I regret having jaw surgery 3 years ago (AMA)

[2012surgery]

I had jaw surgery 3 years ago to correct my very large open bite and mobility issues with my jaw. I hated my open bite and the way it made me eat and talk, and how it affected my appearance. The open bite happened to me suddenly in my early 20s, still no one knows why.

I got a bunch of opinions from different doctors before during the surgery, since it made me very nervous. I settled on Arnett & Gunson as they were the best.


They were very professional and eased my concerns. They seemed confident that I would have a good outcome. However, 3 years later, my open bite has relapsed (though it's not nearly as bad as before) and I have so much numbness in my face around my mouth, that I still have trouble speaking and fully moving my lips. I have so many strange, distracting sensations around the dead nerves. However, at this point the numbness has not really changed and so Dr. Gunson feels that there is very little likelihood I will get any more feeling back.

The numbness and relapsed open bite are what disappoint me the most, but I also regret the enormous expense, and the way my face has changed. Dr. Gunson did warn me that I would have to get used to a new face, but I just find that that's been a lot more difficult than I anticipated, even 3 years later. My new face does not look bad, but it just doesn't look like myself.


I wish there was more Dr. Gunson or my orthodontist could do about my bite relapsing, but no one seems to be able to give me a good solution. They've started talking a lot about how I'm doing it myself with my tongue positioning, and I try all the time to make sure I'm doing the "correct" positioning, but honestly I just don't know what more I can do; I can't change what my tongue does while I'm sleeping.


This is a really upsetting topic for me and it's difficult for me to talk about, but I wanted to share my experience for everyone else. If anyone has any constructive advice it would be appreciated. Also feel free to ask me anything.

[samoorelaw]

So sorry you're going through this. I too am experiencing relapse less than two months after I got my braces removed, but mine is a posterior open bite, and I didn't even have this problem prior to braces and upper jaw surgery!

I don't know what to do about it either and I'm even considering possibly suing my ortho, whom I believe took my braces off too early.

I hope someone here can chine in to offer advice to both of us. It seems like when I post on the main board with my questions, no one responds and it hurts.

[Leias]

I don't have much advice to offer other than it may be worth seeing a speech therapist for help with speech and mouth movement. Without full feeling, it may be difficult to regain full function but a speech therapist may be able to help. Also if you haven't gone for an opinion with another orthodontist, it can't hurt to try. Finally, I would personally consider counseling. Even a surgery with perfect results is emotionally draining. With the additional issues, it may be worth it to both of you to talk to someone to help you work through the emotions and develop some coping strategies.

I had my second jaw surgery a couple months ago but my case is a different. My first surgery was a fracture due to injury... Softball to the face. This most recent surgery was to correct everything many years later. I still have a lot of numbness but I'm sure it is far more frustrating after a long time and the relapse.

Best wishes to both of you and hope you find some resolution or if not at least some peace. Sorry I can't be more helpful.

[Mark11]

The numbness comes from the nerve being severely affected and unfortunately if it didn't recover by now, it may never will, like your doctor said.
As for relapsing, did you wore braces after surgery, did your doctor give you any options?
I am curious because I will go through two similar surgeries and I want to know everything about them and the fact that it can relapse scares me a little.

[sleeplessfromosa]

Dear 2012surgery,

You might benefit from myofuntional therapy in correcting your tongue posture. Approach the lady who established the Academy of Myofunctional Therapy(AOMT) for a referral and free Skype evaluation. I am 3 months into my treatment which lasts for a year and am seeing benefits in my head/facial posture. I had my tongue-tie release through a simple frenectomy procedure.


http://aomtinfo.org/about/joy-moeller

Here's my story:
- 33 years,Male,Engineer
- Diagnosed with severe OSA at 28 years. Airway is only 3mm. Supported by a AutoPAP machine
- Undergoing orthodontic treatment without surgery for palatal expansion and moving mandible forward.
- 4 years into ortho treatment, my maxilla has expanded to accommodate my tongue
- *Next phase of treatment is to fix occlusion and train mandible in a more forward placing posture to increase aiway. If this fails, I have no recourse but surgery. In reality my case is more complex and i am on the edge my losing my calm. But at least i am not in any pain at this point despite having severe retrognathic jaw.

[balor124]

2012surgery, considering going the same route as you for my surgery. Looks like you have PMs disabled. Mind PMing me so I can ask you some questions? Thanks!

[ArtAndScience]

In my opinion, you had the best surgical group available, but there is so much more to our bodies than meets the eye. Are you being treated by a DO / DDS / OMT team in your recovery? Those who have been trained in Interface tend to understand what you are going through better than any other, and work more collaboratively, which tends to lessen the human fallibility factor. There is a course being offered September 2106 in Irvine, CA for physicians, and you might want to contact the course director (Dr. Eric Dolgin, DO, Santa Monica) to see who is available in your area. DO= Osteopath, OMT= Oral Myofunctional Therapist