After Jaw Surgery – 1 and a half years later!

by Brandon on April 30, 2009 · 77 comments

in Jaw Surgery Video Log

Tagged as: , , , ,

{ 77 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Kelly Vivian June 27, 2010 at 11:47 pm

Brandon,

Great blog I love it..many dentists have told me I have a bad underbite and need surgery and im scared. We have started the process and am waiting for INVISILIGN models to be made (braces you cant see) and my dentist is a good friend of mine Doctor Clint Herzog..I have a consultation with the oral surgeon he referred us to on wednesday..and idea what to ask?

B. Can you give me a schedule of the day of surgery best you can remember..time, things you had to do…etc

Thanks!

2 Brandon June 28, 2010 at 6:15 pm

Kelly,

Thanks!

Definitely talk to him about getting Invisalign, because for jaw surgery, they need actual metal braces to keep everything in place, so he may recommend those after or in place of Invisalign.

Other than that, the major things to ask are if you’ll need one jaw moved, or both, and approximately how far in mm you’ll need to move everything, just to get an idea of the severity of the case, which can give you a better idea of recovery time, etc.

Just for reference, I had a total move of about 11mm, which is relatively high, but everything still went great, and I couldn’t be happier that I did it.

As you’ll see on the forums ( http://www.jawsurgeryblog.com/forums/ ) many people are terrified before surgery, including myself, then realize it wasn’t really that big of a deal when it’s all over.

I hope that helps, and if you have any other questions, come join us on the forums where there’s tons of different perspectives from other past, present, and future jaw surgery patients too.

Thanks again,
Brandon

3 Harlene Ekiert July 10, 2010 at 7:01 am

Great blog I love it..many dentists have told me I have a bad underbite and need surgery and im scared. We have started the process and am waiting for INVISILIGN models to be made (braces you cant see) and my dentist is a good friend of mine Doctor Clint Herzog..I have a consultation with the oral surgeon he referred us to on wednesday..and idea what to ask?
+1

4 Mikael July 18, 2010 at 2:07 am

Hey Brandon!

Greeting from Singapore! Looking good matey! I am going to under go the surgery this coming tuesday, 20th July 2010! nervous and a bit scared, but happy at the same time. I just wanna get this done as quick as possible. Amazing job with the blogs and video! :)

Best Regrads,

Mikael

5 Brandon July 18, 2010 at 8:31 am

@Harlene: For some reason, your comment landed in the spam folder, so I didn’t see it until now, but I hope your consultation went well.

Let us know what you found out on the forums: http://www.jawsurgeryblog.com/forums/

@Mikael: Thanks, and best of luck with your surgery in two days!

Let us know how it goes on the forums too: http://www.jawsurgeryblog.com/forums/

6 Mikael July 22, 2010 at 9:25 pm

Hey Brandon and fellow jaw surgery patients!

This is my 3rd day post surgery, dislike the numbness on my lower lip and chin and the swelling of course, aside of that, been trying to get used to drinking with syringe (milk, soup, “yuckies” Antibiotics and vitamin C mostly) LOL. not having fun so far, but i know it will worth it in the coming weeks. been trying to walk as much as i can to increase the blood flow to fasten up the healing process (According to my surgeon). while for the mean times I am just trying to move around the house, watching DVDs and TV, listening to music, surfing the internet and playing games. :)

7 Connie September 10, 2010 at 11:09 am

Hey, have been looking for reviews of people who know about this, and after bbrowsing the search engines, I came to your article, and it islovely write up. Too bad I took all these days getting to your site. Saved you in my bookmarks already. I shall return pretty soon. Just keep on writing your blog will get really popular.

8 Mike January 17, 2011 at 11:00 am

Hey Brandon,

Thanks for the great story. I am just starting to get everything in place for my surgery. I actually just saw my surgeon this morning to get everything in place. I have to see him again on Thursday. I am sooo nervous for this. I have to have my jaw wired shut for about 45 days (6 1/2 weeks), thats what they are estimating it to be right now anyways.

Thanks for all the information.
Congrats.

9 Brandon January 17, 2011 at 5:41 pm

Thanks Mike, it can seem really intimidating at first, but as long as you are comfortable with and trust in your surgeon and orthodontist and follow their directions, everything should go fine and it will all be over before you know it.

The forums are a great place to hang out and get some of your early anxiety and questions answered too, hope to see you there:

http://www.jawsurgeryblog.com/forums/

10 LaJeanna January 31, 2011 at 12:03 am

Hey Brandon,

Your story is very interesting, and I’m sure your blogs helps many people any takes off some of the pressure and anxiety about having jaw surgery. Your jaw surgery helped you tremendously. What are some of the drawbacks of your jaw surgery?

11 Brandon January 31, 2011 at 3:20 pm

Hey LJ,

Thanks! For me, I can’t think of a single drawback. The entire process was great, and the benefits have been amazing!

Thanks again,
Brandon

12 Terra February 16, 2011 at 12:55 am

Your site is awesome, what a great help for those of us in the early process. It makes it all a lot less scary. I first had the option to get surgery about 9 years ago, but I was too scared and back then there wasn’t really anything online that had to do with peoples experiences. Tomorrow is my first appointment and thanks to your site and other websites devoted to these issues, I’m not nervous at all :)

13 Brandon February 16, 2011 at 11:04 am

Thanks Terra, and best of luck to you throughout the whole process!

