I just wanted to augment and balance my facial harmony , i feel like i am lacking in lower thirds, so Sliding Genioplasty was suggested by my orthodontist. I believe its a good move. I am recovering right now Updated on 23 Oct 2023: My motivation is simple, i got orthodontic treatment back in 2017 and just wanted to continue and work on myself, the orthodontist and i believe this is the next step for me. Im still recovering from the surgery right now, its only been day 4..
I owe Dr. Bobek a review. I had surgery with him in September of 2017 and an additional Genioplasty in September 2018. Both surgeries turned out well and im happy with the outcome. Dr. Bobek is very skilled and meticulous in his work. He was available to answer all of my questions prior to surgery and after. I dont feel comfortable posting pictures because I like my anonymity but if you have any questions i'd happily answer them. I will say the first week of healing was the hardest and by week 3 you're ok to start eating solid foods but expect to be on a liquid diet the first week or two. Hope this helps someone.
I am a 37 year old with a severe overbite. Braces have done some corrections but I knew eventually I would have to go through with surgery. I haven’t really had trouble with clicking of the jaw or severe jaw pain but it’s definitely been hard to chew and my breathing isn’t great either. Dr. Samuel Bobek of Seattle did my surgery. Updated on 17 Jun 2018: There was absolutely no way of doing updates the first two days, they sucked. The day I actually left the hospital I felt pretty good, I didn’t get sick on the way home (it was a bit of a drive) and overall not bad. I got home ate all the Vega drinks my husband made and they were super yummy THEN Saturday happened. That good feeling went to sickness and vomiting. Not fun. I was not keeping anyone down and was basically hanging out in the bathroom until it past. That was the worst day ever. I forced myself to eat some oatmeal (puréed) and take my pain meds. I kept it down but it wasn’t easy. Today I felt a bit better, took a shower, ate some more oatmeal and took my pain meds. Being vegan during his time can be challenging but I am doing my best to get my calories in. I’m starting to feel small tingles in my face and lips where I’m getting feelings back and I like that. Drooling sucks and it’s all the time. On the upside I have a nice comfortable recliner to sit in with my humidifier and various supplies that are helpful. I look forward to seeing Dr. Bobek next week to see how my progress is. Updated on 18 Jun 2018: I decided to write a bit this morning and some later on how I’m progressing. First I wanna say that my swelling has gone down in some areas but in Others I am still shaped like a giant marshmallow. I am drooling like crazy and starting to feel some pain. I needed a change in scenery so I propped up a pillow in my bed and now I am just sitting here. My husband has been amazing through this whole ordeal, he is not sleeping very good because how well can you sleep in a recliner? The doctors suggested I sleep there for a while because sleeping in my bed might be too tempting to lay all the way down. Yeah I get it. I am taking a quick outing with my husband today and I’m concerned about my pain and drool..we just need to make our way to sign some papers close by but of course it sounds rough. I am hoping for more relief as the day goes on. Updated on 18 Jun 2018: I have a lot of meds in my system! Updated on 18 Jun 2018: Lots of changes today. I went on my outing and was able to contain the drool at the bank. My face feels really super tight and still really swollen. I have some feeling back but I would like to see more swelling go down. I am constantly putting on chapstick and my nose is still bleeding off and on. Today my jaw started to feel heavy and there’s a new pain, I try not to tense up because I know it will take some time to get comfortable in the new resting place. I am getting up more and moving around, I miss my comfy bed at night and look forward to the day I can sleep in it again. I called my surgeon today to make sure the pain I feel on one side is normal since I fear infection. Sounds like everything I’m experiencing is totally normal. Thank goodness. Tomorrow my husband is taking me to the art store so I can pick up some fun crafting supplies, that’s should be fun. One new thing I noticed today was the pigment on my lips are completely gone. I have vitiligo and did have some spots around my mouth but now it’s just completely white. Not much more to report. I’ll write more tomorrow. Updated on 19 Jun 2018: Early this morning I woke up shaky and sick to my stomach, I was in pain and very frustrated. I got some food in my body whined a little bit to my husband and tried to get back to sleep. It was not a fun experience.. This morning when I woke up (about 7am) I told myself I wasn’t going to feel crappy all day so I jumped in the shower, made myself food and drank a lot of fluids. I was feeling much better, the swelling went down a bit more and I was going to run some errands today. Sadly I didn’t feel up for a trip to the art store but that was okay, I brought my dog for the car ride anyway. I waited in the car while my husband ran inside a couple places and when we got back I was exhausted. I ate more food and took my last dose of pain meds. Speaking of pain meds, I do not think I will ever be able to take liquid pain meds again, they are so gross! I only took the stronger meds the first day and never