5 weeks post-op; doing good, still a bit concerned

[Jeff15]

Hi all

I am now 5 weeks, 2 days post-op. For the most part I feel great, but the liq diet is getting sickening. I have been having alot of Ensure, Jamba Juice and other smoothies, drinkable oatmeal, blended soups, etc. But I am so ready to start eating again. Man, I could go for a pizza or cheeseburger! I have been back to work since Oct. 21, and my energy level is good, though I still am trying to take it easy and avoid heavy lifting and such.

Anyway, I see the ortho for the first time post-op on 11/12 and the surgeon the next day. The surgeon said I can stop wearing my rubber bands when I see the ortho and he'll put me back on a normal diet after I see him 11/13.

One concern is that when I take off the bands to replace them with new ones, opening my mouth feels quite stiff, and it's difficult to get much opening at all. Is this normal? Will this stiffness go away? Is this caused by the rubber bands? And can I expect it feel awkward once I start eating again? I'm assuming I should stick to pretty soft foods at least for the first few days and gradually start trying things like steak and turkey. Of course, I know to avoid anything too hard due to the braces. I saw the surgeon yesterday, and completely forgot to ask these questions.

My other concern, which I did ask him about, is that I still have an overbite. He says it's about 1 mm, which is perfectly normal. I will say that when my mouth is closed, things look good. My front upper teeth come in contact with the brackets on my front lower teeth, whcih certainly seems correct. But what concerns me is that when I open, it becomes so apparent that the bottom teeth are well behind the top teeth. He said it's because the jaw rotates when I open. So what matters is how it looks when closed. That makes sense. I guess it just surprised me that the o/b still looks so obvious when my mouth is open. But he said my lower jaw is in its correct position and he'll be satisfied if it stays where it is now, as there is always some risk of relapse. Maybe the ortho will fix this a little furhter, too.

Well, I'm still hanging in there and hoping that things start getting better quickly now. I appreciate any answers/insights you can give me.

Good luck to all for you on your treatments,

Jeff

[Sunny]

Fantastic that you're not far away from returning to eating again! Good luck!

It's totally normal for the bite to feel stiff and difficult to open, after it being restricted for so long. Hopefully your surgeon will give you exercises to help you open your mouth wider and you should expect this to improve over the months ahead.

Great your surgeon is so happy with your bite and that it's in its correct position when you bite down ... which is where it needs to be.

Good luck with your appointments with your surgeon and ortho!

[kellieam1]

I just found this forum today and, boy, am I glad! My son, 17, is in braces and is scheduled for orthogn. surgery in early June. He is a two-sport athlete, so we are trying to wedge this in as early as possible in the summer, so he can work his summer job (as soon as he's able) and make it to a soccer camp in mid-July. He had his wisdom teeth out last summer and started braces in Sept. 09. Those are going well. He got a special mouthpiece to use during football season.

Jeff15, I am really interested in your post-op, liquid diet recovery. My son is nearly 6 feet tall and 205 pounds, and he eats a LOT! The liquid/soft diet is going to be hard for him, although it seems that nearly everyone in the oral surgeon's office has had this surgery and they are "all smiles" (pun intended!) after the fact. You mentioned possibly not working for three weeks post-op; is that what happened or did you feel better quicker than that? My son will work with my husband, so driving won't be an issue. One good thing is he is very strong and fit, and is a quick healer, so I hope that continues with this surgery. I just hope he doesn't lose too much of his strength during the recovery time.

[Stephanie]

Hi Kellieam1 -

The liquid diet is tough and he will def lose some weight, but I'm sure he will gain it right back when the bands come out.

Does he have an underbite/overbite/crossbite? Some cases that are more severe have tougher recoveries as they move the jaws forward or back more...

Best bet is to have a game plan while he is banded as far as liquid foods go. You can blend a lot of of stuff with water to get it liquidy enough to be able to get into the syringe and squirt into his mouth...

Being fit, I personally think def helps with the recovery....

My friends son has a bad underbite and he was also fit. He actually packed on about 10lbs prior to surgery knowning that he was going to lose it. He ended up losing far more than 10, but like I said, he gained it back no problem.

Keep us posted!

[kellieam1]

Hi Kellieam1 -

. . .
Does he have an underbite/overbite/crossbite? Some cases that are more severe have tougher recoveries as they move the jaws forward or back more...

Keep us posted!

Hi, Stephanie. He has a crossbite - bottom jaw juts out to the left. It's noticeable even when his mouth/lips are closed. He has done well with the braces so far. The liquid/soft diet is going to be a bear for him, and I'm really worried about the cost. My health insurance will pay, but because we are using an oral surgeon who takes NO insurance, we have to pay upfront and then be reimbursed. If he wasn't so highly recommended, I might go elsewhere, but he is great and both our regular dentist (who we've seen for 20 years) and the orthodontist both say they would send their own kids to him. Anyway, I'm sure the finance person in his office will help us get it figured out, but I can't write a check for $25K and wait two months for reimbursement! Yikes.