So, ONE YEAR AGO today I voluntarily had my jaw broken to bits, then put back together better.
First, the cons: my lower left side of my bottom lip is still numb/tingly. All the way down to the bottom of my chin. Sometimes I can feel hot/cold and sometimes tingly pain - which still gives me hope that ALL the feeling will return someday. My doctor said he's never had a patient NOT regain full-feeling so I hope I'm not the first! The right tip of my tongue has just the slightest amount of tingling to it. It was also numb up until about a month ago - so I know things are still healing back together! Also a "con" - my face is not symmetrical. I really thought it would be. I'm disappointed it's not. My midlines do not match up. I thought they would. I have "divots" in the side of my jaw - where it must've been broken and shifted so the bone no longer matches up. I wear my hair down a lot because of this. Will the bone fill back in, eventually? Will I need to get "fillers" there to make it look normal? Also, my skin was stretched so much during the procedure (and I'm not so young anymore) that I feel that the skin on my face sags slightly- something that I wasn't aware of before surgery. I still have questions. I need to call my doctor.
Now, the pros: Previous to surgery, I only had THREE teeth line up that I could use to mash my food. Now, they ALL do, so eating is much easier. Also, my jaw has moved slightly back into the correct position. Not totally - but still an improvement. It no longer pops, clicks or gives me headaches. Yay!
I know the "con" list is longer, but the "pro" list is more important for overall heath. Bottom line is - Would I do it again? Emphatically I answer, "YES!"
Here are some recent pictures that shows the difference.
I LOVE before/after pictures! :)
First, this shows the "divot" or indentation now in my jaw bone (in the after shot).
First, the cons: my lower left side of my bottom lip is still numb/tingly. All the way down to the bottom of my chin. Sometimes I can feel hot/cold and sometimes tingly pain - which still gives me hope that ALL the feeling will return someday. My doctor said he's never had a patient NOT regain full-feeling so I hope I'm not the first! The right tip of my tongue has just the slightest amount of tingling to it. It was also numb up until about a month ago - so I know things are still healing back together! Also a "con" - my face is not symmetrical. I really thought it would be. I'm disappointed it's not. My midlines do not match up. I thought they would. I have "divots" in the side of my jaw - where it must've been broken and shifted so the bone no longer matches up. I wear my hair down a lot because of this. Will the bone fill back in, eventually? Will I need to get "fillers" there to make it look normal? Also, my skin was stretched so much during the procedure (and I'm not so young anymore) that I feel that the skin on my face sags slightly- something that I wasn't aware of before surgery. I still have questions. I need to call my doctor.
Now, the pros: Previous to surgery, I only had THREE teeth line up that I could use to mash my food. Now, they ALL do, so eating is much easier. Also, my jaw has moved slightly back into the correct position. Not totally - but still an improvement. It no longer pops, clicks or gives me headaches. Yay!
I know the "con" list is longer, but the "pro" list is more important for overall heath. Bottom line is - Would I do it again? Emphatically I answer, "YES!"
Here are some recent pictures that shows the difference.
I LOVE before/after pictures! :)
First, this shows the "divot" or indentation now in my jaw bone (in the after shot).
Here is my "Before" and "1 year after"
You can see it's DEFINITELY not perfect. But it is much better than it was!
Before braces and surgery - and 1 year later!
So, I will always be the girl with the "crooked" smile.
But I can usually work the camera angles to allow for a good "shot" here and there....
....and as long as I didn't pass it on to my kids....
...and my family loves me the way I am.....
Then I'm ok with the results!
If/when the numbness in my bottom lip goes away - I will post again. Otherwise, this is
Tamara's Double Jaw Surgery signing off.
THREE YEAR UPDATE!
This is regarding the divot in my jaw. It's still there, but I've had Radiesse (dermal filler) injected into that spot to smooth it out. One side of my face still looks smooth, but on the other side the divot is coming back, which means it's time for more Radiesse. Small price to pay for the overall benefits!
