Hi

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

When you stayed for 10 days in NYC was it a hotel?

[Guest guest]

Message: 5 Date: Fri, 25 May 2001 19:20:56 EDT From: gwen20852@...Subject: Re: HI Hi ,When you stayed for 10 days in NYC was it a hotel?================

I stayed at Greenburg Hall which is across the street from NYUMC. It is dorm like and just ok. But it was tons cheaper than a hotel and close to my objective.

[Guest guest]

Hi, my name is Tony and I had a Bilateral Sagittal Split Osteotomy

(BSSO) and a Genioplasty on March 19th of this year. I suppose

relaying my experience might help others in their decision process.

What follows is a detailed account of how I came to my decision to

have the surgery, what steps I needed to take leading up to the

surgery and my post-op thoughts.

I have been undergoing orthodontic treatment since September, 2001.

I was 27 years old at the time of the surgery and in good health.

During the course of this treatment I had 4 wisdom teeth removed and

2 lower bicuspids removed to alleviate crowding in my lower arch.

Since the teeth in my upper arch are markedly larger than those on

the bottom arch, the discrepancy in the number of teeth is not an

issue. I decided to undergo this rigorous treatment plan because I

wanted to relieve my TMJ problems, have a normal bite and fix my

sever underbite. I will not lie: asthetics played a big part. I

have always been very self-concious about my overbite. As a result,

I would jut my jaw forward, which would stress my joints,

precipitating the TMJs and causing the pain and lockjaw.

Part of my treatment also included having the BSSO surgery in the

latter stages. I was finally ready for the surgery in October, but

because of various circumstances and a mix up in my providor's

office, I could not schedule the surgery until March. That's lesson

#1: follow that paper trail like it is going out of style! In my

case, the individual handling my case was either fired or quit and my

paperwork got " lost in the shuffle. "

I met my oral surgeon last Fall and she took all of the necessary

measurements during my consultation with her. She was recommended to

me by the oral surgeon who removed my teeth during my treatment

because of her expertise in BSSO surgery. I had one more

consultation with her the week before the surgery. During the

consultation she offered me two computer-generated simulations: one

without the Genioplasty (i.e. chin advancement) and one with it. She

left the decision up to me as to which one I should choose and

informed me that the Genioplasty was not covered by the insurance. I

decided to have the genioplasty done, which cost me $2000.00. After

consulting with my friends and family, I felt it just looked better.

I also figured if I was going to undergo the jaw surgery, I may as

well be 100% happy with my decision, even though the difference

provided by the Genioplasty was minimal.

My oral surgeon also mentioned possible complications. Specifically,

she cited a 10% chance of some permanent loss of sensation in the

lower lip and chin. She also mentioned that approximately 75% of her

patients reported a temporary loss of sensation in those same areas

(i.e. up to six months post-op). She mentioned that the Genioplasty

does not result in any additional, measurable risk of complications.

I felt comfortable with her previous work, credentials and these

odds, so I decided to have the surgery.

The surgery was performed under general anasthesia, so one moment I

was put to sleep and the next moment I woke up in the recovery room.

I believe the surgery lasted approximately 4 hours. I recall my

first post-op thought being: " My God, my teeth fit together! " There

was no pain, however there was pressure around my jaw. The biggest

post-operative discomfort had to do with the catheter that was

installed during the surgery to relieve my bladder. Excuse me for

the crude visual, but peeing that evening was the most excruciating

pain I have ever experienced.

A sensitivity test indicated that my lower left lip had sensation,

but my lower right lip was numb. My chin was also numb. I was

informed that the surgery went well and that the nerve wasn't unduly

disturbed. Thus, I was given 6 months to recover full sensation.

I spent the evening in the hospital and came home the next day. I

will be honest and tell you that the next week was MISERY. I just

didn't feel like drinking anything, I was tired and just sat on my

butt most of the time. Recommendation #2: Have someone literally

force-feed you liquids and get you moving around. Acting the tough

guy, I wasn't taking in nearly enough fluids and thus, I wasn't

feeling too well. By the 6th day I got the habit of the liquid diet

and started consuming a good amount of calories and started feeling

way better. The 2nd week was great as I had adjusted to the liquid

diet completely. After 2 weeks, I could begin chewing soft foods.

This wasn't much of a problem. I was on this soft foods diet for

another 8 weeks. At that point, I could chew just about any food.

The only issue I had was in opening my mouth fully...that took me

another month to master.

So, it is almost 5 months post-op and here is the condition I find

myself in:

1) My teeth fit together very nicely, with no joint issues or pain.

2) I am very pleased with the appearance. The best part was walking

past someone I hadn't seen a while and not having them recognize me

intitially!

3) I continue to experience numbness in my right lower lip and chin.

I must admit that this was worrisome at first but I have become

accustomed to it by now. In reality, it has not had any impact on my

quality of life. I eat just fine and don't have problems dribbling

food or liquids. I can also speak just fine and have no trouble

enunciating any words. I think having the sensation in my left lower

lip is a BIG help in that regard. If my whole lip was numb, I may

feel a little apprehensive. I am experiencing some pins and needles

sensation in the affected area, but it has not improved in the past

few months. I think this may be permanent, but the effect has been

minimal.

So, in the end, do I think the procedure was worth it? Would I do it

again? Absolutely. I feel the benefits far outweigh the

complications in my case.

I will post pictures shortly, probably under a folder named " abad " or

something. Anyway, I just felt like contributing my two cents to

prospective patients because I definately benefited from reading

everyone's accounts and descriptions. Keep the good karma flowing! :-

) In any case, feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Hope everyone has a great summer,

-Tony