I peas hoping you guys could help me with.

It has been 2 months since my upper jaw advancement and when I bite down I can see my upper teeth move up and down about .5mm. I went to my ortho because my bottom front teeth were hitting the back of my top teeth and pushing them out when I bite. I got rubber bands on now that have fixed this problem, but my left side touches my upper teeth just a hair before my right and my teeth can be seen moving up when i bite.

Does anyone else have this problem. Is it just normal loose teeth because of the braces or is the bone still soft and healing? It doesn't hurt. Just worried about my upper jaw.

[riley3245]

By the way. 99% of my feeling is back. No pain and eating normal (for the most part).

[survenant]

@Riley

Same for me, I can eat pretty much everything I want except food that I cannot eat because of the braces. No pain, maybe 10% numbness in my chin, no numbness elsewhere.

[kimnmoody]

Riley - I noticed a little wobbling on my right side and I think it's just looser with the braces pulling the teeth into position. I have bands on too. That was a couple of weeks ago and they've settled and become more rigid now. Hopefully yours will soon too but if you're still worried by the time you have your next ortho appt, mention it and he'll let you know if it's to be expected.