Orthognathic Surgery, Upper and Lower Jaw, Age 29 - Dallas, TX

Here are the pics...for some reason they didn't load earlier.

I meant to come back and post when my braces were off, but life got away from me...I had my braces removed on October 2, 22 months after I got them on. My orthodontist recommended against it and said that he would prefer I have a revision surgery, because despite the first surgery and the orthodontia, my bite is still very off. I don't have an open bite any longer, but only my back molars touch; sometimes, they don't touch and only my front teeth touch together. My bite shifts a lot, even though I wear my retainer every night.

My teeth do look great as far as being straight, and I think my orthodontist was fabulous--he was unfailingly kind, sympathetic, and so professional dedicated to doing a good job that I'd recommend him to anyone (if you're in the Allen/McKinney area, his name is Dr. Matthew Hill).

So, I'm pleased with my teeth but not my bite, and I still do really regret the surgery--I went through all of that for nothing, really, and spent a lot of money and time in the process. I have permanent numbness in my chin (pretty much my whole chin--I have directional sensation but that's it), and I also have permanent numbness in a large area of my gums. My lips don't close naturally together, or even close--I have to consciously force them closed to keep my mouth from hanging open. I also feel a lot of tightness in my chin, almost constantly.

While my bite did open up to the normal width (three fingers wide), I still have trouble biting because opening my mouth that wide causes popping and while it doesn't hurt, it's an unpleasant sensation.

As far as my physical appearance, I'm still not pleased with that either (and absolutely am not fishing for compliments!). I think my face was more symmetrical and attractive before, and it's hard for me to look at pictures of myself. I don't hate my face anymore--I've mostly adjusted--but I don't love it like I used to. I've uploaded a few pictures here of the final result--some selfies and then some shots taken by someone else because I don't feel like selfies really capture a face. This could just be because when you have the same face for thirty years, and then it changes, it's a big adjustment and hard to get used to!

I wouldn't necessarily discourage anyone from having this surgery, especially those who are in pain or really suffering about their physical appearance; I've read so many blogs where people had great results and looked amazing after, with amazing function as well. However, I think the key was that my insurance covered very few surgeons in the area, and the one I picked 1) had no bedside manner 2) didn't consider (to my knowledge) that aesthetics are important as well as function. I had a bad feeling about him from the start, and I should have listened to my instincts and gone with another doctor, even if I ended up paying more out of pocket.

Thank you to everyone who has posted and asked questions and said kind things! I appreciate it, and if you're about to have this surgery, know that after the first few weeks it truly does fly by and before you know it, your braces will be off and you won't be thinking about your jaw every five minutes!

My second-to-last update--the next one will be at a year, which is coming up fast.

I still have my braces on, as none of my back teeth on the right side touch now--it has opened back up but will be fixed by rubber bands. Other than that, my teeth look straight and perfect to me (though they could use a whitening!).

I still have numbness in my chin, lower lip, and upper and lower gums, but it's improving--I'm pretty sure the chin and lower lip will regain full feeling, and the gums at least most of it (the gums are still completely numb in patches).

I'm eating everything I want, even if I'm still not chewing correctly (it's hard when the teeth don't touch on the one side.

My lips still don't touch together at rest, so I know they likely never will and I've accepted that, as it now looks natural when I push them closed (and once the braces come off it will look even better, I think). I really like my profile and my face at rest, lips closed. To me, there is a huge difference even though other people haven't really noticed.

However, I still really hate my smile and can't get used to how my face looks now--my chin is just too full, making my face too square, and I don't like looking at myself. I feel guilty complaining about it, but I still really, really wish I had chosen a surgeon who valued aesthetics along with function, even if it meant I had to save longer for the surgery. I might see a plastic surgeon about it eventually, but will wait until at least the year mark and just try to accept it and not be as vain.

Anyway, just a quick update until the year mark...so even if you're out there feeling like you'll never stop obsessing about your jaw surgery, or your healing, you will!