I went in to see the surgeon today. Yup, the Sunday before the big day. He wanted to take a look at my bite one final time before practicing the procedures on my models. It was like being at a zoo, poked and prodded and analyzed by the surgeon and his residents.

One commented, “She doesn’t seem phased.”

Yeah, well two post-op appointments would do that to you. I also had a string of other mouth-related appointments earlier in the week, so pulling of my lips up and down and sticking popsicle sticks along my gums? Used to it.

I’m glad he called to meet up beforehand though. He explained the procedure, and the gist of it is this: Break the upper jaw, move it forward, tilt it, and also widen it. To widen it, they make it into two pieces before they screw everything together and hold it in place with titanium plates. Risks include possibly killing the blood supply to certain parts of the mouth and potentially ending up with dead teeth. Gross. During the surgery, my sinuses will fill up with blood too, so I’ll be congested for awhile, and I won’t be able to blow my nose. The lower jaw will be cut around the nerve and then put back together, so that it lines up with the upper jaw. If they hit the nerve, it might be numb indefinitely.

Fantastic, huh?

The surgery will last between 6-8 hours. The good news? The surgeon has had one of these such surgeries every week for the last month or so. Bad news? I’ll be wired shut with a splint for FOUR weeks.

It’s too late to back out of it now. I knew what I was getting into when I started all the appointments, sorta…

Two more days.

Okay, not quite. But guess what?! I have a surgery date! Rather than just call me back to let me know, I received a letter from the hospital telling me my surgery date and my pre-op date. THANKS. At least it’s sooner than I had anticipated.

So here’s the dealio. I’m not really getting a NEW face, but my profile might change a bit because the jaw surgery affects both my lower and upper jaw. I will mostly look the same… I’ve had a severe underbite for my entire life, and basically what they’re doing is saving me a lifetime of trouble. In the long run, I’d have problems with eating if I left everything as is. They’re going to knock me out with anesthesia, take apart my upper and lower jaws, reproportion the bones [cut some out and put some back in], and then they’ll put me back together. They’ve done it for many years, so it’s not uncommon.

Recovery time is between a week and a month. I won’t be able to eat really. I’ll have to relearn to speak with my new mouth. Liquids will be my friend. Side effects may include loss of feeling in the face. If I’m drooling away while talking to you and not noticing, you will know why. For the first few days, I’ll look completely swollen and gross. I am NOT looking forward to that. That’s alright though. I’ll probably just lock myself up in the house with my pain meds. ;-)

So YES, a surgery date’s been set. Hooray! Rejoice! Another one off the list.

021 – Schedule jaw surgery date.

An update on the 101 in 1001:

020 – Document jaw surgery. Before and after.
My orthodontist is pretty high tech. “Before” photos are accessible upon logging into their system. Why I didn’t bother to look before is beyond me. They’re not pretty. These are definitely unflattering photos of me. Class III Severe Malocclusion – Woo!

The underbite is rather severe. I haven’t taken updated photos at the orthodontist, but basically all the teeth are straightened out now. A few teeth were removed. And now, there’s no more overlapping of the teeth in the front. The braces don’t fix the fact that my lower jaw is a lot larger than my upper jaw, so I still have a horrible underbite. Jaw surgery will fix that. Can’t wait.