My Son Had Jaw Surgey.

[DonDavis]

Class 3 Malocclusion. It's hereditary, my dad, brother and I all have/had the same bite. Mine was a little more exaggerated.

Dad maybe should've had it, his teeth were always awful. As a result, there was excessive wear and they did not all support each other. He eventually had dentures early-ish. My brother's isn't as bad and he takes care of himself. He reports no concerns.

Waaaay back in 1988, the US Navy said "Hey, we can fix that. Go see Dr. SoAndSo."

The prep for mine was so minimal, I had no real clue of the complexity of the surgery. I simply trusted them and said sure.

My surgery was 8.5 hours long, hospital for 4 days, couldn't close my lips for 2-3 days. Plus, I was wired shut 5 weeks with a tiny hole in front so I could use a straw for my 100% liquid diet. Had more Ensure than I care to admit.

Dropped 24 el bees in 2 weeks. ho boy, it was rough. But the results were worth every single minute of distress.

At an early age, I could see my son was headed the say way. We took action a couple years ago and began treatment. Braces first, then at the proper time he would have the surgery.

That was last Thursday. He's 23. I was also 23 when I had it.

Wow, 35 years of surgical advancement does wonders.

His was 4 hours, and since my insurance declined coverage he only had 23 hours observation in the hospital. And that time in the room was key, and really great. He's home and recovery nicely. His mood is impressive. The differences in preparation to his and mine are jaw dropping ( yeah, I did that )

From the initial consultation and every step of the way, he knew darn near exactly what was going to happen. His teeth are very straight going into the surgery.

Prep room...
read the sign. We're such rebels.


First arrival in his room..


7am the following morning....
That's how he'll consume liquids until he can drink normally.
I was heavily sedated and have no recollection till the following midday.
He's awake, using his phone to type what he needs and taking a selfie.


Big thanks to Nickshu and Leakyseals, I PMd them early for some guidance.

Here's a rough comp...


It's simply amazing. While my event was positive in the long run, there were missed opportunities. Sam has had great prep, education, and fantastic Doctors. Actually, his surgeon's son has joined his practice. How about that? Father/son having the same surgery, and a father/son surgical team performing it. Too cool, and they really are great.

So blessed.

Oh, another Pelican's daughter had a similar surgery. He'll chime in.

[pwd72s]

May he heal rapidly.

[stevej37]

My sister-in-law had it done about 30 years ago...and she is now 70. She went through the same as you describe.

Sounds like your son is doing very well...surgery techniques improve every year.
Good luck to him.

[porsche tech]

Pretty amazing change…blessed indeed! But I bet it’s a little uncomfortable for a few days. Congrats!

[masraum]

Fantastic!

Glad to hear that his surgery went well. Modern medicine isn't perfect, but it can do amazing things.

[Seahawk]

Don and Son: This is all anyone ever needs to know...father and son, son and father.



That's the Way of the World:

[Skytrooper]

I had this surgery in 1999. When I was in navy boot camp in the late '70's, this surgery was suggested to me. I went to find out about it. After I heard what they wanted to do, I declined. Fast forward 20 odd years and I was prepping for the surgery. They cut my upper jaw off the skull and split it like a Y. They plated that all the way to my eye sockets. My lower jaw they cut off on both sides and moved it forward and changed the angle so that in came together with my upper jaw properly. They plated that too. Then wired my jaws together. They said it was the toughest one they had ever done and were ecstatic with the results. I ate Ensure through a syringe until I got sick of it. I got bold and would put beefaroni with water in the blender so I could have something different. Trial and error. I also had to tuck a towel in my shirt,drape it in my lap and set my bowl of slop on it so I didnt wind up wearing my food.

The biggest issues that I had was with such radical changes...I had to relearn how to swallow. The other was I had no nerves from my eye sockets to below my chin. They regrew...I guess, but it took a long, long time before I could eat soup in public. I couldnt eat pizza because I thought the inside of my mouth was the cheese. When you have no feeling, you cannot tell the difference.

I stopped by work 4 weeks after my surgery and my soldiers and friends did not recognize me. Had I know I might have knocked over a bank on the way to the hospital.

[Bugsinrugs]

Modern medicine is awesome and constantly improving. Hope your son has a quick recovery.

[Nickshu]

HEY...so glad he got it done! This procedure sucks but the lifelong benefits for bite, tooth wear, function, and sleep apnea are unsurpassed.

It is unfortunate that in this day/age this is an out of pocket surgery, but good for you and him for making a great choice to invest in his long-term health.

Glad to see he is doing well and glad I was able to help via PM/DM!!! This post made my day!

[astrochex]

Amazing. Here’s to a speedy recovery.

[Skytrooper]

Your son will never regret having this surgery. It really changed my life...for the reasons Nickshu stated above and others.

He is to a speedy recovery !!

[MBAtarga]

I had that surgery done as well. I still have 3 screws on each side of my mandible from it. My lower jaw was slid back about 3-4 mm's. I was in my late 20's and already had orthodontic treatment for about 18 months. My mouth was not wired shut - but did have rubber bands to keep it shut. I had gained weight by eating a lot Blue Bell ice cream weeks before surgery. The bands were removed after about the first week and was told I could eat anything that would fit in my mouth. I thought great! Well, I could barely even get a teaspoon in my mouth. It was more two months - before I could actually open my mouth to get any real solid food in it.

[DonDavis]

Thanks all. This evening is going really well. We're watching "Clarkson's Farm".

It appears I could've made this thread a Poll. Great hearing of the other's experiences.

[Bill Douglas]

Good luck to him for a good outcome and speedy recovery.

[DonDavis]

It’s been an intensely emotional few days. After it was over, the surgeon came out and informed me all went well. They were very happy and going on about “No issues…great results….we like the profile” and so forth.

When they left me, I broke down, nearly sobbing. I was not concerned about the surgery itself. My response was elation. To those who have had it know…it’s life changing. Seeing my son struggle as he has been tough. Great guy dealt a siht hand. But now he gets to live without that particular challenge.

Great days ahead.

For reference, here are the plates used on me. They began to bother me about a year later so they were removed. And hells yes, I kept them. Still have the 6 screws in my lower jaw, 3 each side.

[Skytrooper]

All 6 plates and 37 screws still installed. I dont really want anymore cutting on my head. It would be a different story it they were bothering me though.

[DonDavis]

Update...

He's doing really well and is easily backing off the pain meds. First Doc followup was yesterday and all is tracking nicely.

He's speaking more clearly, actually enjoying making the smoothies, sleeping more and overall in super spirits. Swelling is still there, transitioning to heat compresses today.

Btw, I just noticed the dime in the pic above is a 1989, and that hardware was installed in me in 1988.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by DonDavis

Update...

He's doing really well and is easily backing off the pain meds. First Doc followup was yesterday and all is tracking nicely.

He's speaking more clearly, actually enjoying making the smoothies, sleeping more and overall in super spirits. Swelling is still there, transitioning to heat compresses today.

Outstanding, great news/update!

[Baz]

Hey Don......late to the thread but have to say this is the best thread we've had on here in a while. And that says a lot because we've had some great threads!

Words cannot express the level of respect and love I have for you and yours for keeping up the good fight and taking care of business. Of course, I'd expect no less from a Navy man!

My very best to you and son!

[Eric Hahl]

I'm curious, does this procedure affect speech. I mean, will he have a bit of effort at first forming words correctly or is it a non issue?