again. Okay so today, today my nose is clear for a while then bleeding and more blood clots, it feels like a nasty cold only you can’t blow you nose. I drank out of a plastic ketchup bottle today and a Gatorade container! Yeah! I am super stoked about it because it means I’m getting better. I felt shaky again this afternoon so I ate and drank more fluids and I am feeling better now. I notice my jaw is attempting to relax but I can feel myself tensing up without even realizing I’m doing it. Hoping tomorrow is even better. Updated on 21 Jun 2018: Today was a busy day full of ups and downs. Last night I had a lot of trouble breathing and falling asleep. About 2 am I decided to get up and take a shower hoping the steam would help clear my sinuses. I ended up only sleeping for about an hour. Just as the other days I decided it was going to be a good day! I got up, ate and drank as much water as I could, I started feeling really great despite the lack of sleep. I even had the energy to play some Assassin’s Creed! It's funny before having surgery I envisioned myself recovering by watching lots of movies and playing a ton of games but when you're in pain you don't really wanna do anything. You just want to rest. So I was happy to do something fun. Okay back to yesterday, after feeling great for a while I started to feel nauseous, yes that feeling was back:(. It was faint but lingering. Towards the end of my day my boss stopped by with a basket of goodies from my coworkers, it was so sweet and thoughtful. I continued to lay around and I actually fell asleep last night! I slept! I haven't really slept more than a couple hours night since last Thursday so that made me super-duper happy! Updated on 22 Jun 2018: Yesterday was pretty lazy, I laid around a lot and didn't feel like doing much. I had some trouble sleeping again and and that was rough. I was so congested. My nightly routine consists of showering in hot water (for the steam), using my saline nose spray, turning on the humidifier and sitting up while I sleep. I have read several blogs and some people have no trouble at all breathing afterwards. That part hasn't been fun for me. I ended up taking a Benadryl and sleeping through most of the night. Updated on 22 Jun 2018: At last I saw my doctor today! I have had so many questions swimming around in my head and I couldn't wait to see how everything looked. My doctor said everything looked good, he changed my rubber bands and his assistant sat with me and answered any questions that I had. It was a good visit and I felt much better. She said I could take my rubber bands off today and start eating some soft foods (mashed potatoes, pasta etc.) yay food! I got home and made myself some mushy pasta, I learned how to take off my rubber bands and took out my baby spoon. It was pretty difficult to get my spoon plus food into my mouth but I did the best I could and the food was yummy. I sat in front of the mirror making silly faces (doctors orders) and my jaw felt pretty good. Getting my rubber bands back on was a little tricky but I think I have figured out a system. They feel tight and not very comfortable but I assume that will get better as days pass. I am still feeling really happy about my decision to have this surgery and I am excited to see the ultimate results. I know I have said it before but I am so thankful for my parents and my husband who have helped me throughout this whole process. And all the people in my life who continue to support me through my journey. Oh! For fun today I watched episodes of Bobs Burgers and started putting together a wooden Destiny (the game) Sparrow. It was nice focusing my energy on something creative. Tomorrow I am getting up early and getting my body moving! Updated on 24 Jun 2018: Wow, I can’t believe 9 days have passed, I finally feel like I am getting over the hump. I can feel most of my upper lip but my bottom lip is still numb along with my nose, chin and other parts of my face. Swelling continues to go down and I am seeing more changes in my face, I am off all pharmaceuticals thank goodness and things are continuing to progress. This morning I woke up and one of my rubber bands were gone I have no idea where it went, there's a possibility I swallowed it ????. Not a whole lot to report except that sleeping was pretty good until about 3 am when I felt nauseous, it would be awesome if that would go away but it is getting better. Updated on 25 Jun 2018: DAY 10! I feel like I should be celebrating! Time has really flown by! This morning I woke up congested but it's nothing new, I tend to feel pretty good during the day but at night and in the morning I'm really congested. My friend came to visit me this morning, it was so great to see her and hear what's new in her life. My face swelling didn't go down a lot since yesterday but I did notice a difference. I put some makeup on today and my husband took me to the craft store to pick up some stuff I ordered online. I've been really spoiled having him home so many days! I don't want him to go back to work! I didn't eat nearly enough food but I did drink a ton of water. I am able to open my jaw wider than yesterday I went from a pinky to my index finger :). I look forward to tomorrow. Updated on 25 Jun 2018: I was not productive today but I suppose I’m allowed those days, once works starts again in August it will be busy busy busy! Okay, let’s talk spasms! It started today my jaw is having little mini jerks. Not too bad at this point but it doesn’t feel good. I know it’s normal