Five weeks after surgery!
I commemorated by getting trashed at my company’s holiday party.
Here is a lovely photo of me from that night, trying to hide my braces and smile at the same time.
I also got a sort of drastic haircut a few weeks ago, so the difference in my former look and my present look is, to me, dramatic.
Interestingly, my orthodontist told me that 100% of her female jaw surgery patients have also opted for a haircut AFTER surgery and BEFORE returning to work. The result is that coworkers notice the haircut immediately, and then wonder if the patient was really gone all that time, or maybe just buried at her desk for a little while.
When I heard it, I thought, not me! But, as happens so often, I was wrong.
I was feeling all recovered, and I wanted to look H-O-T when I had to see large crowds of people again, so I went for a risky, short cut. I don’t love it in this photo, but it’s OK in real life. Just OK.
The true glory day will be when these damn chunks get off my teeth!
You look hot to me! I can’t believe what a difference bringing your top jaw forward made. You look great.
Can’t wait for that glory day too!
I am having this sugery next week and also thought to myself that I would get a haircut after so that when people say I look kind of different they may attribute it to my hair! haha
You look great! I hope I will look that good in week 5. My name is Bim and I had a lower jaw surgery 3 weeks ago. They just took the bite plate out of my mouth this morning. I’m still a little swollen. I can’t open my mouth wide though. Hopefully it’s normal. Thanks for writing this blog. It’s nice to see you are doing great so I can look forward to my glory day as well.
Hey…just wondering if you still have that slightly wobbly jaw feeling? I had the exact same op as you, my top jaw was bought forward to fix my underbite. I am very happy with the results. did you find your nose is now slightly upturned compared to before ? and did you have a splint for the first few weeks after surgery or just elastics? sorry for all the questions! Thanx for making this blog it is so “real” and informative! I liked the section on mucas…lol i’m currently dealing with that right now!
Hey Kirsty!
My wobbly jaw feeling is pretty much gone, but it still feels weird when I brush my teeth. I do use an electronic toothbrush that is rather intense, so that could be why. I never had a splint, just a four light elastics that I wore until about week 2. After that, I was elastic-free. I did have the loose feeling more then, but it went away after about 3.5 weeks.
It’s been 7 weeks since my surgery, and I feel as if it’s already in the distant past. I am fully accustomed to my new identity as a normal-bite person and I’ve even stopped marveling at the way my top teeth go over my bottom teeth. It’s like nothing ever happened, but I still have these strange braces on my teeth…
My nose is definitely more upturned than before (to the point of piggish-ness, I sometimes fear), and my cheeks are much more defined and prominent than before.
I’m SUPER happy with my results, but can’t WAIT to get these braces off my teeth!
Thanks for reading, and I’m glad it was helpful!
-Susan
I had my surgery 3 weeks ago and still very swollen. Not to mentioned I had an infection on my left side, so it’s super swollen and I’m still on antibiotics. You mentioned your nose is more upturned than before. I’ve noticed that about mine too, it’s piggish looking and wider now. I miss my old nose, it was narrow and thin. Mostly, I’m depressed and want my old life back, I miss eating out and most of all. . .I miss working out.
Hey Molly,
Thanks for reading my blog. I’m sorry to hear you’re still going through the swelling, but it will subside over time. As for your concerns about your nose, one thing my surgeon told me proved to be very true: He said that patients must refrain from judging their appearance until AT LEAST 4 months after surgery.
At just three weeks, it’s simply impossible to tell, so don’t worry too much just yet. Just focus on being healthy, fighting down that infection, and getting lots of rest and nutrition.
-Susan
Thanks Susan!
I feel so much better! I guess I do need to be patient.
By the way, I thought I looked SO different from my old self in the month following surgery. Now that it’s been 10 months, I look much more like my old self - of course, no more underbite, but my nose is a lot less ‘different’ than it was initially.
-Susan
You mention that your nose now looks a lot more like it used to; would you say your cheeks are still as prominent as they seemed to be post-surgery or has that died down a bit as well? Thanks for the photos and info, it’s been helpful.
Hi Michael,
Yes, I do think that my cheeks (upper cheeks) are still as prominent as they were immediately post-surgery. My cheekbone area is definitely more pronounced than they ever were before jaw surgery - so that seems to have stayed. I believe the nose piggy-ness that some people talk about is related to a swelling in the lower cheeks and upper lip - that goes away. I haven’t been able to figure out the exact mechanics of why people’s cheekbones are more prominent post-surgery, but it looks nice and I’m thankful for it.
The small square photo of me to the left of your screen is relatively recent (2 months ago). It’s not too clear, but it sort of shows my cheeks.
Maybe it’s time to post some new photos!
Thanks for visiting my site.
Susan
Oh alright cool. So your nose is no longer slightly turned upward? Like showing of the nostrils, just to clarify. I’m having my surgery in one week! Kinda scary haha. Thanks again.
Good question! Time for a new post.
Hi Susan,
I have another question for you. At 5 weeks, were you able to talk comfortably? If not, when were you able to speak like before the surgery? I’m at my 4 weeks now and still having trouble speaking. I actually don’t talk much because of the soreness.
Molly, yes, at 5 weeks after surgery I was back at work and talking just fine with my coworkers and other people in my life. If you had both upper and lower jaw surgery, that could have a lot to do with your extra soreness. If you feel sore, the best thing to do would be to just talk as little as possible and give your muscles a rest. If you had a major bite adjustment, your muscles have a lot of adjusting to do. It’ll definitely come in time, and the more you rest the faster that will be.
I had both upper and lower jaw surgery. The first 4 days were pretty brutal; pain , swelling, unable to eat regular foods, loss of weight, can’t sleep, hideous looking face. But every week, thereafter, I improved. I regretted doing the surgery up until the 4th week. I saw that my face going through so many changes…I wasn’t sure what I was going to finally end up looking like. I’m on my 7th week now and I look better than pre surgery. My face is more balanced, my bite is perfect, my cheekbones look more prominent (instead of flat). I still have some swelling that no one else can tell except me. I feel more confident about my appearance. The only thing left are these darn braces (9 months to go).