Three years of dental purgatory later…
Since I’ve been repeatedly asked to post a picture of myself sans hardware (read: braces and appliances), I’m updating this fancy little blog one last time.
I had a date with my orthodontist earlier this week where she kindly removed my braces for me. The entire process took no more than 5 minutes and was relatively painless. I was shocked that something that was such an inconvenience could be eradicated in mere moments. My teeth felt extremely slimy at first, but I later realized that I’d simply forgotten what smooth teeth actually felt like.
Following that, she made a couple of molds of my new mouth so their lab could fashion me a sporty new retainer! (Note: I’m not actually excited about having a retainer. I’m just making my best effort at staying positive.) I received the retainer a few hours later and learned how to snap it in and take it out. Then, upon shaking the hands of all of the lovely ladies who have taken care of me in that office for the past 3 years, I walked out the door for the last time.
I’ve created a little storyboard intermission for those of you who would rather forego reading altogether and just look at pictures.
Guess what, folks! I have big news!
I got rid of my braces!
Now I’m subjected to wearing this retainer…
…but it’s going to keep my teeth super straight! (Now that’s an unflattering shot!)
Wearing a retainer is frustrating at first because your speech is slightly lispy and you need to take it out every single time you wish to eat. It only took a day or two before I learned how to speak while wearing it and realized that removing it to eat is hardly an inconvenience, considering I can now smile at the table while I eat. It’s quite a brilliant thought! I’m supposed to wear this retainer every day for a year, then every night for two months, and then 1–2 nights per week for the rest of my life.
I wonder what’s waiting out there for me and my new smile…
Following my orthodontist appointment, I went to donate blood with a friend for the first time in my life. Now, despite having 5 years’ worth of tattoos, I’m actually horribly afraid of needles. I finally manned up and committed to donating only to learn that you can’t be a donor if you’ve had dental work performed in the past 24 hours. I still had the privilege of eating free cookies though, so it was a worthwhile trip.
“Would you like another plate of ribs?”
Later that night, a few friends and I went out for unlimited ribs (despite the fact that my orthodontist explicitly told me not to eat ribs for three days until the glue on the permanent wire on the backs of my bottom teeth was fully set). Folks, eating things like ribs and apples again is quite amazing. I felt like a bit of a glutton afterwards, considering I ate 5 plates’ worth. It was a celebration though, so I’m exempting myself for that one night only.
I’ll be driving to New York in a couple of weeks to experience New Year’s Eve in Times Square. I plan on doing something crazy, so look for me on TV! I’ll be the crazy Canadian running around finding cameras in a mad attempt to flash the entire world… with my new smile!
February 15, 2014 at 10:07 pm
Hi Graham!
Surgery went well and I was released from hospital on the late morning of the 12th. I did the mistake of looking at myself in the mirror the day they removed my catheter (another story…I can only imagine what is it like for a guy) big shock. I looked like a botched face transplant surgery. For a second, I seriously questioned the sanity of my decision. I also got a shot in my behind I can’t remember if the nurse said it was an antibiotic or what but that made lying down uncomfortable the entire time (don’t laugh) more so than the 5 hours or so of surgery. There’s lot of things I like old school: dance moves, music, movies BUT No Shots in the Behind. That’s not my kind of old school. Anyways weather sucked in Toronto when I got home. Snow, melt, freeze, rain freeze and repeat. I am now writing this at an ungodly hour of the night just to avoid my face congesting and exploding while I’ll lie down. Quick question: when were you able to swallow liquids without having your throat constantly irritated?
Thanks,
Grace
February 16, 2014 at 11:41 am
Hi Grace,
Welcome to the end of your first week of recovery! Your comment made me laugh, especially your bit about being an old-school girl.
I remember my appearance the day after surgery quite vividly and I believe you did it justice by describing it as a botched face transplant.
