Hi everyone! I just had double jaw surgery on July 13th and discovered this site a few days into recovery, though I wished I found it before my surgery! It has been really helpful, so I thought I should share my story, in case it helps out others.
I'm 19 and I've had a misaligned jaw for pretty much my entire life. My upper and lower jaw are rotated slightly away from each, if that makes sense, so most of my teeth did not touch. I looked like I had an under bite, but it was rather complicated so my surgeon just generally called it a malocclusion. Either way, I often had trouble chewing and I ate a lot slower than most people around me. I also had some jaw pain and clicking from time to time and the occasional speech-fumbling, since my tongue pressed against my teeth more on one side.
I got braces in July 2008, and prepared for the surgery for two years. I also had two wisdom teeth removed in August 2009. My braces, wisdom teeth removal, and my surgery were done by the VCU School of Dentistry and VCU Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. I love the people there, they're friendly and always willing to help.
The exact procedures I had were:
-Bilateral sagital split osteotomy (BSSO) on my right lower jaw
-Intraoral vertical ramus osteotomy (IVRO) on my left lower jaw
-Le Fort I on my upper jaw
-Genioplasty
My lower jaw was moved 10mm to the left and back a little bit, my upper jaw was moved a few mm to the right. My chin was also moved 5mm to the left, "to complete the look" as my surgeon put it. I have two titanium plates on either side of my nose, they make outward L shapes. I also have another titanium plate on my lower right jaw and a plate of sorts for my chin.
As for insurance, I have Aetna through my university and it covered most of the surgery costs. I had Medicaid when I was a bit younger and it covered the cost of my braces.
The surgery started around 10AM and I got back to my patient room around 7PM, so the surgery probably took around 8 hours. I stayed the rest of the night and the next morning the hospital.
The first 5 days, as for most people, were pretty awful for me. Lots of swelling, drooling, and I was pretty dazed and tired, but thankfully I had tolerable pain and no vomiting. I started feeling much better day 6 and on. My teeth are going to banded shut for another 4 weeks, and I also have a bite mold/splint thing, so I have to stick to liquids for awhile longer. I've been drinking mostly Ensure and vanilla and peanut buttter milkshakes fortified with Special K Protein Shakes. I also drink pho soup broth (I miss eating Vietnamese food...) when I crave something salty.
So far, I've been feeling great. I had a follow-up Friday and everything seems to be healing just fine. However, I do find that if I do moderately tiring errands and house chores (which I shouldn't be anyway), I get headaches. So I would recommend that people recovering from jaw surgery try to resist the urge to do too much work. Also, drink lots of water and try to get fiber into your diet the first couple weeks, it helps your digestive system adjust the liquid diet better.
My swelling has gone down a lot, but I still have swelling between my chin and neck and on the right side of my face (which had a lot more work done). That swelling should linger for another 2 months or so. I found that applying moist heat periodically throughout the day can help with lingering pain and swelling.
As for numbness, I've regained most of the feeling in my face, so there aren't any areas where I;m totally numb. There's a bit of lingering numbness around my chin and lips, which isn't too bad. I can at least drink from a cup now, albeit slowly.
I can't really talk very well, so I've been using a dry erase board. I start school in 3 1/2 weeks, so hopefully my talking will improve.
Anyway, that was a rather long post. For anyone considering jaw surgery, I would recommend it! You may feel anxious and worried, but the whole ordeal has been surprisingly manageable so far. Just find doctors you're comfortable with, know what you want and what you're getting into, and take it easy post-surgery. It'll all be worth it!
I hope this post helps some of you out. Thanks to all the other people who have posted their stories (and Brandon for starting this site in the first place)!
