6 months ago, on December 4th, 2018, I had surgery to correct my maxillary deficiency. I had double jaw surgery; my lower jaw was set back and my upper jaw was portioned into three parts and expanded, as well as advanced forward.
I know a lot of people struggle with post-surgical complications, but I can honestly say that my recovery process has been very smooth. I am fortunate to have had the procedure done by a world-class surgeon who was very understanding of this condition and how to properly correct it. I have been fortunate in not having to go back for a re-vision, no on-site infections, no bent surgical plates and no long-term nerve damage (from what I can tell so far).
I am still recovering from the surgery. Yes, recovery is an extraordinarily slow and difficult process. For the first three or so months, I could not feel my lower lip which made it difficult to kiss and eat. I would drool at random intervals. I had to be conscious of my lips drying out and food being stuck in my teeth and on my face. I could not feel the inside of my mouth at all, and I had random jolts of pain along my lower jaw gumline, my palate, my lips, and my chin amongst other things. Even now, parts of my chin are still completely numb and my jaw spasms at times when I eat, causing me to bite into my right lip.
The recovery process for this surgery is very slow and you will not notice much change for quite a while. Only when I go back and look at past written observations do I notice any significant changes. To this day, my lower lip has reduced feeling and my chin still feels bruised from the surgery. It can drive you crazy, but you get used to it after a while. You kinda forget how your face felt before surgery.
Was it worth it? Yes. When I was recovering I asked myself was it really worth going through all this to have the smile I wanted. Looking back, I don't think my underbite was that bad, but my mental space has improved a ton since the procedure. It's easy to look back and say it wasn't necessary, but I've been much happier with myself since the surgery.
I just wanted to share a brief follow-up. I have not been active on here in quite a while. I am still in braces, but am at the finishing stages now and hope to have them off before August. I started this process in April 2018 and had surgery 8 months late. Again, I'm very fortunate to be in this position now.
If anyone has any questions regarding surgery, any concerns or issues, please feel free to share. I have been through the hell before the surgery, the hell during the recovery process, and the hell that comes after
