32 Year Old Male - Lower Jaw Surgery

did you have sleep apnea or something? why did the insurance decide to cover your bills?

Did you have to pay the surgeons fee of $16,000 before the surgery?

The first week has been a bit of a challenge but not as bad as I had thought. If your insurance approves the surgery it will likely cost you $4,000-5,000 if they don't you'll be on the hook for the whole thing. The surgeon fee was $16,000 and the hospital bill is $69,000.

Hey there! As far as the numbness the first day half of your face is basically numb because of the surgery but after that the numbness is reduced to just your chin area. It's basically from one end of your bottom lip to the other end and runs down to just below your chin. That part is numb but you do get some weird feelings as the nerve heals. Think of a combination of itching sensations, pressure, and a little burning & spasm. It doesn't really bother too much except a couple of nights as I was trying to sleep it was acting up and bothering a little. As far as eating you basically eat nothing the first 2 days because you're in the hospital and it really hungry. I had rubber bands in my mouth, no wires so I could talk right away after I woke up from surgery. I had the surgery on Tuesday, went home on Wednesday, and Thursday night I was eating mashed potatoes and oatmeal. Friday morning I had scrambled eggs...you eat with a baby spoon as your mouth doesn't open very much and you basically swallow without chewing. By Monday I was able to chew some things. On day 7 I even had a donut in the mornings...no pain at all. It feels weird because you have to get adjusted to the new bite but it's fine. Today is day 9 and I had a smoothie for breakfast, ravioli for lunch, and a Nutella sandwich & ice cream for dinner. I've lost 15 pounds since the surgery. I found it pretty easy to drink from a regular cup, just go slow. No you don't drool around you just have to be careful because your bottom lip is swollen and bump so you can't feel anything running down and when I had a frosty from Wendy's this weekend I got a bunch on my shirt because I didn't feel it dropping down. Haha!

Thank u for getting back to me! I had my braces on since a year, I had malocclusion type 2 overbite, but didn't bother at all! My problem was noticeable gaps in my lower teeth, and once my ortho closed the gaps my bite got worse! I regret going through this plan instead of having two implants as Iam scared to lose sensation, and drool during the recovery, I just hear horrible stories on YouTube! I wonder how u could chew that quick! My orthodontist said I can't chew before 2 weeks and it should be soft food! You gave me a push to go for the surgery. Hope you a comfortable recovery

Each person reacts and heals differently. I had regular pasta yesterday (day 9) and I had some salmon for dinner tonight. The pain was minimal...much less than expected. The feeling will come back gradually.

Glad to hear that! So u can slightly chew?

Oh yes...I can chew just fine, just nothing hard yet. I even had a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch. No problem. No drooling.

Wow... do you encourage me to go for it? You're recovering is amazingly fast!

I usually keep the elastic bands in 18-20 hours per day. They're pretty tight so your teeth and mouth gets sore easily. I'm on day 12 and as far as eating goes you can basically eat anything that requires light or moderate chewing. I had a chicken wrap and French fries today with no issues other than my mouth getting a bit tired towards the end. At times my chin is a bit bothersome with the tingling sensations but it means the nerve is healing and "waking up" so it's ok. Hopefully I get most of my feeling back in the next 30 days...we'll see.

I'm optimistic you will recover soon! I became excited to do my surgery too. Can't wait to feel my teeth touch together and get a better profile. Today was my last day at grad school and feel happy. I had chicken rap today too, but no fri s. Lol