Here's the over-all panorama.
You can tell where the bones were cut, and that the left mandible was truncated while the right mandible was extended.
My jaw joints also now fit much more squarely into the sockets as shown in the image above. My upper jaws were also advanced forward by 3mm. While the right still appears to be a little off, I believe that is within the margin of error of this type of surgery. I will need to confirm this in the next few weeks to make sure I do not need another fix, which is a rare occurrence but sometimes necessary.
I did notice recently that when I open and close my jaws, the right jaw joint tends to "pop" out a little further than the left; by this I mean i can actually feel with my fingers the joint protruding outwards when I open and close my jaws. I do not know if this and the observation I made in the previous paragraph has any correlation. Either way, the joint is much more comfortable than it used to be.
Included with the X-rays is this really cool 3D video fly through of my skull. It's a good perspective of all the procedures that were performed on me.
cool!
ReplyDeleteHey Ray!
ReplyDeleteDid you have any problems post op with asymmetric muscles due to the prior asymmetric bite and everything? Any problems with relapse?
I fixed my asymmetry but my surgeon says I will need botox or steroid injections in my right side jaw muscles because theyre too big/used too much compared to my left (because of the prior asymmetry).
Hey Anonymous,
DeleteI do have some minor issues 8 - 9 months in now, however, they do not really affect my functionality.
For instance, since my right side was extended, it now does appear somewhat "flatter" than my left. My surgeon's recommendation is to hold off on any treatments for now because muscles adapt to new bone structures. It is suggested that I wait at least one year. After that, any permanent issues will likely remain, and a more comprehensive and accurate solution can be determined.
For example, my lips moved very lopsided 4 - 5 months in, and now they have mostly balanced out.
He did say though that since these are more cosmetic issues than functionality, Insurance will most likely not cover the post-op follow up procedures, just as an FYI. Depending on your country, and insurance company, that may or may not apply to you.
I would suggest waiting a year after your surgery if you haven't already to see what are actual permanent issues, and what are issues that need to be treated so you're not compensating with botox for something that would go away on its own.
Thanks so much for getting back to me! :) I really appreciate the advice!
DeleteI live in California and just had a basic insurance plan that only covered my hospital bills, so I doubt it will cover any post-op treatment costs. Thanks though!
Hey Ray,
ReplyDeleteI am aged 21 and I have similar problem, my face right hand side has a bump closer the the corner my face, I am 5 months in post surgery like my cheek on that side of my face is going in on the top paart but then reach the middle it has a minor dip coz of the bump and I use to have a nice oval shape face now it looks like my smile lines are deeper and now my cheeks definitely look fatter and as a result my face when I smile no longer has that nice oval shape but rather too much fat cheeks for my liking. My left side looks more normal even when I smile but it does look fatter and it has a slight minor bump too but not as much compared to the right hand side...I had a maxillary impaction done plus lower jaw surgery and yea my surgeon is far away and yea i haven't really been back i feel normal no problems just that those areas feel stiff and that's about it otherwise no pains nothing. Do you think it will go down? what do you recommend i do ? should i wait a year aswell
Dear Anonymous. You could definitely still see some changes after 5 months. I think I waited about 8 - 10 before I felt my face was at it's final phase. Keep in mind that in addition to swelling your body has a lot of scar tissue to break down within your cheeks. That process is estimated at about a year. I do know that if you wnat to accelerate the process you can pay for physical therapy/ultrasound therapy, but it's more cost than it's worth in my opinion. Regarding stiffness, definitely give yourself maybe 10months or so. It's all due to scar tissue and muscle adaptation.
DeleteHello Ray. Your blog is great.
ReplyDeleteMy situation is different. I feLLC while cycling and landed on my left side breaking my mandible. (Fortunately I was wearing my helmet.)
After a trip to ER and jaw surgery I'm also back to before my accident. At almost 8 months following surgery,
I'm struggling chewing food. Did this happen to you. How did you get over it? I'm doing my exercises everyday. But still having problems. I'm the slowest eater I know.
Any tips are appreciated. Thank you.
Nelly in southern California.
Hey Nelly, Yep, I definitely struggled getting back into chewing, but don't worry, after a couple of weeks it'll all be normal. I also struggled with opening my mouth past 2-fingers width, and that took time, so I had to cut up my food into small bite-sized pieces. My doctor had me practice opening and closing my jaw everyday just to loosen things up.
DeleteOuch on the bike accident -- i'm a recreational road cyclist myself, and can say I'm glad to hear you were wearing a helmet! I was in an accident where I cracked mine!