Re: im confused?

[Guest guest]

Hi Holly,

I also had to get my wisdom teeth out before surgery. I got all 4

taken out a year before surgery, and finally had my surgery 5 weeks ago.

I also had my chin brought forward and had both my top and lower jaw

moved.

I'd say the surgery is worth it, but everyone does it for different

reasons, and determining if it's worth it is a decision you need to

make, and the best way is to ask as many questions, and discuss the

surgery with the surgeon and talk about the pros and cons.

As for your questions, there are two different processes that surgeons

use to hold the jaws in place after surgery. Either they wire you shut

for a period of time (usually 6 weeks) OR they use metal/titanium

plates and screws to hold the bones together and then use elastics to

keep the jaw in place. The elastics are tiny and go over your brackets

on your braces.

I had the second process, the elastics. And they can be uncomfortable

but you get used to them. Also they allow more flexibility in terms of

diet post surgery as compared to being wired shut.

As to side effects, any surgery has side effects, just like any drug

you take, and some people feel more than others. Most common is

swelling and numbness. There isn't much pain after surgery because of

the numbness, so the numbness is a good thing. There are a lot of

nerves in the mouth, and same as when they do the wisdom teeth surgery,

there is risk of nerve damage. Usually nerves regenerate with time,

however again its different for everyone. It probably will take time

for full feeling to come back post surgery.

The recovery is a slow one, but it's no different than if you break any

other bone in your body. It takes time, and each day things get better.

Good luck in your decision, and reading the posts on this forum really

helped me make an informed decision and knew what I was getting into.

It's a great place to get your questions answered, and to know you're

not alone!!

Rina

> this is my first time to post. I am 18 years old and I have had

braces

> for 2 and half years and my orth. told me i needed to have surgery. I

> went in for a consultation yesterday and was told before i have the

> surgery i needed to get my wisdom teeth pulled so im doing that this

> month. but if or when i have the surgery it won't be until

> december.The purose of my surgery would be to have my chin brought

> forward and my top jaw moved back so that my teeth would align.I have

> been reading everyones post trying to get as much information as i

can

> on this surgery and weather its worth it or not? I have a few

> questions and i was wondering if you all could help me..like ive

> noticed everyone talking about elasitcs?? whats that? and is there

> very many side effects to this surgery? im really nervous and scared

> especially about recovery..and i know i still have a while..and if

you

> could just help inform me. thank you holly

[Guest guest]

thank you Rina for explaining that to me. The surgeon also told me i

would have the screws put in me. I have another question..so does

everyone use a syringe to eat out of? and ive been reading a lot

that people have trouble breathing after the surgery is that true? I

have been going to the orthodontist for practically my whole life

and when i found out that it would be in my best intrest to have

surgery i was so anxious to get it done and over with so when i

found out that i would have to wait. I decided to look into it a

little bit more and i didn't really realize how much of a big deal

it was. at first though i knew i wanted to have the surgery but now

as ive been reading i have realized how much i did not even know.

all i knew at first was i was ready to get these braces off and this

all done and get over with. i think that if i got the surgery that i

will feel better with myself, everyone keeps telling me though i

shouldn't do it for the looks, but to me thats the main thing..i

think of myself as having fat baby cheeks..and i have heard that

surgery will help. I just don't want to go into this whole thing

with the wrong outlook and state-of-mind. thank you again Rina.

Holly

> > this is my first time to post. I am 18 years old and I have had

> braces

> > for 2 and half years and my orth. told me i needed to have

surgery. I

> > went in for a consultation yesterday and was told before i have

the

> > surgery i needed to get my wisdom teeth pulled so im doing that

this

> > month. but if or when i have the surgery it won't be until

> > december.The purose of my surgery would be to have my chin

brought

> > forward and my top jaw moved back so that my teeth would align.I

have

> > been reading everyones post trying to get as much information as

i

> can

> > on this surgery and weather its worth it or not? I have a few

> > questions and i was wondering if you all could help me..like ive

> > noticed everyone talking about elasitcs?? whats that? and is

there

> > very many side effects to this surgery? im really nervous and

scared

> > especially about recovery..and i know i still have a while..and

if

> you

> > could just help inform me. thank you holly

[Guest guest]

