Hi everyone, I had lower jaw surgery to move my jaw forward and also had a setback genioplasty to move my chin back. I am almost 6 months post-op. One of my biggest issues right now is I feel incredibly tight in my lower lip and chin. I can feel my lower lip/chin at all times, I am constantly conscious of it. I feel a pulling sensation downwards whenever I speak and this is amplified by when I pronounce certain words. Talking is very uncomfortable. Please let me know if anyone else is currently experiencing this and how they are going about resolving it? I can not redesign my life to live with this feeling every-time I speak. This whole surgery has been a disaster, I don't like how I look, it completely ruined the contour of my neck etc, but if I can fix this tightness, at least most of my issues will be cosmetic as oppose to functional.
Please help
Unbearable tightness in chin
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CandyApple
- Posts: 65
- Joined: Thu Dec 10, 2015 6:56 pm
Re: Unbearable tightness in chin
I have this also but in my lower lip mostly. The chin doesnt bother me as much. I have a burning lower lip when I eat or talk. I am 13 months post op 6mm lower jaw advancement. The only thing so far to stop the tightness or help it was baclofen. I may even have to get a neurectomy to stop the burning or a spinal cord stimulator because my pain is chronic now.
Re: Unbearable tightness in chin
I am 14 months post op from a sagittal split osteotomy and sliding genioplasty. I also have tightness in my chin area. It feels like everything has been sewn together, but I also have scar bands that go from my lip to my gums. I went to a well-known plastic surgeon to get his take on the situation. Basically he thinks that my tightness is from my muscle and scar tissue attaching to the bone. I had thought it was the scar bands that were causing the tightness. He did not feel revision surgery would be a good idea but instead felt that fat grafts would be a good choice. Fat grafting is when they take fat from your body and inject it into certain areas. The fat gets grafted between the bone and muscle so he felt if he did that the scar and muscle would release from the bone. I would do it if it weren't so expensive. Maybe sometime down the road.
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Smurfy1975
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Sun Feb 21, 2010 6:18 pm
Re: Unbearable tightness in chin
Hi, I am sorry you are having this issue. I am 9 years post-op and have permanent nerve damage from the genioplasty. If I had known, I still would have done the BSSO but wouldn't have done genioplasty. I can live with it (well. I don't have a choice really) but it's unpleasant. My chin (from the corners of my lower lip downwards) and my lower lip feel strange and tingly. Very unpleasant to the touch. The area gets very tight when it's cold or wind hits it. Candyapple, did you have any luck with any treatment?
Re: Unbearable tightness in chin
This is shocking. I am going to see an orthodontist at the maxillofacial department tomorrow to discuss options to fix my recessed chin. One of the options I have in mind is a genioplasty but if this kind of nerve damage is quite common then I don't want to risk it.
Re: Unbearable tightness in chin
[quote="Sara123456789"]Hi everyone, I had lower jaw surgery to move my jaw forward and also had a setback genioplasty to move my chin back. I am almost 6 months post-op. One of my biggest issues right now is I feel incredibly tight in my lower lip and chin. I can feel my lower lip/chin at all times, I am constantly conscious of it. I feel a pulling sensation downwards whenever I speak and this is amplified by when I pronounce certain words. Talking is very uncomfortable. Please let me know if anyone else is currently experiencing this and how they are going about resolving it? I can not redesign my life to live with this feeling every-time I speak. This whole surgery has been a disaster, I don't like how I look, it completely ruined the contour of my neck etc, but if I can fix this tightness, at least most of my issues will be cosmetic as oppose to functional.
Please help[/quote]
I think its normal to feel tightness. When your lower jaw is moved forward naturally the skin surrounding the chin and lips are going to be stretched along with the nerves and whatever else that's there. The tightness will probably go away over time. I think its part of what is considered 'swelling' which I was told takes about an year to fully heal. No need to worry.
Please help[/quote]
I think its normal to feel tightness. When your lower jaw is moved forward naturally the skin surrounding the chin and lips are going to be stretched along with the nerves and whatever else that's there. The tightness will probably go away over time. I think its part of what is considered 'swelling' which I was told takes about an year to fully heal. No need to worry.
