jaw realignment

andrina_nightshade

My sister had this operation done in August. Although her face was not badly bruised, just the sight of her lying in bed, with her chin plastered had me in tears. For about two days afterwards she had a few bouts of vomitting blood, but the consultant assured us that was normal in a case of oral surgery.

One thing that may be unconnected, but I should probably mention, is that her chin has been suffering from pretty horrific acne since then. She always had flawless skin, but ever since her operation, the area around her mouth has been covered in spots. As I said, this may not even have anything to do with her operation, but she's bit old for the onset of teenage acne (18 then, just turned 19).

Truthfully though, I wish she never had it done. There was nothing wrong with the few she looked, and her bite problems were barely visible. I honestly think she looked much better beforehand (and she's starting to come round to that point of view herself).

Every operation is serious, and every one carries its own risks. I personally wouldn't touch anything like this with a bargepole unless it was absolutely necessary.

kacie

mine's really noticable as my bottom jaw is 2cm smaller than the top one

Toothsmith

And that's worth going through the surgical equivalent of a car crash?

Purchaseruk

I had the operation done 16 yrs ago, when it WAS a major operation. Spent 5 days in intensive care unit, then a further week in a normal hospital room with an iv drip the whole time, till I finally got to go home & was on a liquid diet for a month+ since my jaws were wired shut / together. My entire face was swollen & bruised for a good month & they neded to give me a prosthetic chin during the operation. Didn't have feeling around my face for a good year as the nerves had been severed (which meant I sometimes dribbled without realising it LOL!)
My lips were a total mess - like 2 swollen bananas and never quite recovered since (quite lined there on after the operation from being stretched so badly). Back then you would swallow a lot of blood during the operation, which would then have to be pumped back out of your stomach........not pleasant at all & would not have recommended getting it done if the procedure had stayed that way.
My sister had the same op years later & my parents confirmed it was much shorter, barely any swelling or bruising, no stay in intensive care & much faster recovery.
I'd have thought by now things would've improved quite dramatically from then as well & if it means not having dental / jaw problems later on in life & getting it done when you're young & fit (easier recovery) then do it.

xxvickixx

Firstly I would like to say that anyone who has an underbite and is considering this operation, my heart goes out to you. x
I had this operation 12 years ago when I was 16. I had a severe underbite. I was bullied at school due to it and had difficultly biting using my front teeth as they couldn't meet so eating a sandwich or apple was not easy. I was told that I risked arthritis in my jaw if I did nothing but for me it was a cosmetic descision. I had a very similar time to the others, the operation was about 5-6 hours and I was in hospital for a week. The pain was unbelivable even with pain releif. I had my jaw wired shut while the bones mended (they removed some of my jawbone and I have metal plates holding it together). I couln't eat solids due to the wiring but when the wires were off the pain was too much to eat anyway. My face was swollen and bruised (I wasn't allowed a mirror in hospital but I am told it was horrific). for about a month. It took several months for the swelling to go. My nerves were damaged and I was numb around my lower face for about a year. I am able to feel now but I still think it is less sensitive. Having said all of that I have no regrets. It has changed my life. I am a much more confident person and I am happy with my apearance (instead of feeling sad every time I looked at myself). The consultant who did my operation is very good and I think I am lucky to have had a fantastic result. I have got before and after photos if anyone who is thinking about the operation would like to see. HTH x

Flutter

Vicki, i would love to see some before and after photos.

Toothsmith - Aren't you a qualified Dentist?? Was there really a need to respond like that to Kacies post? 2cm is a fair bit, her life could very well be much better if she had it done.

Toothsmith

2cm is indeed a fair bit, but I don't know how this has been measured.

kacie seems a bit unsure about how to go about getting an osteotomy, which makes me think it's not been discussed by any dentist she's seen yet, so that's why I'm not sure if 2cm is a proper measurment of her overbite, or just a random measurement she's made herself from unknown points.

I would have hoped that if there was a real 2cm overbite, then it would have been discussed at some point with her what her options were.

I feel that nowadays, surgery is too often seen as a quick fix to what can sometimes be very minor blemishes. It's true that surgery these days is probably safer than it has ever been (even with post op hospital infections!). But it's still a major trauma to the body, and sometimes bodies react badly and unexpected things happen. I don't think that's pointed out often enough.

kacie needs to see a dentist and get referred if there really is a big problem with her bite, and it shouldn't cost her anything to get it done if it's considered 'necessary'. If it isn't necessary, then she really needs to be warned to think about it very carefully.

xxvickixx

How is best to share photos? Was thinking about setting up a snapfish folder and then sending an invite to your email, or would it be better in a PM. A third option is to add it to a message but there are 6 photos, left and right profile and face on before and after. These were taken by the hospital 2 years apart so they are really good to see the difference to to the jaw as they made sure that my bite was the same and that my face was in the same position.

xxvickixx

[IMG]http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/C:\Documents and Settings\Vicki\My Documents\My Pictures\My picture\before_after[/IMG]
That might have worked...

xxvickixx

This should work.