Hope to see you on the forums too with your updates and/or questions:

http://www.jawsurgeryblog.com/forums/

14 Josh March 7, 2011 at 11:06 am

Hi Brandon, my name is josh and I am a college freshmen in Indiana. I am 19 and I have been told I have to get jaw surgery because, much like you, my teeth only actually meet in a couple places. I was told I need surgery over a year ago, but I have been too scared to continue with the process of getting things ready for the surgery. I was wondering how long you had to have your mouth wired shut and how long did it take for you to actually be back to normal completely. I really appreciate this site and all your help

15 Brandon March 8, 2011 at 9:55 am

Hi Josh, sounds a lot like me in that I waited a while too after first looking into it, but I know for me I wish I had just done it and gotten it over with. I can’t complain though because everything worked out perfectly, and I was wired shut for 5 weeks. For things to get back to almost normal was about 6 months, then the last 5-10% of completely normal was a little over a year. Seems like a long time but looking back only a few years later now, it was a very small price to pay for my new bite.

16 holly April 19, 2011 at 3:31 am

Hi Brandon,

First of all I think your videos are amazing!
What a great idea, I’m due to have surgery around October time, for my off centre jaw and the over bite of the lower, as much as I can’t wait to have it done I’m a little nervous, I mean It’s major surgery, but watching your videos has really helped me get over those fears. Im 21 and iv had my braces on for nearly six years now, can’t wait till its all over :D
You look great and your teeth are amazing.
Holly x

17 Brandon April 25, 2011 at 9:14 am

Thanks Holly! Best of luck with everything, keep us updated on the forums as well as posting any questions and comments you have here:

http://www.jawsurgeryblog.com/forums/

18 Amelia June 22, 2011 at 11:03 pm

im getting surgery in less then a week i feel kindah nervous as everyone else i have some health issues but they wont get in the way i mean your not a doctor but these blogs help alot really. i was just going to get lower jaw surgery now im getting top and bottom and i dont know if i will look good with my top jaw moved to the front the pictures i seen that my surgeron has done are great but everyone is different its not something easy to live with you known this. i hear the only risk is the nerv but this being blind risk!!! is crazy

19 Brandon June 23, 2011 at 7:59 am

That’s the first I’ve heard of the being blind risk, but as with any surgery, there are several risks, though most are rare. As long as you are confident and comfortable with your doctor and team and follow their guidelines, you should be fine, and good luck with everything!

Let us know how it turns out on the forums http://www.jawsurgeryblog.com/forums/

20 sandra October 1, 2011 at 12:39 am

wow i am 12 years old and I have to get that done but it is all up to me just went for the consltation today yay and it had a video and i heard you get stiches in the mouth. :( i don’t think i wanna get this done but i think i will at the same time.

21 John October 22, 2011 at 8:38 pm

I’m wondering if anyone can answer this question for me.
I was meant to have this kind of surgery back when i was 18-19. I decided against in the end, my jaw doesn’t protrude extremely. Theres about a 3-4 mm gap between my front and lower teeth.
Anyway, my question was, would this surgery leave the jaw in a permanently weakened condition afterwards?
I train in MMA, a combat sport. If i was ever to decide to have this procedure, would it be the end of combat sports for me?
Like, would i end up with a ‘glass chin?’
Thanks for any advice.
Peace!

22 Linda jones November 30, 2011 at 9:25 am

Hey im just wondering if after jaw surgery do you need to be premedicated to go to the dentist? ….. Because of the metal in your mouth….. Thanks erika

23 Brandon December 2, 2011 at 12:51 pm

Just let your dentist know ahead of time and your surgeon, as you may be able to schedule your dental appointment around your surgery, either before or a few months after, because it’s going to be tough to get anything done soon after the surgery.

Some others on the forums may have more experience with this situation so definitely try asking there too:

http://www.jawsurgeryblog.com/forums/

24 christine December 13, 2011 at 1:02 pm

hai brandon,, i am getting my braces next year to start this process,, ihow long did you stay with braces before doing your surgery ???thanks

25 Brandon December 18, 2011 at 10:13 am

Every case is very different Christine, but I personally had braces on for about a year before surgery and another year after surgery. You can get a lot more answers from different patients that may be more similar to your case here:

http://www.jawsurgeryblog.com/forums/

26 Christina January 14, 2012 at 8:29 pm

Wow! what a great blog you’ve created. Im having my jaw surgery in a week. I can’t believe its about to happen. Im scared and excited all at the same time. On a whim I googled jaw surgery and found your blog. Im feeling a lot better about things now. Thank you so much for posting your journey. Your very brave to have done this blog. Ill be back to check it out with my sibilings. They don’t quite know whats about to happen and I think this will help show them. Thank you again.

27 Brandon January 16, 2012 at 10:19 am

Thanks so much Christina, and yes we can all relate to that excited/nervous feeling! Best of luck with your surgery and definitely let us know how it goes on the forums here:

http://www.jawsurgeryblog.com/forums/

Leave a Comment