Re: 3 Weeks Post-op - 3 Big Questions - please help

[Guest guest]

Numbness: yes, the tingling is a good thing. I didn't have a

majority of my feeling back for a good four weeks post-op. Now I'm 9

months post, and my feeling is back to normal except for my top front

four teeth. I can feel them, but it's sort of spongy. It may take

another nine months to come back, but who knows? Everyone is

different and nerves are weird when it comes to healing.

Occlusion: I was splinted and banded for six weeks after my upper

segmentation and lower advancement. When my fixation came out, I had

two teeth that touched - upper and lower front left cuspids. Pre-

surgery, only the last molar upper and lower touched on my left

side. I was so disappointed when so few teeth touched, but I saw my

orthodontist two days later and nearly all my teeth were touching

within hours of that first post-op adjustment.

Swelling: I'd say that my visibly noticeable swelling was gone my

four weeks post-op, though I still had some swelling I could feel

even at six weeks.

Congrats on getting this far!

> Hi, Everyone:

>

> I'm 3 weeks post-op after having two-jaw surgery (mandibular

setback

> and maxillary advancement). I'm doing much better than I

expected.

> The doctor cut my fixation bands after just 8 days (which actually

> worried me a bit, because I'd rather not rush things at the risk of

> relapsing, but . . . .). I'm feeling pretty good now, wounds are

> healing nicely. Not much pain or tenderness. Overall, I'm quite

> happy.

>

> I have 3 big questions, and I hope that someone out there can give

me

> their voice of experience. First, NUMBNESS: I still can't feel

much

> of anything in my chin area and beneath my eyes alongside my nose.

I

> suppose this will likely get better over time (though I understand

> that for some people, it never goes away). On the bright side, I

do

> feel a lot of tingling/electric feeling, so I think the nerves are

> trying to make their way back. In your experience, how long did it

> take for the feeling to return to normal?

>

> Second, OCCLUSION/BITE: Of course, it's a weird feeling having my

> teeth be in a whole new orientation in my mouth. Pre-op, I had a

> pretty big underbite and openbite, so that only my rear-most left

> molars touched, and all other teeth didn't come close to touching.

> Post-op, I still only have contact on two teeth (right side upper

> canine touches right side lower pre-molar), while all other teeth

> don't make contact. The gap between the other teeth is quite

small,

> yet they don't touch. I'm hoping (praying, actually) that this

will

> be fixed over the next few months by the orthodontist using the

> braces (i.e., fine tuning my bite). Still, though, my current two-

> tooth contact feels very unnerving and unbalanced and weak (plus

it's

> hard to chew). Did you have a similar experience after surgery,

and

> was your bite made more balanced (more teeth touching) thanks to

> braces over a period of months?

>

> Third, lastly, SWELLING: I'm still a bit puffy in the cheeks and

> jowls. This I don't mind at all. I just wonder, how long did it

> take for your face swelling to really go away (to the point where

you

> yourself didn't see any swelling, as opposed to others noticing it)?

>

> OK, that's it. I hope someone will have the patience to read

> this long email and chime in with your wisdom! Thanks very, very

> much, .

[Guest guest]

Numbness: yes, the tingling is a good thing. I didn't have a

majority of my feeling back for a good four weeks post-op. Now I'm 9

months post, and my feeling is back to normal except for my top front

four teeth. I can feel them, but it's sort of spongy. It may take

another nine months to come back, but who knows? Everyone is

different and nerves are weird when it comes to healing.

Occlusion: I was splinted and banded for six weeks after my upper

segmentation and lower advancement. When my fixation came out, I had

two teeth that touched - upper and lower front left cuspids. Pre-

surgery, only the last molar upper and lower touched on my left

side. I was so disappointed when so few teeth touched, but I saw my

orthodontist two days later and nearly all my teeth were touching

within hours of that first post-op adjustment.

Swelling: I'd say that my visibly noticeable swelling was gone my

four weeks post-op, though I still had some swelling I could feel

even at six weeks.

Congrats on getting this far!

> Hi, Everyone:

>

> I'm 3 weeks post-op after having two-jaw surgery (mandibular

setback

> and maxillary advancement). I'm doing much better than I

expected.

> The doctor cut my fixation bands after just 8 days (which actually

> worried me a bit, because I'd rather not rush things at the risk of

> relapsing, but . . . .). I'm feeling pretty good now, wounds are

> healing nicely. Not much pain or tenderness. Overall, I'm quite

> happy.