Hi Holly

Yes surgery can affect your breathing but most of the time this is a

short term effect. What happens is that when they move your upper jaw

it can affect your sinuses and breathing passages, not to mention

that you'll have a bunch of tubes down your nose during the surgery

to help minitor your condition. Think of it as having a bad cold for

a few days post surgery. I am 4 days post-op from upper jaw surgery

and today i can already breathe pretty well through one of my

nostrils. Because I have a deviated septum in my nose (which I chose

not to get fixed pre-surgery) breathing is probably more difficult

for me than it is for people without a deviated septum. All this to

say that I survived the breathing post-op!

In terms of what you use to eat out of post-op, different doctors

recommend different things. My doctor specifically told me NOT to use

a syringe or a straw. This is because I had my palet expanded and the

pressure perhaps that I would use to suck from a straw could open up

some of the stitches inside my mouth. Not sure why I can't use a

syringe but he told me I should use a cup or baby spoon and I have

been managing just fine with these up until now. The first week my

diet has to consist of clear liquids so stuff like apple juice,

chicken broth, water etc. There are also protein boosts that you can

take to supplement your diet to ensure you get enough calories.

When I can open my mouth a little better I will take a photo of my

mouth with the splints and elastics so that you can get a visual idea

of what they look like. It's good that you'e doing all this reading.

I found being prepared for the best and worst out of surgery was very

good for keeping me calm. And, as someone who also feels that I've

spent my whole life in braces (by the time I get braces off this time

around I'll have been in braces for at least 11 years not counting

all my retainers) I understand you anxiousness to just get this over

with.

Sara

> > > this is my first time to post. I am 18 years old and I have had

> > braces

> > > for 2 and half years and my orth. told me i needed to have

> surgery. I

> > > went in for a consultation yesterday and was told before i have

> the

> > > surgery i needed to get my wisdom teeth pulled so im doing that

> this

> > > month. but if or when i have the surgery it won't be until

> > > december.The purose of my surgery would be to have my chin

> brought

> > > forward and my top jaw moved back so that my teeth would

align.I

> have

> > > been reading everyones post trying to get as much information

as

> i

> > can

> > > on this surgery and weather its worth it or not? I have a few

> > > questions and i was wondering if you all could help me..like

ive

> > > noticed everyone talking about elasitcs?? whats that? and is

> there

> > > very many side effects to this surgery? im really nervous and

> scared

> > > especially about recovery..and i know i still have a while..and

> if

> > you

> > > could just help inform me. thank you holly

[Guest guest]

Rina,

Not everyone can use a syringe. First, my doctor's advised that I

didn't. They said it would be better for me to use a cup. Second,

when I did try the zip-n-squeeze bag thingy ... it was impossible to

get it in. I'm wired and splinted and there simply isn't any room

for the straw to go. So, some of us have to find alterate ways to

get nutrition into our systems.

Carol

> > > this is my first time to post. I am 18 years old and I have had

> > braces

> > > for 2 and half years and my orth. told me i needed to have

> surgery. I

> > > went in for a consultation yesterday and was told before i have

> the

> > > surgery i needed to get my wisdom teeth pulled so im doing that

> this

> > > month. but if or when i have the surgery it won't be until

> > > december.The purose of my surgery would be to have my chin

> brought

> > > forward and my top jaw moved back so that my teeth would

align.I

> have

> > > been reading everyones post trying to get as much information

as

> i

> > can

> > > on this surgery and weather its worth it or not? I have a few

> > > questions and i was wondering if you all could help me..like

ive

> > > noticed everyone talking about elasitcs?? whats that? and is

> there

> > > very many side effects to this surgery? im really nervous and

> scared

> > > especially about recovery..and i know i still have a while..and

> if

> > you

> > > could just help inform me. thank you holly