but it’s weird when out of nowhere your jaw jerks. I wonder how long this will happen? Anyway, it's something new so I thought I would mention it. Something I have been struggling with is food, I can't seem to fill my body up with enough calories and I know it's crucial. I get full so fast and I am eating the same exact things. My husband makes me a meal replacement drink every day and that has been super helpful. I don't have much of an appetite but I'm doing my best. My jaw tends to get really tingly at night and in the morning but during the day it doesn't bother me so much. I am still swollen and anytime I lean back too much on the couch it gets worse. Oh, something awesome that happened today is my congestion is better! Not completely but WAY better! I can breathe through my nose again! I'm so happy! It was also the first day my nose didn't bleed, all good things. I watched a lot of movies today which was great but tomorrow I would like to be a bit more productive even if it's just me being crafty. I ordered a bunch of stuff to make fairy crowns so will see how they turn out. I am still 100% sure of my decision to follow through with this surgery. Updated on 27 Jun 2018: I am definitely not getting enough calories into my body and it’s really affecting my mood and how my body feels. Not a very good day. Updated on 27 Jun 2018: Today was a good day. I ate about 1300 calories (still didn’t meet my goal) and I definitely felt way better. I cannot stress how important it is to eat while you are healing. Yesterday and today was a night and day difference. I’m regaining more feeling back in my mouth and had energy today. I was able to eat pasta (didn’t chew) and had a yummy green smoothie from Jamba Juice. Also, I was crafty and made a couple headband/crowns. Not a whole lot more to report. Updated on 1 Jul 2018: Not a lot to report but I will mention any changes. Nights and mornings are still the roughest, I wake up swollen even though I’m still sleeping sitting up on my living room couch. Everyday I regain more feeling back in my face. I am still experiencing jaw spasms but they aren’t as often and come mostly at night. I can blow my nose again which is exciting! Who knew I’d get so excited over blowing my nose ha! Sometimes my teeth all feel like they have cavities but I think it’s just them getting their feeling back and it’s not all the time. I was emotional a few days ago and it still comes and goes not sure why but I hear some people experience it. My splint comes out next week and I cannot wait! I remember waking up after surgery and it’s the first thing I noticed then I remembered my doctor saying it had to stay in for 3 weeks, it seemed so far away. You definitely get used to it but it still uncomfortable. Irately I’ve been eating pasta, I’ve been chopping it up really tiny and eating it like a duck. Think that's it for now. I'll try and write more later today. Updated on 23 Jul 2018: Lots to update. It's been a while. I can't believe Friday marks 6 weeks!! The time has really flown by, I will be returning to work sometime next week and it will be very busy. Areas that Ache: The areas that ache are near the incisions and it's mostly right when I wake up in the morning and in the evening. On occasion, my teeth feel like they all have cavities, I figure its just the areas around them waking up. As far as pain that's pretty much it. Numbness and Swelling: I am still numb directly under my eyes, my cheeks, my nose, the bottom right side of my lip and various places on the inside of my mouth. Things that are Annoying: Everywhere I am numb is annoying. It's like going to the dentist and getting a shot of novocaine and it NEVER wearing off! I will say the past few days it has gotten MUCH better! I could not even feel my bottom lip last week and now I can feel the left side. Every morning when I wake up I make faces in the mirror and poke at my face to see which areas are no longer numb. For a while, I wasn't seeing an improvement but it's getting much better. After surgery, my face has gotten very oily in the morning and very dry at night..I am not sure if it's because of the swelling or what but I am managing it. My breathing is not great, I am having some sinus issues but hoping it gets better. THE SPLINT: I got my splint out in week 3 and it felt oh so wonderful! I had no idea what to expect when I arrived at the surgeon's office, the process wasn't too bad, lots of tugging and took a bit to get it out since my mouth still doesn't open very wide. Once the splint was pulled out I was given a toothbrush and told to go to town but I immediately started feeling very grossed out and ran to the bathroom to vomit. That wasn't fun. So glad it is out. Things I am happy about: NO MORE OVERBITE! I am actually going to be able to chew with all of my teeth. I am happy that the hard parts of recovery are over, the first week or two is really the hardest and I am thankful for my sweet sweet husband. Calorie Intake: Consuming the proper calories has been tough. I feel like I am eating constantly just to reach 1500 and I am still not there yet. The only thing that has saved me from getting sick is my husband's blended drinks. If I don't eat enough I get really sick to my stomach and feel all around crappy. Nausea: I think I have finally gotten past nausea. It kinda sneaks up on you when you least expect it but I think it is finally gone for good. I would like to do a supply list on my next post and hopefully rejoice that I can chew! I shall find out Friday.
