Braces at 50!

I wish I would have been advised that immediate menopause could be a result of surgery. This did in fact happen. I was regular my whole life but after surgery I only experienced two more periods and then they completely stopped in December of 2019. I suspect the surgery was a major trauma on my body. Breaking bones can be violent and aggressive. See pictures below.
I also wish I would have been informed that my teeth would be filed down in order to fit my bite together. I only had lower jaw surgery. I no longer grind my teeth, therefore I no longer have jaw and neck pain from the nightly grinding. My bite fits together now, but aesthetically I enjoyed my smile before surgery. My lower lip is still slightly elevated on the left side. I'm probably the only one that notices it but it bugs me. My upper teeth are now a little buck, (stick out) to fit my lower teeth. Before surgery my upper teeth were very straight. Still on the fence whether it was all worth it.

The downside to lower jaw surgery is the possibility of severing nerves. My lower lip, lower gums down to my chin is numb. I am self conscious. Also the lower jaw surgery causes me to continually bite the inside of my lower lip causing it to bleed. I am carefully but due to the alignment of my teeth this biting still happens a few times per month.

Hello everyone,
I had lower jaw surgery in October 2019 with my braces on. Lower mandibular advancement, bilateral sagittal split osteotomy.
The surgery removed my neck pain and nightly bruxism, which is greatly appreciated.
However, be aware that the recovery from surgery may include many months.
I haven't had any pain, just discomfort and numbness. It has now been over eight months since surgery and I am getting more and more feeling back in my lower jaw, lower arch (gums) and lower lip. I do feel some tightness in some lower jaw muscles and an occasional nerve "jolt". These feeling last less than a second and are transitory. I've been told that the nerves are regenerating.
Overall I am glad I had the surgery because it has realigned my bite. My top teeth fit over my bottom teeth now. The recovery process is long. I would have never had surgery for cosmetic reasons alone. To me, the long recovery wouldn't have been worth it just to attempt an improved look or what-have-you.
This surgery has removed pain and allows me to chew food on both sides of my mouth now.
I was originally scheduled for double jaw surgery but once the "mould" of my mouth was created, the surgeon said he could get away with doing only the lower jaw surgery. Some of my teeth on the bottom had to be filed a little but I am very happy not to have gone through a double jaw surgery. Recovering from one jaw is plenty thank you very much! I also suffer from anxiety and depression and these symptoms have been exacerbated by the surgery. Again, I am still pleased with the results, but not thrilled with the long recovery time.
I still have the braces on my teeth. The orthodontist was suppose to remove these braces around June 2020 which would have been about eight or nine months after surgery. However, due to COVid-19, I haven't seen my orthodontist or surgeon since early March. I haven't seen my dentist since February 2020 either. I'm just trying to keep my braces as clean as possible until the specialists are ready to see me again. I will update when I have new information to share and/or my braces are removed. :)
Best wishes to everyone.
P.S. I'm now 52. The title says "Braces at 50". Fifty was my age when I started this process.