Surgery with Dr. Gunson Next Week!

[chinnychinchin]

It's quite spectacular how much the jaw stiffens up when it's not used. At my follow up appointment, my elastics were taken off for the first time in 2 weeks and after about ten minutes of exercising them, I finally got them wide enough to fit a small toothbrush head. Brushing them was an amazing feeling and great milestone. I'm to take off the elastics now three times a day and exercise my jaw for 5-10 minutes each time. The hardest part about taking off these elastics is dealing with the frontal ones. Dr. Gunson essentially screwed two hooks into my upper and lower jaw as attachment points during surgery. They're still not completely healed and bleed quite a bit when trying to maneuver the elastics around them. And they look like they're from a scene in one of the Saw movies.

Overall everything is healing well and the bite fits perfectly. And it's a great feeling to have a normal airway now--before surgery, I had trouble breathing through my nose only whereas today, I can close my mouth and breathe with no problems. Than you dantheman for the tramadol suggestion. However, I was prescribed Amitriptyline for the neuropathic pain I've been experiencing. But most importantly I'm now on a blended diet... the possibilities are endless.

[chinnychinchin]

Got some x-rays! Let me know if you guys would like to see the other ones.

Pre-op:


Post-op:


I'm officially a metalhead.

[dantheman]

Me too, thanks for the effort chinnychin, much appreciated.\

[chinnychinchin]

Here's the rest Hope it helps

Before - Nerve Study


After - Nerve Study


Before - Sagittal


After - Sagittal


Below are the ceph studies. Notice how tiny my airway was before and how large it is after.
Before - Ceph Study


After - Ceph Study


Before - Top Ceph Study


After - Top Ceph Study

[dantheman]

Thanks man!

How is your sleep? Any significant difference with that huge airway improvement?

[chinnychinchin]

A resounding hell yes! I'm still recovering so I'm not sure how my sleep has improved, but I'm now able to breathe much better, especially through my nose while my mouth is closed.

I mentioned it I think earlier, but I was never able to breathe through my nose completely. I've always had to supplement with some mouth breathing. I also did a sleep study because there have been a few times where I have woken up out of breath. The study revealed that my oxygen levels were below normal during REM resulting in my heart having to work harder (I think the lowest the oxygen level got was around 70%). Furthermore, I can tell my sleep was never effective since I tend to doze off while driving, etc. and just feeling tired generally. These issues I sort of just accepted until I started looking into jaw surgery for my recessed chin. I'm glad the surgery was able to address a lot of the underlying issues I had including jaw clicking, TMJ pain, and my teeth being worn down since my bite was terrible and my back molars never touched.

[Serra]

Has Gunson discussed the gap between your chin and mandible with you?

[terry947]

wow thanks for these pics. so interesting!

Sometimes when going to sleep i feel like i have a hard time breathing as well, cant wait to get my airways increased lol.

How much advancement did you have? Was it the max that gunson could do for you?

[chinnychinchin]

Wow, you sure did gain some airway volume!  That has to feel better.

I'm curious, what is the screw right above your top teeth?

It's a mounting point for one of my elastics. The screw will eventually get removed.

wow thanks for these pics. so interesting!

Sometimes when going to sleep i feel like i have a hard time breathing as well, cant wait to get my airways increased lol.

How much advancement did you have? Was it the max that gunson could do for you?

It was the max advancement due to the plane of my jaw. I'm not sure how much advancement it is but I'll ask Gunson the next time I see him.

[ForeverDet]

Has Gunson discussed the gap between your chin and mandible with you?

Hey Serra what gap are your referring to? You mean the area between the jaw on each side and where chin was sliced to be moved forward? They call that the step-off deformity which only occurs with excess advancement. Otherwise the space isn't usually visible on the jaw line. Plus I would imagine Arnett/Gunson would fill that area in via HA paste if it was going to be visible externally.

[chinnychinchin]

Has Gunson discussed the gap between your chin and mandible with you?

Nope, should I be concerned? And I can't really tell from my profile.

[chinnychinchin]

Also wanted to mention I had a ferocious outbreak of acne about 3-4 weeks after the surgery. It seems to be dissipating but it was unlike any acne I've ever experienced. Supposedly it was due to the anti-swelling medication I was on during the surgery + iodine wash on my face.

[Serra]

Nope, should I be concerned? And I can't really tell from my profile.

Was the objective to make your chin longer?

I had the same thing in my first surgery and it was disfiguring because it was so long

[chinnychinchin]

Was the objective to make your chin longer?

I had the same thing in my first surgery and it was disfiguring because it was so long

The object was to fix my worsening sleep apnea issue, fix my bite, and fix my recessed chin and get better facial balance for free.

Saw the good doc today and learned that my lower jaw was extended by 14.5 mm while upper jaw was 5 mm. Hope that helps.

[dantheman]

I suspect I will have similar movement and procedure recommendations. I look forward to seeing the final results! Chinnychin, are your teeth class II? I can't really tell the molar overlap.