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Sara123456789
- Posts: 78
- Joined: Mon Oct 16, 2017 8:41 pm
Re: Unbearable tightness in chin
Thanks for your replies. The tightness doesn't just feel like normal muscle tightness. It limits my lower lip mobility and makes speaking feel uncomfortable. For example when I say "oo" or pucker my lips it feels like an elastic band that has been stretched. Same feeling when I move my lower lip in any direction to talk (except down, for some reason downward movements feel normal). For example, when I open my mouth to yawn everything feels find, no stretch and I can open wide, but when I go to close my lips about 2cm from closing I feel resistance and strain. Is this similar to how you all feel?
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CloudyAngel
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Wed Jun 27, 2018 4:42 pm
Re: Unbearable tightness in chin
I have the same issue with tightness in the chin and lower lip issues. Did you all have any progress addressing this ? Right now, it looks like I have scar tissue that needs to be resected, and I may have a chin plate removed along with 3 screws in my chin - but that’s all under consideration- nothing final. Sara - you and I have the same description of problems.
Re: Unbearable tightness in chin
I am 6 weeks post OP and had my lower jaw moved forward by 1cm. It feels super tight in the chin area ever since I got back sensation. I hope it will become more flexible over time.
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kplatt2010
- Posts: 260
- Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2018 6:26 am
Re: Unbearable tightness in chin
Hello All,
I'm officially one year post-op tomorrow from double jaw surgery. I have had tightness too which I relate to the surgery and scar tissue. Of note; the tightness got REALLY bad and painful when I stopped doing the tongue depressor exercises. I had stopped doing it because my puppy had gotten a hold of them and I threw them out LOL!! When I stopped doing the exercises, I started having problems eating again (serious pain and popping) and my braces treatment was not going anywhere. I believe my jaw was retracting back with scar tissue formation. In any case, started back up and doing better. My oral surgeon had set a goal of 24 of those bad boys and I'm up to ~20 to 21. It does tighten back up though within hours so I have to stay on top of it.
I was supposed to get my braces off six months ago but have been kind of stuck in getting teeth to move. I again relate it to the scar tissue and am working hard with the tongue depressor exercises/ manual jaw stretches to break that scar tissue up. Now if I could only get these bottom teeth to rotate out and get these braces off...
Karla
I'm officially one year post-op tomorrow from double jaw surgery. I have had tightness too which I relate to the surgery and scar tissue. Of note; the tightness got REALLY bad and painful when I stopped doing the tongue depressor exercises. I had stopped doing it because my puppy had gotten a hold of them and I threw them out LOL!! When I stopped doing the exercises, I started having problems eating again (serious pain and popping) and my braces treatment was not going anywhere. I believe my jaw was retracting back with scar tissue formation. In any case, started back up and doing better. My oral surgeon had set a goal of 24 of those bad boys and I'm up to ~20 to 21. It does tighten back up though within hours so I have to stay on top of it.
I was supposed to get my braces off six months ago but have been kind of stuck in getting teeth to move. I again relate it to the scar tissue and am working hard with the tongue depressor exercises/ manual jaw stretches to break that scar tissue up. Now if I could only get these bottom teeth to rotate out and get these braces off...
Karla
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CloudyAngel
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Wed Jun 27, 2018 4:42 pm
Re: Unbearable tightness in chin
Yes, I have been doing the tongue depressor exercises as well that I learned about from this board a while ago. And I have the same problem in that my jaw retracts back usually within 24 hours. However, I have noticed that I need to stretch like for about 12 minutes to keep it from retracting soon. So, I am not how much long you stretch. I am UP to 20 as well. It is very difficult....
I am having surgery on Tuesday - I will let you know how it goes...
I am having surgery on Tuesday - I will let you know how it goes...
