Jaw Surgery Forums » Pre-Surgery Questions

Tara's double jaw surgery 12/17

(22 posts)
  • Started 5 months ago by bracedblogger
  • Latest reply from Olive
  • 2 Members Subscribed To Topic
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  1. bracedblogger
    Member

    I'm getting really nervous now. My surgeon just called to tell me that he and my orthodontist has decided I will need a le fort II vs a one piece. They feel this will be more "stable" than a one piece le fort. I will now have a splint. for 6 wks. My surgery is in 4 days. I will have a month off work. I am a CPA going to be very busy in tax season and I spend a good bit of time talking and working with clients (and 10+ hour days). I am not sure how much I'll be able to do when I get back after 4 weeks, especially now with the change to a 2 piece upper jaw procedure and splint. My lower jaw is also being advanced. Feel free to check out my blog for details and photos of my experience before and after surgery.

    Anyone out there go through double jaw surgery with a 2 piece le fort and need to wear a splint? If so, when did you go back to work, when were you comfortable talking to clients, and were you exhausted easily? How long after surgery before I can comfortably work 10 hour plus days?

    Thank you for any feedback or advice!
    Tara

    http://www.tara-jaws.blogspot.com

    Double jaw surgery on 12/17/11. BSSO mandibular advancement of 10 mm; two-piece le fort 1 with 3 mm impaction and maxilla brought forward 1 mm.

    http://www.tara-jaws.blogspot.com
    Posted 5 months ago #

  2. Donnataylor
    Member

    Hi Tara

    Just wanted to say hi and good luck with surgery. I have had a look at your blog it sounds like you are having similar surgery to me. I have a 11mm overbite with a slightly gummy smile. My surgeon is advancing lower jaw forward 7mm / 8mm and upper being moved up 3mm and slightly forward.

    I know exactly what you mean when you say in your blog about having an angry or fierce looking face. I don't mind my face at all when I'm smiling (although I look very weird when I try to smile with my mouth closed - not sure if this is to do with my overbite), but I cannot stand my face mouth closed. My lips don't meet properly and when I try to hold my jaw forward and close my lips it makes my chin crinkle, very attractive lol.

    I am hoping that my surgery allows me to have a softer looking face, smile with mouth closed, look better from side on and not have to constantly think about my mouth and jutting my jaw forward when I am around people.

    Re the splint, I have been told by my Ortho that my surgeon very rarely leaves it in, I don't know why surgeons differ so much, but knowing my luck I was be one of the few.

    Let us know how you get on on Saturday my surgery is 4 days after you so will be watching with interest. I seem to spend more time on these sites than I do anything else at the moment, nerves kicking in I guess.

    Good luck x

    Bsso for overbite on 21st December. Lower advanced 8mm upper impacted by 3mm and moved forward 2mm.
    Posted 5 months ago #

  3. linzi
    Member

    i have no advice hun but wanted to wish you all the best for your surgery.
    ive only had lower jaw surgery but have been signed off for just over 6 weeks in total.3 weeks post op its still an effort to talk for long periods and i only have elastics no splint :-) x

    lower jaw surgery 22nd november 2011
    Posted 5 months ago #

  4. Colleen
    Member

    Tara my notice this am was that I'll be having double jaw surgery...I was so content in my little world of upper only (lol)...splint to deal with, yes, but just one jaw. Now I'm in it all the way with ya!

    Double jaw surgery 12/19/2011: 4mm forward upper with lefort 2piece split, lower back 3mm; possible genioplasty
    Posted 5 months ago #

  5. OmarMarro
    Member

    hi tara good luck with your surgery due to my personal experience as im jaw wired shut and im 6 weeks post op i need to talk a lot with people and its very hard and tired to be talking like this i dont know if you are going to be jaw wired shut but 4 weeks is good enough to get back to work but i doubt you are going to be at your 100% at that time
    anyways good luck and congrats

    Posted 5 months ago #

  6. ocmama2four
    Moderator

    I had a 2 piece lefort 1 13 days ago and have a splint in my mouth. Hang your mouth open and don't move your tongue or your mouth then talk. That is the best way to describe how you will sound talking with a splint in. My chin, lips and area above my upper lip are still mostly numb. I can barely feel the sensation of touch on them but I can not move them yet. I don't know how I will look or sound 2 more weeks from now but I am very mumbled right now. Read my blog. I have lots of pics and details of my fun. I even have a some pics of the splint. It is a hard piece of plastic that covers your whole upper jaw and is wired to my braces. I have some weird extra metal on all my lower teeth that my surgeon used instead of surgical hooks. You won't have that if he uses surgical hooks. One thing that was werd is that I had a 10 mm overjet, which is very obvous in my before pics, and was always told I wasgoing to have my lower jaw advanced. But when my surgeon did my mock surgery on my molds he decided to push my lower jaw back. ??? He said that when he shortened my upper jaw by 5mm he swung my lower jaw into the corect place it would have been if my upper jaw was not so long. When he did that my lower jaw actually had an underbite of 3mm. Who would have thought?? So I ended up getting upper up by 5mm, not sure how much he pushed upper back, lower pushed back 3mm and upper slit into 2 pieces and widened. I tried to take asmany pics and be as detailed as possible in my blog as that is what I wated when reading other blogs before surgery. Let me know if you want any other pics. I don't want to miss any while I have al this in my mouth. :)

    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 5 months ago #

  7. bracedblogger
    Member

    @Donnataylor - that's crazy our surgeries are so similar! I'd love to follow your experience through surgery. Do you have a blog?

    @OmarMarro - thanks for your well wishes. Why did you have to be wired shut? My surgeon says unless I get a bad break in my jaw, or he feels my bones are not strong enough, I won't need to be wired shut. But if I did, it would be 6-8 wks!

    @linzi - thanks for your support! Congratulations on making it to the other side! I saw your profile pic in a post yesterday and you look AMAZING! I commented on it there. Love the sleek jawline! I wasn't going to need a splint if it were just a 1 piece le fort I now the splint is necessary with the change to the 2 piece le fort I. Not entirely sure why although I suspect to hold things in place?

    @Colleen - yeah! we are both going through this together! I am excited!! Your blog is not showing up in my blogger window. I need to figure out how to get to it again so I can bookmark it. Let me know when you make another post! I've been thinking of you girl!

    @ocmama2four - I would love to follow your blog and take a look at your photos and of the splint. What is your blog address?? Thanks for the tip on talking - btw, I just tried it and it's impossible for me to keep my tounge still, lol, this is going to be so hard!

    Posted 5 months ago #

  8. ocmama2four
    Moderator

    My blog is jennsjawsurgery.blogspot.com if someone has their username in blue it is clickable and will take you directly to their blog. Did you hear how mumbled you sounded??? No easy to understand. Good luck!!!! Will be thinking of you!!

    Posted 5 months ago #

  9. Donnataylor
    Member

    I haven't started to blog, mainly as I am not sure how, but I will post my pics regularly on here once I've had my surgery, I will dig out some before pics too. Hope all goes really well for you x

    Posted 5 months ago #

  10. Donnataylor
    Member

    Ocmama2four..... Omg I did your trying to talk thing with mouth open etc I think I'm going to be entertainment for my friends when they visit!! I have watched a few utube videos where you couldn't understand a word they were saying. It's going to be fun ;-) x

    Posted 5 months ago #

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