anyone had jaw surgery???

[Hunter_Man]

I've had problems with TMJ in my jaw joints for a while now. finally saw an orthodontist. I have a pretty bad crossbite (front teeth midlines don't match up... ) causing my jaw to close to one side.

long story short, they told me that my upper jaw is too narrow, and should have been corrected when I was a kid with an expander.

now that I'm older, the upper jaw bones are fused and the only way to correct it is to literally cut my upper jaw along the midline, and place an expander in, and over the period of several months, expand the upper jaw about 5/16 of an inch.

while this is going on, i'll have a HUGE gap in my upper teeth, and have to have braces for like 2 years.


I've postponed things right now, as it kinda freaked me out.

wondering if anyone on the GS has ever had this done, and can tell me how it actually was... recovery, pain, etc.

[Lungbustr]

A guy at work had to have his jaw shortened. He could not chew his food properly because his jaws did not match up and it gave him stomach problems.

Of course during this time his jaw had to be wired shut until the bones could grow together. He lost a tremendous amount of weight. That was the worst part for him. Not being able to talk where people could understand him and all his food going through a straw.

[bho0351]

A guy at work had to have his jaw shortened. He could not chew his food properly because his jaws did not match up and it gave him stomach problems.

Of course during this time his jaw had to be wired shut until the bones could grow together. He lost a tremendous amount of weight. That was the worst part for him. Not being able to talk where people could understand him and all his food going through a straw.

Had something similar to this done back in my early twenties. Had an under bite. They cut a small section out of my lower jaw. Mouth was wired shut for 10 days. Eating blended food through a big syringe and a rubber tube is not fun. I drank a lot of Ensure during that time. Carried a notepad and pen with me to carry on a conversation. Lol
After the wires were removed I had to use rubber bands on the braces brackets for the next couple of weeks to gradually allow the normal use of my mouth again.

[Lungbustr]

His was much longer than 10 days!!!

[bho0351]

It's a good weight loss program. Lol

[Deer Tracks]

I have had TMJ for over 10 years and have undergone various procedures for it.
Pain and swelling were manageable with Advil and a compression garment that was a little embarrassing to wear in public.

The TMJ has only gotten worse and it's time to get serious. My new oral surgeon says I have TMJ condylar arthritis with degeneration of bone and osteophyte formation.

The discs on both sides are dislocated and probably perforated. Because of all this, I have an overbite and my jaw doesn't have a stable hinge. He wants to do jaw surgery where he reshapes the condyles and repairs / repositions and discs. I'll also be wearing a bite guard before the surgery and during recovery . Apparently, my jaw won't need to be wired shut but I'll have to be on a liquid diet for several weeks.
I had braces when I was a kid and may have to have them again after the surgery.

Can I ask you about how much your procedure will cost? I just got an estimate in the mail and I nearly passed out.

[Mcb4]

I have had upper and lower jaw surgery. Both upper and lower were cut into three sections and screwed back together to align everything back. My jaws were then wired shut for almost 4 weeks not to mention the 18 months of braces prior to surgery to prep and help correct my future bite. Not fun at all but looking back I am glad I did it

[Hunter_Man]

sika,

the local doc isn't in network... so they referred me to a scott and white doctor in temple. basically the procedure would be almost free. (100$ copay for outpatient surgery, which it is supposedly) so that's all that part would cost.

the cost of the braces, etc would be around 4600 after my 25% discount that my dental insurance covers.

[Deer Tracks]

Are you kidding me? If the surgery will improve your quality of life, do it!

[Hunter_Man]

you spoke... I listened.

apt with orthodontist for pre-surgery consult on 5/11. 5/15 I head to temple to meet with the surgeon, and see what my options are.

I've ENVER been bothered by surgeries before, but this one is scaring the hell out of me to be quite honest.

on the bright side, I should lose a lot of the weight I need to being on a liquid/soft diet!

[shooter2007]

Get ready to eat through a straw for a while.

[Hunter_Man]

yep... that's part of the deal.

[Dirtymike]

So how did it go? Just got diagnosed with tmj. Thought I had a off on ear infection for 3 years. This pain is killing me

[Deer Tracks]

anyone had jaw surgery???

Mike, how bad is your tmj?
I had surgery to fix mine one month ago. Bilateral open joint surgery (Arthroplasty) with meniscus repair. Soft food diet for 3 months.
Doing really well so far. Only complaint is that my bite is off now. I have a splint I'm supposed to wear 24/7 for that.
Been thinking about this thread and wondering if the Op got his surgery done.

[TxGiant]

Didn't have jaw surgery but I took a line drive to my lower jaw when I played baseball in high school, broke it right in half. The being wired up part sucks, I was on a liquid food diet for a month my diet consisted of milkshakes and mashed potatoes. I was so desperate I even got a can of enchiladas and blended them up and drank it through a straw, wasn't that bad considering the circumstances lol