6 months post op update!

[Icy]

Hi all! I just wanted to post a 6 month post op update! I've had a very smooth recovery with very few issues. My teeth and bite are in good condition and my braces are off, but my TMJ has gone to hell. It's way worse than it was before the operation, but it's been worth it overall!

My face and profile are overall far more balanced and I don't feel as much tension in my neck and face as I did before, even with my TMJ issues. My overbite and asymmetry appear to be gone for good and while I still feel weird when I smile, I am happy! I have some numbness and tingling in my teeth and in a small patch of my chin under my lip, but it's barely noticeable unless I poke at it. Hopefully it all fades away eventually!

Now for a few pictures!

A quick before reminder:




And after!










I don't regret the operation even though it worsened my TMJ, I finally feel comfortable with my face and my bite!

[needadvancement]

Looks great, congratz. Nice to find a success story around here.

[slysurfz]

Awesome! great to see a success story. Who's the artist behind it?

[Icy]

Looks great, congratz. Nice to find a success story around here.

Thank you! I'm immensely glad that it all worked out! Jaw surgery is scary but in my case it was definitely worth it

Awesome! great to see a success story. Who's the artist behind it?

My doctor is South African, Dr H. Kluge

[JimmyTheGent]

Do you know why double jaw surgery negatively effects the jaw joints?  Shouldn't TMJ problems get better with jaw surgery or does all the swelling and physical manipulation during surgery take its toll on the joints?

[Icy]

Do you know why double jaw surgery negatively effects the jaw joints?  Shouldn't TMJ problems get better with jaw surgery or does all the swelling and physical manipulation during surgery take its toll on the joints?

I can't speak for other cases, but I have a deranged (ie dislocated) TM disc, so it will only get worse over time. I'll have to get it fixed eventually, but the risk of having 3 operations in one wasn't a risk I was willing to take in the end. I didn't feel any significant pain until my bite strength returned, so perhaps the actual operation itself only negatively affects joints when it increases the strain on them?

[JimmyTheGent]

I can't speak for other cases, but I have a deranged (ie dislocated) TM disc, so it will only get worse over time. I'll have to get it fixed eventually, but the risk of having 3 operations in one wasn't a risk I was willing to take in the end. I didn't feel any significant pain until my bite strength returned, so perhaps the actual operation itself only negatively affects joints when it increases the strain on them?

Firstly I want to thank you sooooo very much for coming back and giving a 6 month update.  That is so rare I wish I could give you a medal or something.  I just wrote a rant about how people ask for info on a daily basis but then leave and even ignore the very same people who helped them make their jaw surgery decision so again I am super grateful.   
I had TMJ problems after I had my wisdom teeth taken out and a dentist told me it was probably because of the duration of the surgery, the swelling after that basically displaced my joints for a week or two, and from leaving the thing that keeps my jaw open during surgery (apparently its bad for the TMJ to keep the mouth open for an extended period of time).  This makes me wonder if a short operating time would lead to less swelling and less TMJ problems?   Dr Alfaro in Spain does double jaw surgery and a Genio in under 2 hours and the patients i've spoken to all heal up much quicker with very few complications. 

[JimmyTheGent]

Icy I saw in another post you said you felt that surgery gave you a little more cheek bone projection, do you still feel it did and if so did you have SAPRE or a segmental lf1 to widen the palate?  Did the surgeon state what movements may have contributed to cheekbone definition? As you may have guessed Im lacking in cheekbones!  Your smile came out awesome, like the wide "Hollywood Smile" people pay $30K for veneers to achieve except your look natural.

[Bowie]

Icy I saw in another post you said you felt that surgery gave you a little more cheek bone projection, do you still feel it did and if so did you have SAPRE or a segmental lf1 to widen the palate?  Did the surgeon state what movements may have contributed to cheekbone definition? As you may have guessed Im lacking in cheekbones!  Your smile came out awesome, like the wide "Hollywood Smile" people pay $30K for veneers to achieve except your look natural.

I think it is just as simple as different people's starting point and jaw movements making the soft tissue respond differently, sometimes it can reposition in a way that creates concave cheeks, the surgeon can't predict that but if it is a look you want then they can INFLUENCE it with fat removal and cheekbone augmentation, one surgeon even suggested muscle removal.

OP congrats you look great.

[Icy]

Firstly I want to thank you sooooo very much for coming back and giving a 6 month update.  That is so rare I wish I could give you a medal or something.  I just wrote a rant about how people ask for info on a daily basis but then leave and even ignore the very same people who helped them make their jaw surgery decision so again I am super grateful.   
I had TMJ problems after I had my wisdom teeth taken out and a dentist told me it was probably because of the duration of the surgery, the swelling after that basically displaced my joints for a week or two, and from leaving the thing that keeps my jaw open during surgery (apparently its bad for the TMJ to keep the mouth open for an extended period of time).  This makes me wonder if a short operating time would lead to less swelling and less TMJ problems?   Dr Alfaro in Spain does double jaw surgery and a Genio in under 2 hours and the patients i've spoken to all heal up much quicker with very few complications.

It's my pleasure! I totally shared your frustrations on that subject, as I really struggled to find before/afters of people with overbites and asymmetry as opposed to an overjet or underbite which seems more typical. TMJ issues are really complicated, and I think if you already have degeneration seeing a surgeon with specialisation in the TMJ would be advisable to start with? I'm sure a faster operation time is better, I think mine was relatively long (my friend waited for me to come out for 7 hours, so it was probably in the realm of 6 hours? I healed with no complications other than TMJ issues I had before the operation.

Icy I saw in another post you said you felt that surgery gave you a little more cheek bone projection, do you still feel it did and if so did you have SAPRE or a segmental lf1 to widen the palate?  Did the surgeon state what movements may have contributed to cheekbone definition? As you may have guessed Im lacking in cheekbones!  Your smile came out awesome, like the wide "Hollywood Smile" people pay $30K for veneers to achieve except your look natural.

I think it is just as simple as different people's starting point and jaw movements making the soft tissue respond differently, sometimes it can reposition in a way that creates concave cheeks, the surgeon can't predict that but if it is a look you want then they can INFLUENCE it with fat removal and cheekbone augmentation, one surgeon even suggested muscle removal.

OP congrats you look great.

To answer you both, I think it's definitely a matter of my soft tissues being distributed differently now. My upper jaw wasn't segmented as far as I know due to my narrow lower jaw, so I think it's just a matter of rotation and projection. My whole lower face is more forward projecting now, so my cheek and mouth structure looks different. Thank you both, I am definitely very happy with my results!