The last email I got from the patient coordinator Shannon Fox was on Sept19. She said will email back to me in one week with details. She was to set me for surgery on the last week of Oct or early Nov. Today is Oct21. In between, I have sent her at least 15 emails if not more, and called at least 7 times. There is no single response of email or phone call by her! No matter how busy one is or how covid makes the surgery schedule uncertain how it is that there is no response at all! On phone I have always been told we will pass the message to her, she is with a patient or stepping out for lunch, or she is not in the office or she will call you back by this week. Once they told me she is waiting for the insurance response. I have passed the message and sent an email to her that I do not want to wait for an insurance response it may take a long time. And also last time we went with surgery and then she submitted the insurance. Also would like to explore the cash option estimate. Because I am already in a whole lot of mental anguish for the last one year and do not want to delay it further. Since it will be my second surgery by dr.Bobek. My last surgery with dr.Bobek did correct my underbite but it did not correct my cant. My jaw was still asymmetric. The surgery did not work as per his plan. I was devasted by it and after going through the depression I decided to take the leap and correct it properly. My ortho and dr.Bobek put a plan to correct it and I had been wearing braces for the last one year and now I am ready for surgery I am so looking forward to ending the whole ordeal and after lots of hard work be happy about it. I have been asking Shannon for the last one year to work on my case so it does not delay my surgery when I am ready. After, all the pain I have gone through at least making the revision surgery easier for me they could do. Now here I am after one year of anguish and ready for surgery, every day waiting for her response, and at the end since no response pursues her with email and phone call and repeat it as she keeps on treating me with complete ignore day after day. It is pure mental torture. A patient comes to the doctor at their very vulnerable state in life for help. Not to mention the professional standard but at least could be treated as a human being.
I’m 26 years old and have an open bite. I’ve finally decided to go through with correcting this as I have chronic headaches/difficulty chewing/breathing due to the position of my jaws as well as a narrow upper palate. I’ve had consults with several surgeons and have decided to go with Dr. Bobek in Seattle. I’m about 3 months into braces and hoping to have the surgery in April, however, I’m having quite a hard time contacting the insurance coordinator. I’ve been trying for a month and still don’t know if they’ve gotten a reply from my health insurance. Starting to get pretty frustrated. We have money saved for the surgery, however, if it’s possible to get it covered, that would be pretty great. Braces haven’t been too bad... minus the clear ligatures and my love for curry ???? I’d love to hear some positive stories from other people who have had jaw surgery! It’s a life-changing, huge ordeal. I am super nervous, but just trying to stay positive about it all. Updated on 6 May 2018: Pretty nervous, to be honest. I’ve had surgery before (for broken bones and such), but never one that is so long. My bite has closed quite a bit with braces and my chronic headaches have improved, which makes me think I’m on the right track to feel good again. Will post after the surgery! Updated on 11 May 2018: Just got out of the hospital this morning. The worst of it was yesterday evening after the surgery before they pumped me full of pain meds. They worked on expanding my upper jaw, my lower jaw, they extracted a tooth and did something to my chin as well. The surgery took close to four hours. Right now I don’t feel too bad... I slept most of the day. Maybe I’m not to the worst part of recovery yet, but it’s not as horrible as I thought it would be! My face is noticeably shorter than it was before which will take some getting used to. Updated on 12 May 2018: A lot more swelling. Didn’t sleep much and had to take pain meds right when I woke up as some pain was back. I’ve been trying to drink a lot of water, are some chicken broth. Right now, my lower lip is so swollen that it’s tough to do anything. I got a peek at my teeth and they looked scary! Won’t be doing that