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Jaw Surgery Forums » Share Your Jaw Surgery Experience!

1. 

   gopangaea
   Member

   Hi everyone. So the attic I was standing in caved in while I was placing some items up there. I was bent over and fell directly on my mandible. My jaw saved my life, they say. Had I fallen on my head, I could easily be paralyzed or worse. My front left tooth went through my lower lip, making stitches inside and out. Also split my chin open with another 8 stitches. Worst is, I have smashed molars on both sides of my wired jaw. I'm wired quite tighly shut and there's no space so I have to somehow such the liquids through the teeth. I've been afraid to drink anything but the most thin and weakest of things because cleaning my mouth up will be very difficult if there are any little pieces. I am on day three of what the doctor said will be four weeks with my jaw wired shut. All support is wlecomed. I've read as much as I can on these subjects but have a few I can't find any answers about:

   1. How has anyone else dealt with the smashed teeth? Will the pain slowly go away before the wires are off or will I be looking forward to this codeine every four hours for four straight weeks?

   2. Does anyone have an alternative to the wax? I have to use so much of it and it's slow to put on and off... I'd love some sort of dental gel piece that would fit over the metal apparatus.

   Looking forward to interacting here.

   Posted 4 months ago #
2. 

   dinovecchione
   Member

   Wow! That sounds horrific! Much more traumatic than some of the standard procedures and sort of makes me
   Feel like my doube jaw surgery next week is a walk in the park. Hope you recover well. Can't help with that side as im yet to go through it myself. Sounds like you need to keep on top of your pain control with some intense pain killers (heard tramadol is effective?) and take them regular whether you need them or not to keep your levels up. All the best.

   3mm vertical repositioning of the maxilla by Le Fort 1 osteotomy and sagittal split mandibular advancement again of around 3mm. Scheduled for Friday 27th January, 2012 :-/

   Posted 4 months ago #
3. 

   RachelM
   Member

   Wow, most people on here didn't smash their jaws themselves, we got the surgeon to do it! I'm sorry you've had such a nasty accident but glad it wasn't as bad as it sounds it could have been.
   I'm not too sure about the smashed teeth but keep taking the pain killers and they will probably settle down over the next couple of days so you don't need quite so many drugs.
   As for eating, have they given you a syringe? Mashed potato thinned out with lots of milk is the standard diet for a lot of post op jaw surgery patients but just see what you can manage. Get some protein shakes too as they will help with your recovery and make taking any meds a bit easier on your stomach.
   All the best with your recovery

   Posted 4 months ago #
4. 

   coffeecups
   Member

   2) I used to put a piece of foam to stop my braces 'catching' on my cheeks... used to be really painful/bloody. Eventually your cheeks will become calloused and used to the metal, so you don't have to keep using wax once you pass the initial pain.

   I was wired shut for 6 weeks, and I was pretty scared to do anything with my mouth/head for at least 10 days... but after that you start getting used to it. So it will get better and you won't have to be as cautious as time goes on.
   Wish the best for your recovery!

   ps: Good old chicken soup !

   Posted 4 months ago #
5. 

   ocmama2four
   Moderator

   My ortho gave me this new stuff called gishy goo. It is awesome. So much better than wax. Google it. I think I saw it for sale on amazon. Whatever the price is, it is worth it. It is a 2 part epoxy that you squeeze onto your fingers and roll into a ball. Then you push it onto the brackets that is hurting you and hold it for a bit. It dries hard and stays put, even through brushing your teeth. I usually use tweezers to pull it off and it comes off in one piece. I loooooove this stuff. It comes in different colors and flavos but my ortho only has the white one. Tastes pretty good too. You totally need to get this. I won't use wax agan now that I tried this.

   I had a 2 piece LeFort 1 that widened my upper jaw 3-4mm, my upper jaw was shortened by 6mm to reduce my gummy smile, pushed back 3mm and tilted up in the back. My lower jaw was pushed back 3mm. Surgery was December 1, 2011
   http://www.jennsjawsurgery.blogspot.com

   Posted 4 months ago #
6. 

   BaliGirl
   Member

   gopangaea: I'm so sorry to hear about your accident. Whether your teeth will stop hurting probably depends on how badly they were damaged - if the damage is cosmetic, the pain should subside in a few days as the swelling goes down. If the roots were cracked or traumatized, you may need root canals on those teeth at a later date and the pain may persist. Fingers crossed that there's no permanent damage to your teeth! I have found ibuprofen to work better than codeine for tooth pain. If the codeine doesn't cut it, you may want to ask your doctor if you can use ibuprofen.

   ocmama2four: I LOVE gishy goo! It's expensive but sooooooooo worth it. I get it from amazon.com. It's the same material that the orthodontist uses to take impressions - you know, the stuff that's all squishy at first and then hardens up to the point where they can't get the tray out of your mouth? Once you apply it to your braces (only a tiny amount is needed), it stays on until you take it off. Best part is that you don't need to dry your brackets before putting it on and it sticks especially well on 2nd molars where wax doesn't tend to stick.

   On 12/28/11 I had a 4 piece LeFort 1 procedure done to correct an open bite.
   
   http://jawsurgerysaga.blogspot.com/

   Posted 4 months ago #
7. 

   gopangaea
   Member

   Omg and I never ever use those silly acronyms! I posted less than an hour ago and the lovely interaction thus far has been a Godsend!! Indeed, I realize many folks on here will be getting jaw surgery voluntarily so it feels good to know some people have chosen this... I can say this too... The oral surgeon put me together in a certain way that it seemed to me might be cruel and unusual but actually it probably makes perfect sense. I have 5 wires crossing my mouth vertically and wires around most of my teeth... I think a pic will be worth a thousand words... Will definitely keep posting in here. Thanks for having me and sorry if I'm a bit incoherent... The drugs got me.

   Posted 4 months ago #
8. 

   gopangaea
   Member

   
   

   Posted 4 months ago #
9. 

   gopangaea
   Member

   
   

   Posted 4 months ago #

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