Sunday, June 14, 2009

Help/Question

Last night I kept waking up to two of my teeth sliding off each other and my bite settling with a big CLICK. I looked at those teeth this morning and it totally looks like the top one just wore the bottom one down and has fit itself into place. Does that make sense? This doesn't seem right. Has anyone else experienced this? My whole bite just feels completely weird. And does anyone know exactly what the rubber bands are doing? I didn't even ask. I have one on my left side on 3 upper teeth and one on the right side on 2 upper teeth. Are they moving teeth or moving jaws? I hope my teeth aren't getting ruined with all this rubbing and grinding. I'm so fed up with all of this.
My face is still swollen and looking like a "stone face." I'm not too thrilled about any of this right now. The ortho said that it takes 3-6 months for the swelling from upper jaw surgery to go away. It seems like most everyone's swelling is gone by 6 weeks though. At least most of it. I'm definitely not at the point where I'm super glad I had this done. My smile is weird too. It looks forced and stoney. Grrrr.....

13 comments:

Ytr said...

awww you will be fine i feel the same way as if the swelling is never going to go away!!! stay positive!

stephanie said...

I'm sorry you're still going through all this stuff. Hopefully it all clears up soon.

Katherine (Kate) said...

I have no idea what would be going on with your bite and the physics of elastics often confuse me, BUT I do know that it's amazing what they can do, really. Try to trust that your Ortho knows what he's doing & isn't going to do anything that would compromise your bite or the health of your teeth. I hear your frustration, how enough is enough already, you've gone through lots so why can't it just be over with everything perfect already.... Yes, it can wear you down. Ask your Ortho what he's doing, get him to explain the steps involved so you know what to be looking for and what to expect on the way to the end result. I know they sometimes make us feel we're wasting their time, or it's up to us to just trust them, but pooey on that! You're paying for a service and deserve to not worry about this stuff. Patients that feel informed and knowledgable are happier patients and more likely to comply with treatment... I'd (nicely, but firmly) get those answers from him and don't let up 'til you're content with what's going on. It's your mouth :)

Try not to get upset about stone face. I look at YOUR pictures and can't see the swelling~ I think it's partly the "you know your face best" thing and partly the numbness robs expression which leaves your face feeling heavier and more swollen. I have the exact same complaints about MY face! Smile feels forced (nothing between my nose and upper lip budges), now that the top jaw is in front the braces push out my upper lip weird, I'm still puffier on either side of my nose than normal... I look 'normal' most of the time, but trust me, there is still deep swelling that I KNOW is there. I'm babbling, but just want to reassure that you're not alone~ And I'd bet the others we think their swelling is gone, would protest that "No! I still have Stone Face too!" ;) And when it comes to my pics, It's when I'm feeling good and least swollen in the afternoons that I tend to reach for the camera... I'll sleep lying flat tonight and take a first thing in the morning puff-head pic to reassure you, hahahaha.

ps. YES! I swear the more I purposely move my face and make dumb pictures, the more things loosen up... I'm sucking lemons and I type this... :)

As awesome as i

Katherine (Kate) said...

D'oh:
As awesome as it feels to have uppers in front of lowers, my teeth do not all line up properly, either and am r-e-a-l-l-y close to crossbite on the one side. I've been promised the ortho will look after it with, you guessed it, elastics. If I bite straight down, teeth do not all fit together nicely, but rather contact on the right side with an upper canine touching first, and a jaw wiggle to make the others meet....

Anonymous said...

I have the same complaint about the swelling in the upper lip and sides of the nose (like Kate was saying.) I know it will go down but think I look funny and it does feel weird. For the longest time I felt that I looked like a 'Who' from Dr. Seuss!! My friends re-assure me they can't see it... but I won't be satisfied until I can't see it either!! :)

Also, the chewing thing. It WILL feel better. At my 6 week post op I cheated and tried chewing some onion rings and it felt SO WRONG! I was really upset because it felt unnatural, it was difficult, and I kept biting my lip. When I went to see my surgeon a few days later he said I should wait on the chewing another week or so until my jaws stabilize further and i get my wires replaced (my upper arch-wire was cut for the surgery) ... and now it feels WAY better at 8 weeks. Still getting used to it but hang in there!! Your jaw muscles have been out of commission for a while, so it takes practice. Start small and it will happen for you.