again haha. If you’re on the fence about going through this because the recovery looks a bit gnarly... you can do it! Time goes by so quickly. It’s not as much pain as it is just general discomfort and swelling. I’ve also had a cat friend to cuddle with these past two days which has helped a lot! Updated on 13 May 2018: Not going to lie, last night and today completely sucked. I barely slept and the swelling is definitely at its worst. I can feel an achey feeling in my jaw. My nose is pretty stuffy with dried discharge. Today I had my mom buy me a big wedge pillow from bed bath and beyond, and a humidifier... these little things are making life much more comfortable for me. I got a little peak at my teeth and they honestly looked horrendous haha. I’m not sure if it’s because they’re rubberbanded together, but I’ll obstain from looking at them for a while???? Updated on 22 May 2018: It’s been 12 days and quite a bit of the swelling has subsided. My new face is taking me a bit to get used to. My chin is completely different, which I love, but my nose has changed as well... not really for the better. I know my face will still change in the upcoming months, but I’m really considering a rhinoplasty next year. The elastics I was told to wear are giving me horrible headaches and the splint on my upper palate is pretty uncomfortable, but other than that, things are okay. I’m regaining feeling in half of my lower lip, which is pretty exciting. I don’t think I’ll eat any kind of soup for at least a year after I recover. Updated on 22 May 2018: Updated on 31 May 2018: I can’t believe it has been 21 days! Time really flies. Swelling has gone down a bit more, but it returns if I don’t sleep elevated. I’ve been doing jaw exercises and face massages but still can’t open my mouth very far. The nasal congestion is gone completely and I can breathe out of my nose while laying down! Something I was not able to do before surgery. No more being a mouth breather, woohoo! My smile is pretty wonky (which will apparently last for another month or two). I can’t open my mouth very much, but daily jaw exercises should help with that. I can slight feel half of my chin and lower lip, but the other half is completely numb. I would say the numbness is my least favorite part of recovery. It feels too strange. It’s so amazing to be able to keep my mouth closed without forcing all of the muscles in my face to do so! Not only does it make existing way more comfortable, but it has tremendously reduced my anxiety. I’m not sure how, maybe because my jaw was always so tense, that added to overall stress? So far there have been several positive changes that have made this whole ordeal worth it. Updated on 17 Jun 2018: Starting to be happy with my face again. The left side of my lip and chin are still completely number. The lower portion of my face feels stiff and heavy. I have a clicking on the left side of my jaw when I open my mouth, which is super annoying. The doc said it’s nothing to worry about. I just hope it’s not permanent>.< hoping that they’ll tell me I can eat normal food tomorrow! Some of my teeth feel pretty sore. I have a crown on the front and it’s abnormally sore, not sure why. I think I start orthodontics again in a few days, woohoo. Updated on 10 Jul 2018: Updated on 19 Jul 2018: Updated on 26 May 2020: 2 years after surgery. Currently in my retainer 24/7. Still very happy with results. I can chew much better and bite food, which before was pretty difficult. I also sleep better at night and can breathe with my mouth closed (used to be a mouth breather).
Childhood neck contractures are an interesting topic in terms of correction of lower 1/3 facial asymmetry with orthognathic surgery. Contractures certainly influence facial growth. Upper and lower jaw surgery can improve this skeletal aymmetry markedly but you are right to address the neck first. The reason is head position. The way you hold your head influences your facial asymmetry. Many surgeons treat to corrected head position. If you are unable to achieve this head position then you will still look asymmetric after surgery. On the other hand if the surgeon treats you to natural head position and then you have your neck released your facial asymmetry could return. I would treat your neck, do some physical therapy and then consult with someone about orthognathic surgery. Make sure the surgeon does virtual surgical planning because it really helps with planning these cases. Good luck!
