1 Year Post-Op

This 1-Year Update is a little late, I was waiting on my surgeon to finally send me all my scans, x-rays and pictures so I could include them. So this is more like a 13 month update :-)

The residual swelling is pretty much gone. They say at this point, however you look is the final product. Some doctors say swelling can last up to a year and a half but I think I'm done. There is only a tiny bit on my lower left jaw because that is where they removed a piece and then had to screw it back together. I'm okay with this though because at least my smile is straight!

This past year has been really big for me. Obviously surgery took up the first few months and even though it was hard at times, I don't regret it for a second. This was the best decision I ever made. The braces, chipmunk face, liquid diet....all totally worth it.

So here they are, the before & after shots:

Below are some beautiful pictures of my teeth/bite. Before surgery, only my front tooth and my bottom tooth actually touched.  You can barely see the scars inside my mouth!

At my final visit to Dr. Terry Taylor at Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas: He is an amazing surgeon, this type of surgery is what he specializes in. 

So to all of my fellow crooked faces out there, you will survive surgery! And it may just change your life too.

7 month update

Liberation Day!!!

So they took off my top brackets and all on the bottom except for the front 6. These little beauties will stay on for another 6 weeks. But who cares, no one can even see them. Naturally this glorious day was marked by an event we are calling the day of "MegL's Orthodontic Freedom". There were margaritas....lots of margaritas. 

Thank you Dr. Craft and all my lovely ladies at his office for my pretty new smile!

6 Month Update

It has officially been 6 months!

The residual swelling is just on the left side and its not really noticeable so I don't mind it. This should be down even more over the course of the next year. I can eat everything now even though I still stay away from crunchy granola bars and raw carrots. Im sure I can eat them but I haven't tried yet. Popping off brackets on my braces are still a concern.

Things I can now eat:

* Steak (mmmmm)

* apples

* sandwiches (such a random thing to miss but sandwiches truly are amazing) 

Speaking of braces.... they are coming off already! In 4 weeks the top braces are coming off. At that time they will put a permanent retainer on my bottom teeth for 6 weeks then take the bottom brackets off as well. I was so excited when they told me. I am getting them off 9 months early! It's crazy just to think how I got braces on, had reconstructive surgery, and am now getting the braces off all in 1 year. 

I also had my 6 month post-op last week where Dr. Taylor called me the poster child of jaw surgery. He took X-rays to make sure everything still looked kosher, had a look inside my mouth and then sent me on my way. I will see him 1 more time in December for my  1 year follow up. 

I noticed that at the end of my teeth in the back left corner of my mouth, a little pocket seems to have formed. Its like the back of my cheek/throat is now shorter because of where they stitched me up and it created a little pocket that likes to trap food...kind of like a squirrel. He said if it is still bothering me down the line, he can numb me and shave off some of that piece inside my mouth. It doesn't  bother me that much but its good to know that its an option.

Farewell for a few months, I will post again when my braces come off and can show off my pearly whites and perfect bite :-)

Paris, June 2013

Night out with my sister, July 2013

4 month update

So its been 4 months and i feel like I'm completely back to normal. I can eat everything except crunchy granola bars and big bite sandwiches. The residual swelling is the same, just a little in my lower left and cheeks. Another year and it will be gone, I only notice it in pictures where I'm smiling really big. It kind of looks like I had Botox in my cheeks to which my mom replied "hey, people spend a lot of money to have cheeks like yours right now so enjoy it". Again, there is always a silver lining. My free cosmetic surgery side effects from this jaw surgery so far have included a free chemical peel and now all natural Botox!

Pain is basically non-existent. Sometimes my right jaw joint gets a little sore but I think the muscles are still rebuilding their strength as I regain my ability to chew again. Biting into a chick-fil-a sandwich today was pushing my limits and my jaw is aching a little bit because of it.

