Surgery for Overbite

[Trigger08]

Well I found out today that I will need to have surgery done to correct my bite. My lower jaw will need to be broken and moved forward. I really wish they would haven mentioned this at my consultation so I could have at least been a little bit prepared. Nothing about needing surgery was mentioned at all. I still am going to be getting my braces put on September 16/09. I am to wear them for 1 year and have my surgery next September then continue wearing my braces for another year. I guess that gives me time to think about it! It was either surgery or still have an overbite after 2 years of braces, so I figured I might as well do it right. And I will now have the regular metal braces instead of ceramics due to durability and wear.

I was just wondering what to expect for recovery time? I work shift work, so 7 days on and 7 days off. Will 3 weeks be enough time to heal before going back to work? I know that everyone heals at different rates but I was just wonder about other people's experiences with going through surgery.

Thanks!

[sol]

I have heard several things about recovery time, however my surgeon told me after about 2-3 weeks I would be able to go back to normal, but you cannot eat solid food for about 8-10 weeks and cannot do anything that could cause damage to your mouth as you could bust the screws and off set things. I have no experience but this is what I was told when I asked him, I am getting lefort and lower osteotomy (SP?), so you may have different recovery time. The best thing to do is ask the fellow doing the surgery. Have you had a surgical consult?

[Trigger08]

No I have not gone for the consultation with my surgeon yet. My Orthodontist was going to send him my information last week so in the next week or so I should be getting a call to set up my appointment with my surgeon.

[Sunny]

Talk to your surgeon Trigger, as that's the best person to recommend the time you'll need to stay away from work.

Where I work, most people seem to take at least a month off work, although a few take longer and a few less. Time off seems to be affected by a few things. For example different surgeries require the jaw to be held in place with tight elastics for differing periods of time. This affects the persons ability to clean their mouth and talk ... so not a time you'd be wanting to be working with other people. When you can eat again has a big impact, as it affects your energy and ability to concentrate and work. All types of surgery have an impact on our emotional health, and it's not good to return to work until your emotions have settled, as it's difficult to work, while you're not feeling in control.

Good luck with your treatment and everything going well!

[Trigger08]

Cool, thanks for that info Sunny. Gives me an idea. Still waiting for a call from the surgeon's office. Today was a holiday so no offices open here. Hopefully soon though. My job is very physically demanding and on top of that I work 14 hour days...I don't want to take any chances at having my jaw/face/mouth hit or bumped at work after all is said and done. I will take off as long as it takes...just wanted to give my bosses a heads up and know if I should be saving all my sick days and holidays for my surgery.