My Son Had Jaw Surgey.

[Tobra]

I assisted on a couple of maxillofacial surgery cases when I was a resident. They do it all from inside the mouth, no visible scars, which is nifty.

The plates are far superior to what was used in the past, like that photo of the stuff that was removed, nope. They have locking plates where you can make a rigid construct, the plate is threaded, so the head of the screw is locked into it. Those screws will sit flush, but move relative to the plate. Those are super light too, right. Titanium is some groovy stuff.

Ice is going to be that kids best friend, like those soft, gel ice packs, may even have one made to fit your face, they have those for shoulders

[astrochex]

Man, thats really amazing. A miraculous procedure and outcome.

Very happy for your son and your family.

[Skytrooper]

I had my maxiofacial surgery in 1999. It substantially improved my life. The results have been nothing short of amazing. I became the poster boy for the surgeon, hospital, and orthodontist. I got to meet and talk with people who were considering the prcedure. My 15 minutes of fame, so to speal.

[DonDavis]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

So happy for all of you.

Is there a next thing medically?

Not really. He'll have another followup or two, but he's all done and has his retainers.

Originally Posted by Tobra

...snip...
The plates are far superior to what was used in the past, like that photo of the stuff that was removed, nope....
...Titanium is some groovy stuff.

Ice is going to be that kids best friend, like those soft, gel ice packs

So true, I took mine in and showed the doc before his surgery. He really got a kick out seeing the old stuff. He took them around his practice and showed the staff. Felt like I was showing off an old azz watch or something.
"Oh wow! Those are huge!" was the consensus.
And we have several of those ice packs. They were perfect, we used an ace bandage around his jaw over the top of his head to hold them in place on his jaw/cheeks. Worked great!

Originally Posted by astrochex

Man, thats really amazing. A miraculous procedure and outcome.

Very happy for your son and your family.

Thank you!

Originally Posted by Skytrooper

...snip...I got to meet and talk with people who were considering the prcedure. My 15 minutes of fame, so to speal.

Sam was asked to do the same. It was a real charge for him emotionally and boosted his confidence.

Here's the before after. I like how the hair has swapped places.

[speeder]

I'm sorry that I did not see this sooner or maybe I did and the procedure scared the bejeezus out of me so I did not finish reading it? At any rate, I have a friend who had this done about 20 years ago and the result was similarly successful. The immediate afterwards recovery is a bear or at least it looks like it was. I remember visiting him in the hospital.

I'm so happy to read about your son's results and he's a great looking guy. He will probably smile more now? That alone could change someone's mood for the better, it's a proven fact in orthodontics and cosmetic dentistry. Onward and upward for the both of you!

[DonDavis]

Thanks Denis, and you nailed it.

I can see it happening already. For years I’d watch his laugh/smile and I could tell he was shy about it. Even holding back at times. And I never really brought it up until we began the surgical route.

We all know kids can be brutal and he was teased a LOT.

Different game now, fo sho.

[speeder]

That’s awesome. My dad had a mouth full of dentures at a young age because he lost some teeth along the way fighting and the replacements were not good until he started making money as an adult and got top-flight dentures.

We were talking about it once and he said, “look at photos of me from when I was younger and I’m never smiling. I had kind of a smirk…I was self conscious about my teeth.”

After he got the good teeth, he smiled a lot. In fact, he was sort of a conceited, handsome SOB but that’s another thread.