I Feel I Have Lost the "Me" by Having Jaw Surgery and Look Worse - Canada

Hi Kathleen, I just have a few questions about your post-op preparation. I noticed you mentioned you were referred by your orthodontist -- how long did you have orthodontic treatment prior to the surgery? I've never had any to this point but I do have a slight overbite and a smaller than usual jaw. When getting moulds made for a crown the dentist had to use child size trays. They were tight, but the adult ones were too large. This creates, obviously, a less defined jaw line and also a chine that has less definition from my chin than I like. Some days it makes me really sad, unfortunately, which is why I'm considering this type of surgery. The idea of braces at 32 sounds horrible to me, so I just wanted to know a bit about your post-op treatment and how far back it goes. My profile picture on here is a current one, but you can't really tell a lot of the time that my chin is so undefined unless it's a photo taken from a profile angle. I've also gotten used to holding my jaw forward slightly to minimize it. My jaw doesn't seem that much misaligned but if I want my back teeth to touch then the bottom gets pushed back slightly more. People have told me not to do this surgery because they feel I won't look like myself anymore and they think I have such an adorable face... But they don't understand how down it can make you feel when a certain hairstyle would look great...if only your chin was more defined. That you can't wait to get married... but don't feel you'll be your most beautiful for the photos the way you currently look. Anyway, I'd love to hear back from ya when you've got a sec to write. Sorry for the long message. :-O Thanks!

kath Im sorry, please allow me to ask, what was the surgery for exactly? and dont worry, Im not gonna just tell you wat you wanna hear, I've been there, I ruined my face with this double jaw surgery, so I'll be honest with you :p tbh I didnt find anything wrong with the "before" picture, maybe because it's not a profile pic. but I could sense something changed, but idk wat that is! :p but you didnt change, almost not at all, I mean your face is just the same, I told you Im not gonna complementx so seriously I didnt see a change. you should be thankful they didnt leave you with a deformed face like me. idk why you're sad, you should've paid a minimum psychological bill for this surgery. if I were you, I wud've. I hope you're doing better by now. for me Im gonna go thru another surgery with another doctor who I trust like hell haha and yea, imagine, gonna go thru this whole process again, from syringe meals to drooling to big lips to uneven face to depression n yata yata yata.... yupz! ready haha it's most likely on august 21st or some day near that, the surgeon hasnt yet specified a date coz we're communicating overseas and... yea. so be thankful, you're awesome, you look fabulous I dont understand wat your problem is about?! I lost my face, this is what I feel now, and this is wat actually happened. and I have to go thru this meaningless recovery even tho it's sooo uncomfortable, because of the spasming due to the huge movement they did to my upper jaw (forward), they left me with a hose-like face. I had a very big underbite before, 17 mm gap between jaws.. picture if you will. so they kinda forced the result, moved my lower like 5 mm only to the back and moved the upper 12 whole damn mm to the front! and voila! I look like an alien now :p dont worry, everything will be ok :) be happy and give it time. in your case it's just a matter of time only. you did one surgery and might get lifetime numbness in a place or two in your face. how about if I wanna do this surgery twice? maybe I wont feel my whole face forever hahah :pp but thank God of course for all what happened. maybe I've sinned before, maybe it's karma, who knoss :p Im psychologically ready for my 2nd surgery, which's gonna give me the face I've always dreamt of, if God wills :)) I wish you the best with whatever you diceide, even tho you look pretty still even if idk what the surgery was for. take care :) ferrovic

You look wonderful. I actually feel jealous because I'll never have money to do this surgery. You should be happy girl!!

I like the outcome of your surgery, I am planning on getting a rhinoplasty this summer and decided not to get a chin implant, although I could really use it I don't like the idea of foreign materials in my face. I've been looking into sliding genioplasty, but it sounds like such an intense procedure and many women complain of looking more masculine after it. I am fairly happy with the way my chin looks from the front, but it looks pretty bad from the profile view. Who did your surgery? I also live in Ontario and how did you manage to get it covered by OHIP?

personally i really like what's been done, you might see a bit more definition though with buccal fat removal.

i think ur profile did improve, still think ur pretty

Hi. What exactly was the surgery to correct? An overbite? Did you have orthodontic work before/after surgery? By the way. You look hot.

As You know you were pretty before and still pretty after. I can understand though wanting to look even better. After seeing all the before and after pics I have realized that I have always had a over bite and never could pin point why my profile looked odd. At one point I thought I needed to change my whole face. I think this is a great place to start.

You don't look worse. You look great and still like yourself!

Hello, you look amazing! I'm from Ontario, and I was wondering who was the surgeon and what steps did you take to basically have your surgery for free? Pls any advice you can give me, I will truly appreciate it! I'm tired of feeling pain but I can't afford this surgery and Im interested in doing whatever possible for OHIP to cover it. Thanks!

You were already very beautiful before the surgery but you look amazing now. I guess if you are not 100% satisfied it is just a matter of getting used to your new look. The changes were subtle but consistent. Congratulations!

Am I missing something where it's mentioned who your doctor was? I live in the same area as you and have considered this procedure - I have no idea where to go, though :(

For what it's worth, I think you look beautiful now!

Hi I am from the states and I had lower and upper jaw surgery to correct my lower bite. It has only been about 2 weeks and my swelling is still going down gradually but I was wondering how long did it take for your swelling to almost go away completely? And how long was it before you were able to chew?

You're another month into your healing, would love to hear an update on how things are going for you, kathleenbrodie. :)

You were beautiful before and more so now. I am thinking about having the surgery. I do't go out and have little confidence in guys asking me out. Family and friends say why do it? But it is not their face. I feel people only notice me because of my lower jaw. I am African American and where I grew up, I was always teased and only hung around a certain group. I still have depression because of my look. I whish my jaws did look as perfect as yours before your surgery. You look nice!

Hi I'm from Australia and had my braces, double jaw surgery, nose, cheeks and chin done for free through the public system. Sometimes worth while to pursue different avenues before making a decision. I had seen 3 different cosmetic surgeons and on average they told me it would cost $30,000 to $40,000 for the lot. Not an avenue I could pursue at that stage of my life. I guess I was one of the lucky ones. I had my surgery around 7 years ago now. It was not east post-surgery, however after 6 months it felt like I was re-born again. A new me. A better me. Inside and out. I would do it all again in a heartbeat. Good luck to all with their surgery.

Hi kathleenbrodie! You look fantastic! I am in Toronto also and am actually originally from around London, Ontario. I am currently wearing Invisalign braces and my Orthodontist has agreed to treat me but really suggests I have jaw surgery to correct a very prominent overbite. I have been terrified to do so but seeing your results I really want to go ahead with this! (Also I didn't realize our health care covered this!) How long did you have to wait to get your surgery? What were the steps that you needed to take? Did you have a referral for Dr. Lapointe? Sorry for the swarm of questions!!