Since you all are dying to know- alright since my sister in law Julie asked- here are the answers to some of the questions you might have for me regarding my new face.
1. So why exactly are you paying thousands of dollars to have your face broken?
You may or may not have noticed that I previously had a rather substantial over bite. (I also have a prominent chin button- or so the orthodontist told me- and that compensated for my slack jawed chin.) I had it evaluated when I was young but due to incompetent doctors and living in foreign countries where dental work is still in the middle ages, my parents wisely opted not to let Frau Doktor Koenigs-Bottem or what ever her name was- pull all my teeth and make me wear head gear. However, not being able to bite properly was a drag so I waited until we had really really terrible health insurance and then made Ken pay for it all out of pocket.
2. What did they do to you?
After putting me under, the doctor cut through my bottom jaw at an angle on both sides and slid the lower jaw forward until it was in the correct place. He then inserted small screws through my cheeks to secure the jaw in place. When I came to in the hospital my braces were rubber banded together, my face looked like I'd been badly beaten in a war and both nostrils were all bloody. My nurse was nice enough to lie and tell me I looked pretty good. She also said I didn't look old enough to have two kids. I love her. But I wasn't fooled by either comment.
3. Do the screws come out?
No. They are there for good. I had heard something about new dissolvable screws, but I got the regular old metal kind.
4. Didn't Ken also have some similar surgery?
Yes. He did. Heaven help our children!
5. How long will it take for you to recover?
The doctor told me about 2 weeks. Some people have told me acquaintances of theirs have take longer- up to a few months to recover completely. I appear to be a quick healer. My face doesn't look distorted anymore. I just look a little plump in the face. There's some kind of strange yellow bruising all down the front of my neck, my lower jaw is still very numb, my tongue is numb, I can't open my mouth very far, but I am feeling pretty good. I still feel a little off balance from time to time, but I think that my down time is pretty much over. I am back to eating real food. Very soft food in very small bites, but real food!
6. Will you look different?
Yes, slightly different. We won't know until the swelling goes all the way down exactly what the new face will be. One worry I mentioned before was not wanting to look like Jay Leno. It appears I will not look like Leno. My lower lip is going to be more pouty and my upper lip is looking a little puny at the moment. Hopefully it will all balance out.
7. Are you done with braces now?
The braces stayed on for the surgery and they stay on for a bit longer. My teeth were arranged the best they could prior to surgery but there is still moving of teeth in my future. I won't go back to my orthodontist for a while- the surgeon wants to make sure everything is well healed before letting them yank the teeth around again. But once I am clear to go back to the orthodontist, I think I will only have a few months of braces left. I am really hoping I'll be done by Christmas or New Years.
So there you are. Questions you never really asked yourself and answers that may or may not interest you.
1. So why exactly are you paying thousands of dollars to have your face broken?
You may or may not have noticed that I previously had a rather substantial over bite. (I also have a prominent chin button- or so the orthodontist told me- and that compensated for my slack jawed chin.) I had it evaluated when I was young but due to incompetent doctors and living in foreign countries where dental work is still in the middle ages, my parents wisely opted not to let Frau Doktor Koenigs-Bottem or what ever her name was- pull all my teeth and make me wear head gear. However, not being able to bite properly was a drag so I waited until we had really really terrible health insurance and then made Ken pay for it all out of pocket.
2. What did they do to you?
After putting me under, the doctor cut through my bottom jaw at an angle on both sides and slid the lower jaw forward until it was in the correct place. He then inserted small screws through my cheeks to secure the jaw in place. When I came to in the hospital my braces were rubber banded together, my face looked like I'd been badly beaten in a war and both nostrils were all bloody. My nurse was nice enough to lie and tell me I looked pretty good. She also said I didn't look old enough to have two kids. I love her. But I wasn't fooled by either comment.
3. Do the screws come out?
No. They are there for good. I had heard something about new dissolvable screws, but I got the regular old metal kind.
4. Didn't Ken also have some similar surgery?
Yes. He did. Heaven help our children!
5. How long will it take for you to recover?
The doctor told me about 2 weeks. Some people have told me acquaintances of theirs have take longer- up to a few months to recover completely. I appear to be a quick healer. My face doesn't look distorted anymore. I just look a little plump in the face. There's some kind of strange yellow bruising all down the front of my neck, my lower jaw is still very numb, my tongue is numb, I can't open my mouth very far, but I am feeling pretty good. I still feel a little off balance from time to time, but I think that my down time is pretty much over. I am back to eating real food. Very soft food in very small bites, but real food!
6. Will you look different?
Yes, slightly different. We won't know until the swelling goes all the way down exactly what the new face will be. One worry I mentioned before was not wanting to look like Jay Leno. It appears I will not look like Leno. My lower lip is going to be more pouty and my upper lip is looking a little puny at the moment. Hopefully it will all balance out.
7. Are you done with braces now?
The braces stayed on for the surgery and they stay on for a bit longer. My teeth were arranged the best they could prior to surgery but there is still moving of teeth in my future. I won't go back to my orthodontist for a while- the surgeon wants to make sure everything is well healed before letting them yank the teeth around again. But once I am clear to go back to the orthodontist, I think I will only have a few months of braces left. I am really hoping I'll be done by Christmas or New Years.
So there you are. Questions you never really asked yourself and answers that may or may not interest you.
Comments
I am glad to hear that you are healing quickly.
We love you!