When you're smiling.... Day: 276/ Shout-outs for Corrinne, Amanda and Natasha!

So I recently got asked about my surgery by a girl who will be having her surgery at the end of this month (Good Luck, Sarah!) and talking about it again made me think I should do a little update.

What can I say, I'm really happy, I feel good, no, better than good I feel NORMAL! I'm making eye contact with my peers and lecturers at university and no one has said to me 'GOSH You've had jaw surgery!' (sounds stupid but this was at one point a fear..' 

Nope, no one suspects a thing ;) But don't get me wrong, I'm far from embarrassed about it. I needed it. I wanted it, and it's helped me, and so many more people like me, not look better - that's just the bonus, but feel confident enough to walk in to a room full of people and to know that whatever thoughts pop in to their heads, it's not about your jaw!

I've had some big presentations since being at university- group and individual, and I was able to stand at the podium and look each person in the eyes, and not feel the burning stare I used to get as they tried to assess what was off about my face!

Jaw Stuff? Oh right I forgot that's what you come here for!

I am almost 10 months post opp and honestly, my only complaint is again, numbness. It's still there in half of my chin and all of my lower lip - and the gums are the worst. My surgeon still swears there was no disruption of the nerve so because of this, even he doesn't know when I will regain sensation, he just says I should.

I know its a little far gone to be talking about swelling, but there is kinda still some there. My right side of this photo, is still 'thicker; than the other, which is due to the mass of muscle, which has been described to me as 'shifted in to a pile' when my face was rotated, so the thinner side is thinner literally because it has less muscle on it. the thicker side will settle down with time, but even if it didn't I wouldn't be bothered.

(On a side note, I got hit in the face at a concert the other month and OH MY GOD it hurt - I can feel the metal in the sides of my face, and around them was a sharp shooting pain and it swelled a little the next few days.)

Despite not posting, I still visit here probably 5 times a month to see how y'all doing, and I must say theres some amazing results you've got!

Natasha! (awimpsguidetoorthognathicsurgery.blogspot.co.uk)  You look happier each time I see your updates! Hope you have fun in Germany!

Corrinne, (jawsurgery-journey.blogspot.co.uk) your de-braced smile is beautiful :)

and Amanda (bracefacethesequel.blogspot.co.uk) You're glowing! Good luck with your family!

I'M BRACE FREE AND SOO FRACKING HAPPY!

So here we are, it's over, finally! I almost can't believe it. I'm just so so happy...

I'll shake off the euphoria just so I can tell you how de-bracing went.

 I was still terrified, expecting the worst which would be being told I can't have them removed that day. I wore my elastics in the car and took them off last minute so that my teeth would be in the right position for sure, and when Dr  Shaarh said 'Shall we take them off then?' I almost cried as I nodded a reply as his hand was still in my mouth.

DE-BRACING HURTS

I wasn't expecting this to be honest, I thought, they would use that solution which disolves the glue, they used it to clean up my mouth when they first fitted the braces to removed excess glue, but no, they just PULLED.

My god it hurt. and then came the scrapping of the glue! very painful on sensitive teeth but I just screwed up my eyes and grasped my hands together in my lap and it was eventually over. Felt like hours but honestly took about an hour and that was with impressions made too.

RETAINER 

As soon as they'd scraped the glue off and I'd had a quick look in the mirror, they took 4 impressions of my teeth - two top two bottom. Then it was off home, until half 4 when I#d go back to retrieve my retainers. 

I was praying I would have the hard plastic type that you only have to wear at night.

Everything had gone my way that day :P

These are clear plastic, and just to worn at night every night for the first year, then every other day after that. I have to remember to buy some retainer brite to clean them with, otherwise soapy COLD water is fine (not hot as they will melt and they're only going to replace them within the first year, after that I have to pay at a dentist!) I got to chose this nice pink box too :)

I'm all moved in to my new place for uni now, living with Tom and 3 others, I'll take some photos soon and show you my room. I'm so so grateful that my braces were removed just in time for freshers' week to start! I haev the choice to tell people I meet from here on out that I had my surgery or not. Cause theres no way to know, and I like that, I look normal. 

This was the last photo taken with braces, and as happy as I was in that photo, I'm certainly more complete, more content with myself in the next few :)

So there you go, I'm pretty much done here, I'll be having a check up in 3 months, and then this time next year a meeting with my surgeon to see how I'm getting on and then I'm not going to see them again - I bought them a thank you card lol.

I'll post relevant things soon and let you know about numbness and other jaw related things, and I'm always looking at your progress - it makes me happy to see everyone getting on so well.

But for now, I'm gonna focus on smiling and going out and building back some of that confidence I've been missing all these years!

See you soon 

x