Resorption

I just realized that I never broached the subject of resorption. I am not sure if I am spelling this correctly. Very simply put, likely due to the damage my jaw sustained which is inherent in the surgery, one of my teeth died (root was dissolved almost completely). Due to numbness in the jaw I had no tooth pain and nearly lost the tooth altogether. I had a very extensive root canal and so far so good. The tooth is still there! I just wanted to mention that it is something to keep an eye out for. Maybe you can ask you dentist to keep and extra set of eyes on your xrays so it can be caught before it gets too bad. I caught mine in the nick of time!

What a difference a chin makes

Just checking in to the blog. Two years out and still feeling good. The weight that has been lifted off of me due to how I felt about my personal appearance is huge. I have a better career now and feel so much better about myself. My jaw is still stiff, and I have never gotten back full range of motion, but it is almost back to normal. Hell, this is my new normal. I don't have any regrets, except that with my new face I look better without bangs (and I LOVE bangs).

It is a scary surgery to think about. It is pretty intense. What a tough choice to make. If I had it to do all over again I would say 100% yes! I might opt out of the chin repositioning (because now I have a really strong chin), but I would not take my decision back for a million dollars. :)

And the healing really wasn't that bad. With proper pain meds and hygiene. It really is a bearable and doable procedure to have. It takes commitment. 1 to 2 years of braces and another year of healing afterward, but I feel it was really REALLY worth it.

I'll check back in soon to see how everyone is doing! Good luck!

Keeping the blog up

I am keeping the blog up because I realize that the journey posted here is a good reference for others. It really is a challenge to go through this and the more you know, the better. It is not like having a baby...most people you know have not gone through orthognathic surgery. Please post questions if you have them, I will try to answer!

It seems like a way long time ago...

Wow! I had surgery 2 years ago. I can't believe it has been that long. I am used to my new face now. Since the jaw surgery I have ahd several eye procedures (different disease, lucky me), and anticipate more. I feel very lucky to have had the surgery, and thankful that I did. I feel much better about the way I look, and I am sure I am much more confident. So, two years out, life looks like this.

Sooo....

This surgery seems so long ago now. It feels normal, almost like it never happened, and I am so happy with the result. The new me is now just me. When I look in the mirror I see myself. It took a while to get used to it, but I know how to smile with my new face now. I learned to re-eat, learned to smile, learned that I can survive without solid food for six weeks.

So, I am taking the blog down soon. I hope that those people who followed it found it useful. I hope looking at the before and after pics, and reading about how it really wasn't so bad inspired some, and maybe calmed the nerves of others.

Too Diligently!

FOr those of you that asked, I wore my rubberbands 24/7 as instructed. The day I went in to get my braces off I was a little bit "over-corrected" and they weren't sure they were going to take the braces off. They left it up to me and I said "take them off" as loudly as I could! :)

After two days, my bite settled right where they wanted it to, and all seems to be well. Chewing is a dream, an absolute dream!!!

NO BRACES!

They almost did not take them off. I wore my rubberbands too diligently.