To answer your question, I was able to start drinking without issue by about the tenth day of recovery. At that point, your swelling should be to the point where you can begin drinking from a cup and swallowing with some comfort.
Be well and let me know how the second week goes! =)
February 15, 2014 at 12:53 pm
Dear Graham,
Thank you for your kind wish before my surgery. I am on the fifth day of the post-op. I went in the operation room at 7:30 AM and got out around 2:30 PM. Your observations and others about the post-op put my mind at ease because they cover almost all possible scenarios. Thank you for continuing maintaining and responding to this blog long after your surgery.
Best wishes,
Lan
February 16, 2014 at 11:31 am
Lan, I’m happy to hear your surgery is now in the past! Stay strong for these next couple of weeks and make sure you get some fresh air every single day. =)
February 9, 2014 at 8:05 pm
Hello Graham,
I have been reading your blog and comments of other people on your blog. It has been very informative. I will have my surgery tomorrow morning. Thank you!
February 10, 2014 at 8:04 am
Lan, I hope your surgery goes well!
February 9, 2014 at 10:23 am
Hi Graham!
I’ve been reading your blog since I was told that surgery was in my treatment plan (aka the day following my consult with my orthodontist). Fast forward almost 2 years in braces and surgery is tomorrow 8AM eeek!
Thanks for your blog. And for still updating it.
I might bombard you with questions as soon as my hospital stay is over. Looking at 3 days.
February 9, 2014 at 10:53 am
Grace, I promise I’ll be here for support when chubby cheeks get the best of you. =) I hope the surgery goes well!
February 8, 2014 at 3:10 pm
Cassie, Graham – Thank you so much for your responses! My surgeon and orthodontist both gave the go ahead as well, so Coachella tickets are locked in! It is exciting to have something to look forward to after all of this drama. Although I must say, 9 days in, it is hard to remember what a normal face actually feels like! Can’t wait to have some feeling back in my chin/lower lip. Thank you again for getting back to me Graham, I’m so impressed at your continued attention to this blog! Happy to hear NZ is your favourite country as well, you must come back sometime – it only gets better… We only hear the best things about Canada too – I’m hoping to find out on my upcoming trip! All the best and thanks again, Katherine
February 4, 2014 at 1:05 pm
Hi Graham, just a quick note to say thanks, I am 42 year old (little old for this surgery but hey ho put it off long enough!), I had double jaw surgery on the 13th Sept last year (Friday the 13th ha!) and struggled badly for the 1st week, I was then directed to your website and reading your experiences made my journey a hell of a lot easier, I could relate to your issues and was assured there was light at the end of the tunnel. Now almost 5 months in the surgery is a distant memory, braces are off in 4 weeks (so my consultant has promised but will believe it when I see it) and although I still have some numbness in lower lip and chin I am hopeful this will get better in time. So thanks again for your blog, was a great help to me. Mark.
February 5, 2014 at 8:17 am
Mark, I’m so happy you found some solace in my ranting here. It sounds like you have some residual lack of feeling in the same areas as I do, but hopefully those nerves will reawaken at some point in the near future. Take care!
February 3, 2014 at 8:41 pm
Hi Graham!
I lost count of the amount of times I came to your blog!
I had just lower jaw surgery and am on my 11th day.
Chin and lower lips numb and with a terrible burning sensation (which I’ve heard isn’t that great to have but too soon to say).
Question for you…Did you have to “retrain” yourself to talk? My bottom lip and chin and numb and even though I have no elastics or anything in my mouth, I look like I had a stroke when talking! Not sure if it’s because all is pretty stiff or because I don’t know how to use my bottom lips when numb.
What do you think?
Also, how long did it take you to get to open your mouth wide enough to close to normal? I’m having the hardest time with that.
It’s already 2014! Not even sure if you’re still posting here. I hope you are!
Blessings!