I go back to the orthodontist tomorrow where he is supposed to put on my finishing wire and officially let me off the hook with the retainer! I cannot wait to get this hunk of plastic out of my mouth. The top of my mouth is all healed and no longer swollen so the retainer is actually a little loose. It occasionally pops out when I'm eating...let me tell you, thats really fun when you are at a business lunch and your retainer comes out and gets stuck with food under it. On more than one occasion I have had to use a napkin, cover my mouth, and take it out. I won't miss this. Not even a little bit.

The ortho also mentioned that my braces should come off in the next 3-5 months! This is going to be the most exciting day! I was originally told it would be 21 months of braces but it actually will only be about 14 months. As a 27 year old single girl, this was music to my ears lol.

Enjoy the 4 month pics! I took one of my retainer so you can see what I have been wearing 24/7 the past 4 and a half months ;-) I even cleaned it off for you, you're welcome.

3 Month Post Op

I had my official 3 month post op appointment today and everything is good! My doc even looked at me and said "it's so perfect I can't stand it". Here is the Cliff's Notes version:

~ I met my target and can now open my mouth 41mm ( I was nervous about that one)
~ Over the next month and a half, I will be back to eating everything
~ My bones are healed but will be much stronger after a couple more months
~ I can wakeboard again!!! (As long as I don't do any tricks that would risk a face-plant)
~ the residual swelling in my left jaw and both cheeks can last up to another year ( but its not that noticeable so I don't mind)

Here are some pics including a few new profile shots. After today, I will just post about once a month until I get my braces off, then I will do 1 last post at my 1 yr. post op.

Day 90

So I know today is technically the 3 month mark but I will do my temporary send off after my post op this week.

Not much has changed the past few weeks. I am gradually able to eat more and more normal food. Today I even had bread and cheese, a little tough and chewy but good practice. I'm hoping that in the next month or so I'll be ale to eat those Girl Scout cookies calling my name from the fridge.

Well Happy Easter everyone! I'm spending my Easter Sunday having a Walking Dead marathon and laying on the couch!

Day 84

Yowza it has been a crazy trip! I am finally at the airport in Frankfurt in between flights. I am currently sitting in the Lufthansa lounge working on my 2nd cappuccino and wondering if my fellow travelers will think it weird if I do my jaw exercises. I have been slacking these past 10 days. It's hard to find 3 hours in your day to sit there and contort your mouth. I find that doing this in public causes people to think you have turrets and/or scare small children. I better buckle down this next week so I can reach my goal of opening my mouth 41mm by my 3 month post op.

My broken face really wasn't as much of an issue on this trip. I could always eat almost anything, no additional swelling or pain. I did notice my jaw clicking and popping a lot but I think that is because I have been skipping my jaw exercises so it is tight.

Nothing much to report on the jaw recovery front but I did have an amazing weekend in Abuja with one of my best friends, Heather. After my week in Lagos, I flew through Abuja on my way home to see her since she is a teacher at an international school there. It was a nice change of pace from Lagos where i had 5 armed guards accompany me to the airport and was not allowed out of the office or the hotel without security. However in Abuja (which apparently is more dangerous) Heather and I hopped around the city on our own sans scary Nigerian men with big guns.

Our first night we had pizza and beer at an outdoor beer garden overlooking the national mosque. The following day we spent at the pool at the Hilton, sipping diet cokes and people watching. That night I helped her chaperone the middle and high school dance haha. You know what's awkward? Watching 11-18 yr olds trying to grind on each other to Nigerian rap music. She rewarded me for my chaperoning duties by taking me to a "bush bar". This literally is just an open air bar in the bushes with cheap beer. I'm pretty sure my company would NOT be happy about that so we are going to keep this a secret ok? Julian/Steve - don't tell the big boss or he may never let me travel again.

My last day we had a true Sunday Funday and drank ciders by the pool all day. I even have a nice little sunburn to take home with me :-) this is definitely the first time I've come home from a business trip with a tan!

Ok, just one more 10 hr flight to go and I get to shower, snuggle with my dog and spend Twin's last night catching up and hanging out.

2 photos for you today: one profile pic and one that I took with my iPad upside down on accident