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Sara123456789
- Posts: 78
- Joined: Mon Oct 16, 2017 8:41 pm
Re: Unbearable tightness in chin
Hi Cloudy Angel,
Can you please update once and if you have had the hardware removal surgery? Unfortunately this issue very much still remains for me (I still experience extreme pain and discomfort when I move my lower lip to talk/chew.) I am very depressed and cannot imagine a happy future should this issue persist. I had no functional issues prior to surgery but was talked into this surgery by my orthodontist who at our first consult took all these pictures of my face and pointed out these supposed flaws with my face. IMO I looked much better before so this surgery has been an all around disaster. I was very ill-informed of the risks. I meet with another surgery at the university hospital I had this surgery done next month and I am going to push for hardware removal (at least of my chin) to see if it can fix this issue. Please update me.
My surgery was done in Ontario, Canada at University Hospital by Dr. Joe Armstrong. He has been terrible through this entire process and I would not recommend him to my worst enemy. Very rude, very unethical, and fabricated his clinical notes saying I was thrilled with my outcome. He completely abandoned me as a patient for no reason, so now I am left on my own trying to figure out what I can do to fix his errors.
If anyone can provide any insight, please do. I'm seriously getting very depressed over this.
Can you please update once and if you have had the hardware removal surgery? Unfortunately this issue very much still remains for me (I still experience extreme pain and discomfort when I move my lower lip to talk/chew.) I am very depressed and cannot imagine a happy future should this issue persist. I had no functional issues prior to surgery but was talked into this surgery by my orthodontist who at our first consult took all these pictures of my face and pointed out these supposed flaws with my face. IMO I looked much better before so this surgery has been an all around disaster. I was very ill-informed of the risks. I meet with another surgery at the university hospital I had this surgery done next month and I am going to push for hardware removal (at least of my chin) to see if it can fix this issue. Please update me.
My surgery was done in Ontario, Canada at University Hospital by Dr. Joe Armstrong. He has been terrible through this entire process and I would not recommend him to my worst enemy. Very rude, very unethical, and fabricated his clinical notes saying I was thrilled with my outcome. He completely abandoned me as a patient for no reason, so now I am left on my own trying to figure out what I can do to fix his errors.
If anyone can provide any insight, please do. I'm seriously getting very depressed over this.
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kplatt2010
- Posts: 260
- Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2018 6:26 am
Re: Unbearable tightness in chin
Hi Sara,
I'm sorry to hear that you are going through these post-op challenges. Can I kindly inquire if the surgeon has you doing post-op tongue depressor exercises? Basically this is wear you slowly stack up tongue depressors and widen your bite manually. I started having serious pain with opening jaw and eating at about ~7 months. However; I had thrown away my tongue depressors because my puppy had gotten ahold of them. Once I had my ahha moment, I went out to Michael's and purchased more; they had two different sizes. I got them both and now use the bigger ones. My oral surgeon had told me the goal was to get 24 in for 30 minutes. I've finally achieved the goal but still have to stretch it back out each time I do the exercises - usually in morning and late at night.
I think because I had the braces and was wearing elastics to work on bite, this contributed to the retracting and build up of scar tissue. I'll tell you it's quite painful to do but so much better since I got back into doing it again.
If you've already been doing the exercises and scar tissue is not your issue, you should go back and get evaluated to make sure you don't have loose hardware or an infection. I'm told that if your hardware is loose and coming apart, usually first sign is infection. That does not mean that you may not have an issue though.
I wish you the best in dealing with this. It is extremely frustrating when things don't turn out the way you expect. I'm still in braces 13 months post-op and have definitely had some post-op challenges.
I'm sorry to hear that you are going through these post-op challenges. Can I kindly inquire if the surgeon has you doing post-op tongue depressor exercises? Basically this is wear you slowly stack up tongue depressors and widen your bite manually. I started having serious pain with opening jaw and eating at about ~7 months. However; I had thrown away my tongue depressors because my puppy had gotten ahold of them. Once I had my ahha moment, I went out to Michael's and purchased more; they had two different sizes. I got them both and now use the bigger ones. My oral surgeon had told me the goal was to get 24 in for 30 minutes. I've finally achieved the goal but still have to stretch it back out each time I do the exercises - usually in morning and late at night.