Maria
February 4, 2014 at 9:23 am
Hi Maria,
When I began to speak again following the surgery, I had to slow my speech down and focus because my tongue seemed to get tangled up in my mouth. The end result was my speech becoming more articulate, which is only a bonus, right?
As for being able to open my mouth, my full range of motion didn’t return until around the 4-month mark, however most of my motion was back within 10 weeks. I found chewing gum and whistling all day long aided in stretching the muscles in my face out quite a lot.
Best of luck with the next few weeks and keep in touch! =)
February 2, 2014 at 10:36 pm
Hey! I am due to have surgery soon, and I was just wondering about the experience with intimacy and kissing? How long was it before you were able to do things like kiss? Thanks! I really appreciate your blog.
February 3, 2014 at 9:26 am
Nick, that’s quite a popular question, ha! I was able to actually kiss again around the 7-week mark. I thought I would have to learn the art all over again, but it was actually very similar to kissing before the surgery, so no need to worry about that. Good luck with the surgery and let me know how it goes! =)
January 26, 2014 at 5:15 am
Hey graham its been 4 years since u did the surgery? Is everything fine? And long term complications?
January 26, 2014 at 12:51 pm
James, the only long-term effects of the my surgery are a few small permanently numb patches on my chin. I honestly don’t even notice them any longer, except when shaving. I feel the operation was well worth the effort and highly recommend it if you’re having trouble speaking, chewing, breathing, or smiling.
January 15, 2014 at 7:41 pm
Katherine,
I had my double jaw surgery and wisdom teeth
Removal in December 2011. I then travelled to
Mexico in February for a week. I was fine. Some
Stuff was hard to eat and I still had some swelling
Obviously but I was able to drink, eat, party.
I even went off roading and zip line! I think you should be
Fine.
January 15, 2014 at 7:33 pm
Graham
I wanted to say thank you so much for your insights on this blog. I can’t tell you how useful they have been. I realise I’m about three years late to the table, but I wondered if I could ask your opinion on something. I’m having double jaw surgery on 31 January 2013 (in NZ).
An opportunity has arisen for me to travel to the USA for Coachella and then a bit of roadtripping that would see me leaving NZ around 15 April. Having looked at your blog (in detail!), it seems it might be a bit of a stretch to commit to that kind of travel only 80 days(ish) post surgery but I would be interested in your thoughts, if you have any on whether you think that I would still enjoy the trip and still be able to have fun without being hindered by the surgery. Any thoughts very welcome! Even brutally honest ones. Thank you so much, Katherine.
January 20, 2014 at 10:07 pm
Hi Katherine,
First off, lucky you for living in New Zealand. That’s my favorite country on this entire planet. I lived there in 2005 and would like to move back in the near future. God bless fish’n’chips!
Regarding your question, I would agree with Cassie. You should be perfectly fine to travel by the 80-day mark. The only things you should note are that you may not be able to eat really tough/hard foods (ie. steaks, peanuts) and you may still have a little bit of residual swelling (nothing preventing you from living life, though).
Go to Coachella and have an amazing time! =)
November 9, 2013 at 11:30 am
Hi Graham,
I contacted you a while ago, before surgery, which at that point was going to be double jaw. While I did take your comment about waiting on exams into consideration, I still went for it. Long story, but I couldn’t take a semester off without jeopardizing the whole program I’m in. That and I only had to score 50% to pass the classes, so I decided to just hope I could swing it. I did but wouldn’t again if I could avoid it. If any other crazies ask you, don’t change your answer. 🙂
The good news was that they only did the lower jaw! They decided that the week before the surgery. I’m sure it made the exam thing easier. Recovery was still a little rough. Nausea and vomiting from pain meds, and right when I could finally quit them, stomach flu. Seriously?
Well anyway, how did they bring your molars together? If elastics, what configurations? Any other methods? Mine are open on both sides, so I have just front teeth to chew with, which, although a step up from before surgery when I had no teeth to chew with, is still a problem. I wonder because the ortho doesn’t seem impressed by it; he’s worrying about little gaps between top teeth. Guess he hasn’t tried to eat this way. I’m going to ask him about it at my next visit and would like some idea what I might expect.