Lastly, about the elastics.. I will need them too so that my upper/lower jaws meet closer together... because my teeth ONLY touch at the canines! (I guess its just the way the bones settled.) But yeah I don't think the jaws are being moved with the elastics, just the teeth/roots that are imbedded in the jaw bones.

Take Care!
Christine

Rita said...

I am still swollen and also have a weird smile. I am so ready for the swelling to just go away. My teeth still doesn't line up, but my ortho is working on it. This is just all apart of the surgery and we will get through it. Hang in there. Blessings to you!!! : )

steffiD said...

Hey Aimee,
Everything you're experiencing is normal...well at least to those of us who have gone through the surgery LOL! My jaw cracks when I yawn too much. I don't have bands on so I can't say, but I think it's to align the teeth. The teeth on my left side didn't touch for about a week after my bands were off, but I woke up yesterday realizing they were touching! Amazing how your teeth move with adjustments. Be patient, I know it's hard.
As for the stone face, I too have that...I thought it was just me. My husband and friends say my face doesn't look swollen, but how do they know since we don't even know what our face is supposed to look like. I often feel the swelling on the inside of my cheeks b/c to look at me ,it doesn't look as bad as it feels. I have swelling by my nose too, esp. when I've been chewing a lot. Just keep smiling b/c no matter how stone faced you look, you'll be making someone elses day!!

Melissa said...

It will get better. I'm a week shy of a year post-op, and there are still tingles of feeling coming back, and tiny bits of swelling once in awhile. As for your bite, there will probably be a bunch of times when it doesn't seem like things are going where they should be. It seemed like every time the ortho adjusted stuff, it would be "off," but if I gave it a few days/a week, it would start going to where he wanted it, and I would understand better that things were ok. I know it gets frustrating- you've been through the surgery and want it to be done and over with!

Jaw Surgery Brandon said...

Hey Aimee,

I agree with what everyone said, you'll be back to normal (even better) in no time. I know it seems like forever while you're still in it though, I remember some of my tingling lasted over a year!

But overall, congrats on a successful surgery, and it would be a great help to others and future patients that are going to be going through the same thing you did if you could share your story and experience.

I'd love to get as many people to share their story as possible in one organized place, so people just like us won't be as scared, and they too can have a successful surgery.

All you have to do is write a quick summary of how the process was for you, in as much or as little detail as you like. For example, you could include how you felt right before surgery, how you felt after, what the sensations were like, what you wish you had known before, or anything else you can think of that will make the process a little bit easier for someone else.

To help, just go here:

http://www.jawsurgeryblog.com/forums/topic/help-future-jaw-surgery-patients

If you have any questions at all or trouble posting your story, just let me know, and I'll be glad to help you help others!

Thanks again,
Brandon

stephanie said...

Aimee - how are things going? Hopefully you're still doing well :)

nabukay said...

Hey aimee how are you now? i think like all the others you just need to trust the process. i promise your teeth will fall into place, i had so many doubts and now my teeth are perfect. trust the process and your ortho and you will be grateful. this whole process is worth it even if it sucks and we lost motivation sometimes.

Wendylee said...

This is more like a question. I am having the SARPE surgery and I wanted to know more or less what to expect. Can you please tell me of any thing I should do or not do to prepare for the surgery. Today I meet with the oral surgeon and I am a bit anxious anything you can share with me would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerly,
Wendy Medina

Aimee said...

Hi Wendy,

I didn't have SARPE. Sorry ~ I don't know anything about it or what to expect.