My Son Had Jaw Surgey.

[DonDavis]

Bazza! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Eric- great question. I had a very tough time speaking as a teen and early 20’s since my jaws weren’t aligned and my upper jaw was not forward far enough. It was actually easier to speak afterwards.

I remember in Basic Training being ripped into for not answering quickly enough or misspeaking. After my surgery, words would just roll off easy peasy.

Sam would speak similarly and I can’t wait to hear the difference. Might take a little time to get used to it, but overall it should come rather naturally.

[NY65912]

Here's to a speedy recovery!

[DonDavis]

Here’s his new hardware.

[Scott Douglas]

Don - Congrats to you and your son. I can only imagine what this surgery is like. I had braces on my teeth from about 4th grade all the way to Jr college to get my mouth straightened out. Horizontally impacted eye teeth I think is what I had. I do know I thanked my dad for getting them fixed as I had one hell of an ugly smile before and can't imagine having to go thru life with it now. I'm glad you are looking out for your son.

[jcwade]

Great news. We always want the best for our children.
I hope he has a quick recovery and everything turns out well.

[DonDavis]

One week update.

Still has some swelling, but he's speaking more clearly.

Wants to get out and do more stuff.

He looks fantastic. Really amazing stuff.

[Skytrooper]

I am glad to hear that his recovery is going well ! It is very uplifting to hear !

[Nickshu]

Bite looks good on the CT. Nice.

[DonDavis]

All is progressing very nicely. Diet and chewing have been very important. He's been super diligent with the Doc's orders and treatment.

No nose blowing, no chewing, no strenuous activity. He's been perfect.

He says "I only got one shot at this, ain't playing around at all." He's not even hinted at cheating. Not once. I'm very proud of it all.

His splint was removed and he's now in just regular braces. Teeth have a ways to go be be aligned, but he can begin soft chewing in about a week.

He worked a few days last week and he's probably headed to Full time in a week or so.

I'll get some pics soon.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by DonDavis

All is progressing very nicely. Diet and chewing have been very important. He's been super diligent with the Doc's orders and treatment.

No nose blowing, no chewing, no strenuous activity. He's been perfect.

He says "I only got one shot at this, ain't playing around at all." He's not even hinted at cheating. Not once. I'm very proud of it all.

His splint was removed and he's now in just regular braces. Teeth have a ways to go be be aligned, but he can begin soft chewing in about a week.

He worked a few days last week and he's probably headed to Full time in a week or so.

I'll get some pics soon.

OUTSTANDING! Great news all around! Thanks for the update.

[Baz]

Don - thanks for keeping this thread updated - please continue to do so. I'm so happy for your son, his loved ones, and especially YOU!

Please feel free to deploy an "atta boy" from the brain trust!

[DonDavis]

He's doing great and just yesterday has moved on to sandwiches.

We'll get a hamburger soon. The limiting factor is opening far enough to get a bite.

And he says chewing is "just amazing, I don't have to tear or pull apart sandwiches".

He's back at work full time and moving back to his place in the next few days.

Been great having him around, but it's time.

[astrochex]

Great news!

Wonderful to hear how well his recovery is going.

[masraum]

Awesome!

[DonDavis]

We had homemade smashburgers. Cheddar cheeseburger w/Duke's mayo, some onion was his pick for first burger. Made short work of it.

He said it was "so damn easy to bite, just awesome". Couldn't be happier for him.

[DonDavis]

His Sept Appt marked 6 months and all is going just fine.

Then, a week later his braces came off! The results are simply incredible.

The overall process has been nothing short of amazing. While his appearance has changed, the thing that he's most moved by is his ability to breathe much more easily and deeply.

At the last appt, they made this image to show the change.



See his airway is notably larger. Also visible are the affects of braces on xray imaging. See the blur that goes from the teeth to the right in the image?

His surgeon's office has also asked him to speak with other prospective patients being screened for the same operation.

At the beginning of all this, there was another guy that spoke with him and shared his experience.

Since then, I think he has met with at least 2 other former HS classmates that have had the same surgery.

[Baz]

Just fantastic, Don....I'm so happy for your son and his loved ones.

To be able to breathe better is huge!

Thanks for keeping us all in the loop and also for the informative images and dialogue.....

[Scott Douglas]

Wow, that is really something.
Congrats!

[Seahawk]

So happy for all of you.

Is there a next thing medically?

[masraum]

Outstanding! Improved quality of life (I suspect on several levels) is a very good thing!