Thanks so much for the blog. Gosh it was helpful, even though I got to go the easy route.
November 10, 2013 at 11:23 am
Becca, I remember you! Funny story about your exams, but props to you for toughing it out all the same.
Regarding your open bite, I simply wore elastics for 6 months following the surgery and then practised patience. Eventually, they grew back together. Teeth will naturally continue growing outward until they encounter opposition (ie. your other teeth). In other words, your open bite will close in its own good time. Mine took approximately a year and a half before I could chew effectively with all my molars again.
Be patient and all should be well in a season or two! =)
October 27, 2013 at 1:44 pm
I’ll be having my surgery in one or two years and I just wanted to say that your blog is awesome and it’s really nice that you still answer questions three years post surgery. Thanks for putting this stuff online. I’m also happy for you that life is going well :). That’s all 😀
October 27, 2013 at 3:41 pm
Glad I could give you a heads up about all this stuff, Daniel. I imagine I’ll be hearing from you in a year or two!
September 15, 2013 at 2:42 pm
hey graham,well congrats for your engagement =) .i just wanted to know did you ever felt stiff in your lower lip/chin area in the early post op period .now i am on 9th week i just feel numb on my lower lip and chin but there is small patch on the right where i feel some sensations but its all stiff since the surgery ,mostly when its cold .and did your nose changed any bit after the surgery? i got some issues where my right nostril is almost blocked,the midline inside my nose is not in middle and its blocking the right nostril.i talked with the surgeon about this and he said we might have to go another minor operation for that after few months once my bones are healed.currently i am using nasal spray but sometimes it bothers too much.waiting for your helpful reply .thanks alot for the site and sharing your experience 🙂
September 16, 2013 at 9:35 am
AJ, thanks for the congratulations! It’s weird to see my personal life mixed with my jaw surgery image, haha. My lips and chin were also stiff following surgery, yes. It takes 3–4 months for all of your swelling to go away, so you’re still in good form for being on your 9th week. Your nose (or rather, your septum) was likely shaved down a bit during surgery so it’s also normal to have swelling and congestion in that part of your face. These things should clear up for you over the next month or so. =)
September 12, 2013 at 12:59 pm
How are things going now? You haven’t updated in awhile!
September 13, 2013 at 9:36 am
Camilla, life is going really well! I traveled around the entire world for a year, met a girl, moved back to Canada for a year, and I’m now engaged. Thanks for checking in! =)
August 31, 2013 at 10:32 pm
Hi Graham!
I stumbled across your blog since I need to get Double Jaw Surgery to correct my Posterior Open Bite. It’s been this way since I was born, and has gotten worse over time. My only option is surgery . . . the only problem is, my skeletal condition is so severe, almost no Orthodontist has seen a thing like it. Actually, the real problem is – there will be an 80% chance (yes, you read that right) I’ll be permanently numb for the rest of my life. I’m only 18, but I want to be able to chew food properly – I’m willing to accept the fact that I’ll have a high risk of almost no feeling in my face if I do this.
You’re lucky you just had an Underbite. Oh, and I saw the picture of the Open Bite on the side of your mouth – imagine that x40. That’s how bad mine is.
I just wanted to say you’ve been pretty positive about the whole thing.