>

> I have 3 big questions, and I hope that someone out there can give

me

> their voice of experience. First, NUMBNESS: I still can't feel

much

> of anything in my chin area and beneath my eyes alongside my nose.

I

> suppose this will likely get better over time (though I understand

> that for some people, it never goes away). On the bright side, I

do

> feel a lot of tingling/electric feeling, so I think the nerves are

> trying to make their way back. In your experience, how long did it

> take for the feeling to return to normal?

>

> Second, OCCLUSION/BITE: Of course, it's a weird feeling having my

> teeth be in a whole new orientation in my mouth. Pre-op, I had a

> pretty big underbite and openbite, so that only my rear-most left

> molars touched, and all other teeth didn't come close to touching.

> Post-op, I still only have contact on two teeth (right side upper

> canine touches right side lower pre-molar), while all other teeth

> don't make contact. The gap between the other teeth is quite

small,

> yet they don't touch. I'm hoping (praying, actually) that this

will

> be fixed over the next few months by the orthodontist using the

> braces (i.e., fine tuning my bite). Still, though, my current two-

> tooth contact feels very unnerving and unbalanced and weak (plus

it's

> hard to chew). Did you have a similar experience after surgery,

and

> was your bite made more balanced (more teeth touching) thanks to

> braces over a period of months?

>

> Third, lastly, SWELLING: I'm still a bit puffy in the cheeks and

> jowls. This I don't mind at all. I just wonder, how long did it

> take for your face swelling to really go away (to the point where

you

> yourself didn't see any swelling, as opposed to others noticing it)?

>

> OK, that's it. I hope someone will have the patience to read

> this long email and chime in with your wisdom! Thanks very, very

> much, .

[Guest guest]

Numbness: yes, the tingling is a good thing. I didn't have a

majority of my feeling back for a good four weeks post-op. Now I'm 9

months post, and my feeling is back to normal except for my top front

four teeth. I can feel them, but it's sort of spongy. It may take

another nine months to come back, but who knows? Everyone is

different and nerves are weird when it comes to healing.

Occlusion: I was splinted and banded for six weeks after my upper

segmentation and lower advancement. When my fixation came out, I had

two teeth that touched - upper and lower front left cuspids. Pre-

surgery, only the last molar upper and lower touched on my left

side. I was so disappointed when so few teeth touched, but I saw my

orthodontist two days later and nearly all my teeth were touching

within hours of that first post-op adjustment.

Swelling: I'd say that my visibly noticeable swelling was gone my

four weeks post-op, though I still had some swelling I could feel

even at six weeks.

Congrats on getting this far!

> Hi, Everyone:

>

> I'm 3 weeks post-op after having two-jaw surgery (mandibular

setback

> and maxillary advancement). I'm doing much better than I

expected.

> The doctor cut my fixation bands after just 8 days (which actually

> worried me a bit, because I'd rather not rush things at the risk of

> relapsing, but . . . .). I'm feeling pretty good now, wounds are

> healing nicely. Not much pain or tenderness. Overall, I'm quite

> happy.

>

> I have 3 big questions, and I hope that someone out there can give

me

> their voice of experience. First, NUMBNESS: I still can't feel

much

> of anything in my chin area and beneath my eyes alongside my nose.

I

> suppose this will likely get better over time (though I understand

> that for some people, it never goes away). On the bright side, I

do

> feel a lot of tingling/electric feeling, so I think the nerves are

> trying to make their way back. In your experience, how long did it

> take for the feeling to return to normal?

>

> Second, OCCLUSION/BITE: Of course, it's a weird feeling having my

> teeth be in a whole new orientation in my mouth. Pre-op, I had a

> pretty big underbite and openbite, so that only my rear-most left

> molars touched, and all other teeth didn't come close to touching.

> Post-op, I still only have contact on two teeth (right side upper

> canine touches right side lower pre-molar), while all other teeth

> don't make contact. The gap between the other teeth is quite

small,

> yet they don't touch. I'm hoping (praying, actually) that this

will

> be fixed over the next few months by the orthodontist using the

> braces (i.e., fine tuning my bite). Still, though, my current two-

> tooth contact feels very unnerving and unbalanced and weak (plus

it's

> hard to chew). Did you have a similar experience after surgery,

and

> was your bite made more balanced (more teeth touching) thanks to

> braces over a period of months?

>

> Third, lastly, SWELLING: I'm still a bit puffy in the cheeks and

> jowls. This I don't mind at all. I just wonder, how long did it

> take for your face swelling to really go away (to the point where

you

> yourself didn't see any swelling, as opposed to others noticing it)?

