It seems like this site/forum is mostly for orthognathic jaw surgery patients, but has anyone had TMJ problems? In January 2007, I had my four impacted wisdom teeth extracted while under IV sedation, and it is believed that the oral surgeon opened my mouth too wide, severely dislocating both of my TMJs. Since then, I've had four big surgeries and ten additional in-office procedures. All of my surgeries and almost all of my in-office procedures have been with a surgeon in NY (Dr. David Hoffman), so that's been quite a hike for my family because we're from the D.C. area. Now that I am old enough for the surgery, I am getting bilateral total joint replacement of my TMJs (jaw joints) on August 9th.
Even though I had a perfect, "just out of braces" bite before my TMJs were injured, I now have an underbite/crossbite without any of my teeth touching when I bite down. So, this surgery will also serve as a bite correction because my surgeon can align the prosthetic joints to give me a perfect bite (without having to do any orthognathic surgery). Do people notice a subtle or big change in your appearance after your bite correction surgeries (not counting the swelling)? Also, do people ever mistake bite corrections for cosmetic surgery?
Also, my jaw will be put in a maxillomandibular fixation for part of the surgery. I don't have braces/brackets to use for wiring, so screws with hooks for rubberbands are going to be put in my gums. My surgeon said the completely locked-shut fixation will be removed before I wake up, but depending on things, I might still have some screws and rubberbands in my mouth. I"m REALLY nervous about this because all of my other surgeries have only involved making incisions on the outside of my face. Has anyone ever had their jaw wired this way - with screws and rubberbands?
And finally, any suggestions on good post-op, nutritious foods (mushy and/or liquid)?
Thanks so much for the help. Happy jaw surgery, everyone!