August 1, 2013 at 11:36 am
Hi Graham, I just found your blog today and wanted to thank you for sharing your journey! I completely smashed my jaw 8 weeks ago by flying off my bike (not a motorbike or a mountain bike, just a push bike with a very clumsy rider!) and had to have some pretty extensive surgery to put it back together. I had no concept of what would be involved in recovery or how slow it would be, and it has been a drawn out and frustrating process, though like yourself I have striven to stay positive and find the humour in the situation, which has helped immensely! Finding your blog has been great, as there were so many little things that non-jaw surgery “victims” would never understand, that I was able to identify with, laugh at, and say “wow, it’s not just me then!”. It made me feel better that certain things i was worrying about were normal and will most likely improve over time. for example, i had the strong elastics taken off yesterday and replaced with lighter ones so i can move my jaw a bit, and was freaking out that i could hardly open it, but reading that the same happened to you and that it slowly got better made me feel reassured! I’ve had a lot of problems with my gums healing up after surgery so haven’t been allowed to eat for 8 weeks, all my nutrition is via a nasogastric tube, but hopefully next week I will be able to start eating. I’ve been worrying about adjusting to real food again and what I can eat to make sure I get enough calories, so reading about what you ate and how you progressed from liquid to solid food has been really helpful!
Thank you again!
Fiona
P.s. I live in the UK and was very shocked at how much the surgery and dental work costs in Canada and the US, it really made me appreciate our healthcare system in which all non-cosmetic surgery is completely free. But I was also very cheesed to hear that in Canada you have a day off to celebrate the Queen’s birthday, yet here in the UK, where she actually resides, we have no such luck! So I guess we’re even?
August 2, 2013 at 7:54 am
Hi Fiona!
Your story about how you weren’t doing anything amazing, but rather are just a clumsy person (aren’t we all?) made me chuckle. I actually broke my first bone (one of my wrists) while snowboarding slowly down the easiest run ever on a local mountain. It seems like the slow and safe activities are where the injuries crop up!
My girlfriend just got back from living in London for a couple of years and I’ve heard much about how truly awesome healthcare is in your country. I actually just visited back in February and really liked it. So perhaps I need to return!
Recover well and you’ll find yourself back on slow bike rides in no time at all! =)
July 27, 2013 at 5:49 am
Hey there. I remember reading your blog POST-surgery and it was very comforting – misery really loves company. I am near the end of my 5months recovery mark and I am still numb so I’m hoping it will go away enough for me to feel more comfortable brushing my teeth and stuff…Thank you tremendously for this blog!
July 26, 2013 at 3:04 pm
Graham,
I ran across your very informative website as I prepared for my upcoming Lefort I and BSSO. Two questions for you:
1. I am considering doing this precisely one week before final exams, which involve sitting in front of a webcam and clicking away for an hour or so. Do you think I’d have the energy to do that at one week out? How about brain power?
2. My coursework involves a good deal of talking on two days per week. At two weeks out, what’s your opinion of that requirement? How about three weeks out?
Thanks so much,
Becca
July 29, 2013 at 10:34 am
Becca, I guarantee you will NOT have the energy to think your way through final exams at just 1 week post-op, so I highly recommend giving yourself at least 3 weeks of recovery time before having to focus on anything too mentally demanding.
As for talking, I would recommend giving yourself 4–5 weeks before having to rely on your speech for extended periods of time. You’ll be quite swollen during the first month and this will impact your speech in a big way.
As a piece of general advice, don’t try to rush your recovery. You only have to go through it once, so it’s best to give your body the rest it requires during the healing process. Your patience will pay off, I assure you. =)
July 22, 2013 at 4:45 am
HEY Graham,i’ve been following your blog since past week since i had my surgery.good blog mate! just wanted to did you removed the titanium plate implants and screws from your upper jaw after it healed ? i read it is better thing to do after the jaw is healed properly though i am not quite sure about it and i am still on my day 8 post op. so just wanted to ask whats your view about it and when will the numbness in lower lip/chin and gums slowly start to fade away ?
July 22, 2013 at 8:05 am
Josh, I still have my plates and screws in and I don’t plan on having them removed. You only need to have them removed if they cause an infection, and that is quite rare. They don’t cause any harm being left in. As for lack of feeling, my numbness went away between the third week and the eighth week, so you need not worry about it for another couple of months. =)