Re: rigid fixation - wired first few days?

[Guest guest]

no replies...can someone answer this question???

> i will be having lower jaw surgery to correct an underbite and the

> surgeon and i have decided on the use of rigid fixation. I was under

> the understanding that i wouldn't have to be wired shut, but the

> surgeon told me today that i actually need to be wired shut for the

> first 7 days or so. is this the standard procedure? i thought rigid

> fixation elmiinated the need to be wired shut. please advise.

thanks.

[Guest guest]

Different surgeons have different approaches to this problem.

I did indeed have lower advancement, and had only the screws in

place, with a splint, when I left the hospital. Later, my surgeon

added a coupld of small and pretty potent elastics, up front, to

support the lower jaw when I complained of some pain.

Other docs use both rigid fixation and wiring. Still others use RIF

(rigid internal fixation) and really tight elastics. Others use

looser elastics. Same with splints. Depending on the procedure, some

use them only during the surgery, some leave them wired in (in my

case, for seven weeks), some use removable ones, etc.

Personally, I wanted my surgeon to use whatever tools and techniques

he had had the best results with. If he'd wanted to wire me shut, I'd

have done it. But I was really glad that he didn't!

Best,

Cammie

> > i will be having lower jaw surgery to correct an underbite and

the

> > surgeon and i have decided on the use of rigid fixation. I was

under

> > the understanding that i wouldn't have to be wired shut, but the

> > surgeon told me today that i actually need to be wired shut for

the

> > first 7 days or so. is this the standard procedure? i thought

rigid

> > fixation elmiinated the need to be wired shut. please advise.

> thanks.