Any experiences with repeat surgery?

[husky90]

Hi there,

I had jaw surgery in 2013, and the double jaw surgery and genioplasty I had done was completed with minimal nerve damage (primarily to my lower left lip and chin) and asymmetry. My lower left jaw point is mm's further out from the center of my face in comparison to the right side. This was shown recently through medical modeling. The only way to resolve this size of asymmetry is through a repeat surgery.

I would like to hear from others on this, particularly if you or someone you know has gone through 2+ surgeries. This time I would only be having the jaws and not the chin repositioned. I also no longer have braces but the current surgeon says he can fixate the jaws together through some kind of screw plate.

The recovery is no cake-walk, and I am certainly very concerned about complications. Hope to hear from others on this. Thank you!

[basmoth]

I've had 3. The first two required braces, the third was done without. For the third, I had two screws in my upper gums and one screw in the bottom gums. I had to wear rubber bands 24/7 for the first week. The bands and screws were removed after that (it doesn't hurt) and I was free to consume soft foods after. My surgeon says that my bite is fine as it is, but that I have the option of pursuing post-operative braces if I really wanted a perfect bite.

Overall, recovery is the same for revision surgery - it sucks!

[PloskoPlus]

I've had 3. The first two required braces, the third was done without. For the third, I had two screws in my upper gums and one screw in the bottom gums. I had to wear rubber bands 24/7 for the first week. The bands and screws were removed after that (it doesn't hurt) and I was free to consume soft foods after. My surgeon says that my bite is fine as it is, but that I have the option of pursuing post-operative braces if I really wanted a perfect bite.

Overall, recovery is the same for revision surgery - it sucks!

Why so many?  How much nerve damage did you incur?

[Bobbit]

Hi there,

I had jaw surgery in 2013, and the double jaw surgery and genioplasty I had done was completed with minimal nerve damage (primarily to my lower left lip and chin) and asymmetry. My lower left jaw point is mm's further out from the center of my face in comparison to the right side. This was shown recently through medical modeling. The only way to resolve this size of asymmetry is through a repeat surgery.

I would like to hear from others on this, particularly if you or someone you know has gone through 2+ surgeries. This time I would only be having the jaws and not the chin repositioned. I also no longer have braces but the current surgeon says he can fixate the jaws together through some kind of screw plate.

The recovery is no cake-walk, and I am certainly very concerned about complications. Hope to hear from others on this. Thank you!

Is this purely cosmetic - -  or do you have a bite issue in addition?

[basmoth]

First one relapsed, second one wasn't done well and I still had a malocclusion. The third was done for mainly cosmetic reasons, but with the side goal of improving the bite.

[husky90]

Is this purely cosmetic - -  or do you have a bite issue in addition?

Cosmetic. Since the original surgery, my face now has a twisted and off-to-the-side appearance and the measurements in the medical modeling showed why. I also have popping in the TMJ side that would possibly have more pressure on it due to the imbalance, so I am hoping that will also improve.

[husky90]

I've had 3. The first two required braces, the third was done without. For the third, I had two screws in my upper gums and one screw in the bottom gums. I had to wear rubber bands 24/7 for the first week. The bands and screws were removed after that (it doesn't hurt) and I was free to consume soft foods after. My surgeon says that my bite is fine as it is, but that I have the option of pursuing post-operative braces if I really wanted a perfect bite.

Overall, recovery is the same for revision surgery - it sucks!

Did you notice any changes in feeling/nerve damage? Also, how old were you with these surgeries? I can't believe you went through that 3 times... Hope you're happy with the final result.

[jawsaw]

To everyone who had multiple surgeries: Did you deal with health insurance? Were the surgeries after the first covered?

[basmoth]

Did you notice any changes in feeling/nerve damage? Also, how old were you with these surgeries? I can't believe you went through that 3 times... Hope you're happy with the final result.

I think I got really lucky, because I don't have any nerve damage. Even for the third, I'm starting to get feeling back in the areas that were numb post-op.

If you do proceed with a revision, my advice would be to emphasize a good aesthetic result as well. Otherwise, I just don't think it's worth it unless you're correcting a major functional issue from the first one.

[jawsaw]

Still curious about insurance coverage for a revision surgery. Has anyone else had a revision that WAS covered by insurance?

[Pandoras Jaw]

I've had several revisions and they were all covered