u/InsuranceMuch7709 — reddlx

3 weeks post surgery

Background:

40 year old, bimaxillary surgery in Spain for functional bite issues 3 weeks ago. Braces for 1.5 years beforehand.

I had double jaw surgery and 2 wisdom teeth removed just over three weeks ago. Most of the swelling has gone apart from some localised areas. I have definetely lost volume in my face and people have commented that my bones are more prominent- I’ll focus on trying to gain some weight. I’ve only lost 1 kg so it’s crazy to see how much masseter and facial volume I lost in three weeks. I have numbness in the chin and the sensation is beginning to return to my lower lip,mainly on the left side. I have a tingling and burning sensation in my left lip and chin which is worse with stress and talking etc. I’ll be wearing elastics for four months and the main issue with them is that they keep breaking,but they’re not bothersome otherwise. The upper jaw splint was removed at just under the two week mark. I asked for the surgery to be conservative without altering my appearance as much as possible.

I’m eating soft foods for two weeks now and it’s definitely becoming a lot easier. My breathing is a lot better compared to pre op due to a small area of septum being shaved/removed.

I went back to exercising (CrossFit) 3 days ago and it went well. I was able to do the full sessions,while being sensible to not over do it. The trainers were quite cautious of course and I made sure to not forcibly close or grind my teeth. I went back for social reasons as much as for exercise.

One big concern is discolouration of my right incisor at the site if the osteomy,as in the picture . I’m seeing my orthodontist on Wednesday- hopefully the pulp /tooth isn’t irreversibly damaged,requiring a root canal etc. The tooth still has cold sensation ,so fingers crossed!!

I find I am more tired than usual but this is expected. Recovery is generally going well and I fly back to Spain in three weeks for the post op check up and physio. I’m hoping to have the braces off in 6 months time. A hair cut is needed asap!!!

u/InsuranceMuch7709 — 7 hours ago

▲ 11 r/jawsurgery

2 week update post DJS

Hi all,

I thought I would give an update and overview of my recovery process. I’m 40 and I had double jaw surgery and wisdom tooth extraction exactly 2 weeks ago in Spain. The surgery was for functional bite issues and was recommended by several surgeons and orthodontists.
I spent one night in hospital. I didn’t sleep very well the first night mainly as I felt a bit energetic and wired. When I woke up from surgery , it was fine and the pain and swelling wasn’t too bad.
As expected, swelling peaked at day 3/4/5 but was generally ok. There was some pain , especially in the mornings. I found I was more swollen with headaches in the morning but this passed after a couple of coffees.
I was generally able to maintain my calorie intake and have not lost any weight.
My nose bled/oozed for one day but has been fine since. My nose was not congested at all which was a relief. I could breathe better from day one as the surgeon fixed a septal defect.
I wore a splint in the upper jaw ,and that was removed 2 days ago. This was a relief and the headaches have stopped since.
After week one of recovery, the surgical hooks became one of the most annoying and irritating thing. They were all removed 2 days ago. I will wear elastics for four months.
I have been eating soft food since last week- it’s way easier since the splint was removed but it remains uncomfortable and sometimes messy.
My speech was really bad until the splint was removed but it’s now nearly normal. It can be tiring to talk but it’s improving. I went to a concert yesterday and stood for several hours and I felt fine afterwards.
I had the surgery in Spain and had no problems flying back to my country one week post surgery.
Overall, the swelling is significantly reduced and I’m starting to look back to normal. My chin area is numb,as is most of my lower lip. I’m noticing an improvement in the numbness,so hopefully I will recover full sensation again.
Things that really helped me, was using fortisips in the first week- I had 4 or 5 per day. I sometimes blended them into smoothies etc.
The cooling mask seems to have helped a lot. The clinic provided one for the first four days.
I’d say I had 2 or 3 days where I felt very fatigued and preferred to not do very much but this was to be expected.
Focusing on calorie and fluid intake really helped.
I walked a lot every day,probably sometimes too much, and this helped me feel fairly normal.Sometimes the numbness and tingling/burning sensation was definitely worse after spending the day outside.
I personally found a humidifier really helpful at night even though I wasn’t congested.
Overall, I’m pretty glad I went ahead with the procedure and can now work towards getting my braces off in the next few months.

reddit.com

u/InsuranceMuch7709 — 10 days ago

▲ 13 r/jawsurgery

Day four post DJS

Hi all,

I thought I’d give a day four update following my double jaw surgery. I’m 40 years old and had the surgery in Spain as the surgeon at home was not comfortable operating on my lower jaw due to the nerve position and the complexity of the wisdom tooth removal and my age etc. The movements are in the photos attached. I also had a lower wisdom tooth removed during the surgery and a septal defect was restored/straightened, which wasn’t planned.I’m delighted with the recovery so far- it has been much better than I was expecting. My energy levels are good, I can go for walks and I’m able to drink from cups/glasses. The pain and swelling are very manageable. I was most concerned about not being able to breathe well through my nose but that hasn’t been an issue at all. I’m using a cold face mask supplied by the surgeon and it seems to help. I’ve slept around 9 hours each night since I was discharged from the hospital. I have numbness in my chin area but I’m finding that I have tingling and itching sensations. Overall, it has been a very positive experience and onwards and upwards.

u/InsuranceMuch7709 — 22 days ago

▲ 9 r/jawsurgery

Double jaw surgery in 3 days time

I’m a 40 year old male in Ireland who was told by my orthodontist around 1.5 years ago that I needed jaw surgery to correct my bite. I am travelling to Spain for the surgery as the Irish surgeon said the surgery would be too risky for me, given my age. They were primarily concerned about permanent nerve damage. I have seen 2 Spanish surgeons and they were less concerned and felt I was a standard candidate for the surgery. I was basically told I would lose my teeth if I did not have the surgery and my TMJs were developing arthritis. I have a cross bite, type 2 occlusion and a canted jaw. My jaw and teeth/bite looked fine until around three years ago when my teeth started moving and my smile noticeably changed.

I have my pre surgical planning meeting this morning. My Maxilla will be brought forward and expanded ,and the lower jaw will be brought forward. I will wear a splint on the upper jaw for two weeks with elastics. I don’t need a genioplasty. I was concerned about my nose- the surgeon said any impact on the nose will be controlled for and my upper lip will be better supported, with an improved frontal profile. I’m generally hoping to fix my bite and get my facial profile back to what it was a couple of years ago,as per some photos I’ve attached.

I’ve rented an apartment just outside Barcelona for two weeks as I’ll need to stay in Spain for that period. I’ll send one night in hospital and will recover in the apartment. I don’t have a return flight home yet.

I’m hoping to get back to exercise as quickly as possible but I’ll have to be realistic depending on the swelling and my energy levels. I’m really going to try my best to not lose substantial amounts of weight.

I’ll post some follow up photos and updates of the recovery, post surgery on Thursday.

u/InsuranceMuch7709 — 1 month ago