POSTED UNDER Jaw Surgery REVIEWS
Severe complications from jaw surgery - not worth it
ORIGINAL POST
I had double jaw surgery and genioplasty just over...
$7,001
I had double jaw surgery and genioplasty just over 4 weeks ago and the results have been absolutely devastating. I had a SARPE (palatal expansion) two years ago that went fine so my surgeon assured my the risks with this surgery would also be low.
My surgery ended up taking 12 hours, I needed more expansion than originally anticipated and so my palate accidentally tore during surgery. They had to take tissue from where they could to graft the tear but it wasn't enough so now I have a cadaver graft. I can feel pieces of exposed bone under the graft and yesterday a small piece of bone came dislodged and fell out. I can't rinse my mouth without water coming out of my nose.
They weren't able to get adequate blood flow to the upper gums after surgery and the tissue turned purple. Some of the tissue died and my gums receded so far up that bone is exposed. They're still not sure whether I'll lose the teeth or not. Right now I have to do hyperbaric oxygen treatment 6 days a week and at best I'll need a gum graft and at worst I'll need implants.
I got oral thrush from the antibiotics and I was unable to swallow. I spent 8 days in the hospital and lost about 20 pounds. At my lowest I weighed in the 90s.
If I could take it all back I would. I wish more than anything that I had never done this but now I'm stuck dealing with the many complications.
My surgery ended up taking 12 hours, I needed more expansion than originally anticipated and so my palate accidentally tore during surgery. They had to take tissue from where they could to graft the tear but it wasn't enough so now I have a cadaver graft. I can feel pieces of exposed bone under the graft and yesterday a small piece of bone came dislodged and fell out. I can't rinse my mouth without water coming out of my nose.
They weren't able to get adequate blood flow to the upper gums after surgery and the tissue turned purple. Some of the tissue died and my gums receded so far up that bone is exposed. They're still not sure whether I'll lose the teeth or not. Right now I have to do hyperbaric oxygen treatment 6 days a week and at best I'll need a gum graft and at worst I'll need implants.
I got oral thrush from the antibiotics and I was unable to swallow. I spent 8 days in the hospital and lost about 20 pounds. At my lowest I weighed in the 90s.
If I could take it all back I would. I wish more than anything that I had never done this but now I'm stuck dealing with the many complications.
Chelie's provider
Replies (3)
September 22, 2015
I to had mine done at a teaching hospital and the swore the students did NOT do the surgery. I tried getting a lawyer but they said I was damaged enough. Oh really..................................??????
July 15, 2017
I had a horrific experience myself and was told I was not damaged enough... 3 years , 6 surgeries and no hope of a proper correction .. this came by way of one of the top dental practices in the United States..The surgeon recommended by a world-class prosthodontis..
With this surgery be very wary of
"Over Sold, and Under Delivery"
With this surgery be very wary of
"Over Sold, and Under Delivery"
UPDATED FROM Chelie
1 month post
One Month Post Op
It's been just over a month and I still have complete numbness in the bottom of my nose, my lower lip and my chin. I have partial numbness in my upper lip. The only pain I have is in my right jaw joint which is severe and has been present since surgery. I also have pain in my right ear. I see the surgeon on Tuesday and I'm hoping he'll remove the splint and some of the stitches.
Replies (8)
March 23, 2014
Hi Chelie. I am so sorry to hear of everything you have been through with your tri-max surgery. I also had the three procedures done 2 years ago for my overbite (but not expansion). It was a very long recovery period and I got depressed, but I am doing ok now accept for partial lip numbness of my bottom lip.
Please don't give up hope that however bad it seems at the moment, it will all come right in the end. It will just take time, and time is a great healer, both physically and mentally. All the problems can be overcome whether with tissue graft or implants (I have had both recently and doing ok). I wish you all the best and please keep us in touch with your progress. I wish you well and do hope you have supportive family and friends around you to help x
March 23, 2014
Thanks so much for your reply Eva. It's comforting to hear how other people got through similar situations. I was prepared for a rough road but I never expected all this. It gets a little overwhelming at times but I try to remind myself to take it one day at a time. How long was your recovery from the grafts and implants?
March 23, 2014
Hi. The grafts were Alloderm rather than my own tissue, and that was fine. Recovery, ten days to be able to brush teeth again was the worse bit. Prep for implants into the bone was done 7-8 months ago so more swelling! Just about to have the implant tooth part put on in a couple of weeks time. Lots of stages to go through, but a piece of cake compared to max fax surgery so don't worry about that. As you say, one day at a time and you'll get there. All the best.
March 26, 2014
Good luck with your implants! I'm sure it's exciting to be in the final stages after all you've gone though.
March 26, 2014
Hi Chelie. Just saw your update pics - what a shame it went so wrong for you. I don't suppose this could have been predicted, although I would like to know more about this syndrome that you have, as I have not heard of it before. I had a hip graft for your interest, and although it went well, I found the recovery to take a long time, much longer than the 6 weeks my surgeon said. This could have been partly due to my keenness in getting back to exercising too early. I was told it was ok though, but developed a heamatoma and had soreness that latest a long time. The reason I'm telling you this is not to put you off but to warn you to take it easy after and don't rush things like I did! It's horrible when teeth have to come out through no fault of your own. I had one removed before my dentist would let me have braces and I was very sad, so I can't imagine how you must be feeling with so many to lose. My thoughts are with you for a good recovery. All the best and please keep updating. x
March 26, 2014
Thanks for the info about your hip. I'm really nervous about the graft and I wish they could use donor grafts but he said it needs to be vascularized. I'll definitely make sure I take it easy. Ehlers-Danlos is a group of inherited connective tissue disorders. There are multiple types but they often overlap. I have Classical with vascular crossover which means my body produces faulty collagen. Tissue is more fragile and prone to tearing, joints are unstable, blood vessels are also more fragile and easily rupture and healing is much slower. It pretty much effects every organ system. I've had symptoms that range from my eye hemorrhaging to my joints dislocating. In hindsight it probably should have been a contraindication for this type of surgery but I had my SARPE two years ago before I was diagnosed . I was definitely sad today when they did the denture consult and I'm sure I'll cry the day I lose them but I'm trying really hard to keep looking forward. On the plus side they can make the implants whiter than my natural teeth since they're the only ones visible when I smile so at least there's that.
February 19, 2015
I had pain in my ear and joints too, and it turned out to be that my jaw joints were pulled out of the socket.
February 26, 2015
I've had a lot of issues with my right joint subluxing since surgey especially when I yawn.
Replies (42)