I think because I had the braces and was wearing elastics to work on bite, this contributed to the retracting and build up of scar tissue. I'll tell you it's quite painful to do but so much better since I got back into doing it again.
If you've already been doing the exercises and scar tissue is not your issue, you should go back and get evaluated to make sure you don't have loose hardware or an infection. I'm told that if your hardware is loose and coming apart, usually first sign is infection. That does not mean that you may not have an issue though.
I wish you the best in dealing with this. It is extremely frustrating when things don't turn out the way you expect. I'm still in braces 13 months post-op and have definitely had some post-op challenges.
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Sara123456789
- Posts: 78
- Joined: Mon Oct 16, 2017 8:41 pm
Re: Unbearable tightness in chin
Thanks, I am doing exercises but opening is not my issue. I can open my mouth very wide. Its localized tightness/stiffness in my lower lip and chi that builds up when I speak making it extremely uncomfortable.
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kplatt2010
- Posts: 260
- Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2018 6:26 am
Re: Unbearable tightness in chin
Hi Sara,
There are a lot of posts that talk about hardware removal; however, navigating and finding them is challenging. To find them perhaps; go in the back door by googling hardware removal archwired to see what filters.
Two other thoughts that came to my mind last night that I thought were worth sharing with you.
1. When my surgeon was discussing the process; he stated the standard of care in Europe is to remove hardware in a year. The standard of care in the US is to leave it in unless there are issues. Perhaps google for valid reports /research articles to pull the thread on why Europe has a different standard of care. A valid search tool for finding these articles is PubMed.
2. My Mom use to work in medical records at a hospital and noticed there were a lot of folks that come back to have hardware removed for pain. She was interested because she had hardware in her foot that has limited her range of motion and caused her a lot of pain. The window for removing it; ideally, would be sooner rather than later I would imagine. You would want to have at least a year to have the new bone growth to provide support to jaw but you would not want to wait ~5 to 10 years because then you've got scar tissue and bone growth and / or scar tissue around the hardware.
Whomever you consult, make sure they have a good reputation and make sure the hospital where you have it done has a good reputation. My experience was very scary in the hospital where I had my jaw surgery performed and I felt very unsafe - I'm a nurse too!! After the fact; I looked them up at https://www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare/search.html? (site uses CMS data for complications that hospitals must report) and they got one star and with safety rating listed of "below the national average".
I think my second thought, might be the foot to get you in the door, exploring the option of having hardware removed due to ongoing pain and stiffness. That is if every other complication has been ruled out I would imagine.
There are a lot of posts that talk about hardware removal; however, navigating and finding them is challenging. To find them perhaps; go in the back door by googling hardware removal archwired to see what filters.
Two other thoughts that came to my mind last night that I thought were worth sharing with you.
1. When my surgeon was discussing the process; he stated the standard of care in Europe is to remove hardware in a year. The standard of care in the US is to leave it in unless there are issues. Perhaps google for valid reports /research articles to pull the thread on why Europe has a different standard of care. A valid search tool for finding these articles is PubMed.
2. My Mom use to work in medical records at a hospital and noticed there were a lot of folks that come back to have hardware removed for pain. She was interested because she had hardware in her foot that has limited her range of motion and caused her a lot of pain. The window for removing it; ideally, would be sooner rather than later I would imagine. You would want to have at least a year to have the new bone growth to provide support to jaw but you would not want to wait ~5 to 10 years because then you've got scar tissue and bone growth and / or scar tissue around the hardware.
Whomever you consult, make sure they have a good reputation and make sure the hospital where you have it done has a good reputation. My experience was very scary in the hospital where I had my jaw surgery performed and I felt very unsafe - I'm a nurse too!! After the fact; I looked them up at https://www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare/search.html? (site uses CMS data for complications that hospitals must report) and they got one star and with safety rating listed of "below the national average".
I think my second thought, might be the foot to get you in the door, exploring the option of having hardware removed due to ongoing pain and stiffness. That is if every other complication has been ruled out I would imagine.