>

> OK, that's it. I hope someone will have the patience to read

> this long email and chime in with your wisdom! Thanks very, very

> much, .

[Guest guest]

, I have the answer for you, not from wisdom but from reading a

lot of posts on these sites. Matter of fact, you said it yourself.

But you're not gonna like it.

It's PATIENCE.

Three weeks isn't long after surgery. If you have tingles and

prickles, those are indeed good signs about the numbness.

I can reassure you a bit about the bite, though. When my splint came

out, at 7 weeks post op, exactly two of my teeth touched. That was

because one crown was, after the realignment, very, very high. My

ortho has ground it down several times now, and I may yet ask for

more. But in general, after a pretty short time post-op in braces and

many, many elastics, my bite was back in kilter, only lined up much

better and better balanced.

Nobody can predict when the swelling or the numbness will go. You

just gotta do what the docs tell you, drink lots of fluids (

Fiddlesticks might suggest Manual Lymph Drainage massage and/or some

homeopathic potions.

But they're gonna go when they get good and ready, and not before,

essentially.

Take care, and we'll be thinking of you.

Cammie

> Hi, Everyone:

>

> I'm 3 weeks post-op after having two-jaw surgery (mandibular

setback

> and maxillary advancement). I'm doing much better than I

expected.

> The doctor cut my fixation bands after just 8 days (which actually

> worried me a bit, because I'd rather not rush things at the risk of

> relapsing, but . . . .). I'm feeling pretty good now, wounds are

> healing nicely. Not much pain or tenderness. Overall, I'm quite

> happy.

>

> I have 3 big questions, and I hope that someone out there can give

me

> their voice of experience. First, NUMBNESS: I still can't feel

much

> of anything in my chin area and beneath my eyes alongside my nose.

I

> suppose this will likely get better over time (though I understand

> that for some people, it never goes away). On the bright side, I

do

> feel a lot of tingling/electric feeling, so I think the nerves are

> trying to make their way back. In your experience, how long did it

> take for the feeling to return to normal?

>

> Second, OCCLUSION/BITE: Of course, it's a weird feeling having my

> teeth be in a whole new orientation in my mouth. Pre-op, I had a

> pretty big underbite and openbite, so that only my rear-most left

> molars touched, and all other teeth didn't come close to touching.

> Post-op, I still only have contact on two teeth (right side upper

> canine touches right side lower pre-molar), while all other teeth

> don't make contact. The gap between the other teeth is quite

small,

> yet they don't touch. I'm hoping (praying, actually) that this

will

> be fixed over the next few months by the orthodontist using the

> braces (i.e., fine tuning my bite). Still, though, my current two-

> tooth contact feels very unnerving and unbalanced and weak (plus

it's

> hard to chew). Did you have a similar experience after surgery,

and

> was your bite made more balanced (more teeth touching) thanks to

> braces over a period of months?

>

> Third, lastly, SWELLING: I'm still a bit puffy in the cheeks and

> jowls. This I don't mind at all. I just wonder, how long did it

> take for your face swelling to really go away (to the point where

you

> yourself didn't see any swelling, as opposed to others noticing it)?

>

> OK, that's it. I hope someone will have the patience to read

> this long email and chime in with your wisdom! Thanks very, very

> much, .

[Guest guest]

, I have the answer for you, not from wisdom but from reading a

lot of posts on these sites. Matter of fact, you said it yourself.

But you're not gonna like it.

It's PATIENCE.

Three weeks isn't long after surgery. If you have tingles and

prickles, those are indeed good signs about the numbness.

I can reassure you a bit about the bite, though. When my splint came

out, at 7 weeks post op, exactly two of my teeth touched. That was

because one crown was, after the realignment, very, very high. My

ortho has ground it down several times now, and I may yet ask for

more. But in general, after a pretty short time post-op in braces and

many, many elastics, my bite was back in kilter, only lined up much

better and better balanced.

Nobody can predict when the swelling or the numbness will go. You

just gotta do what the docs tell you, drink lots of fluids (

Fiddlesticks might suggest Manual Lymph Drainage massage and/or some

homeopathic potions.

But they're gonna go when they get good and ready, and not before,

essentially.

Take care, and we'll be thinking of you.

Cammie

> Hi, Everyone:

>

> I'm 3 weeks post-op after having two-jaw surgery (mandibular

setback

> and maxillary advancement). I'm doing much better than I

expected.

> The doctor cut my fixation bands after just 8 days (which actually

> worried me a bit, because I'd rather not rush things at the risk of

> relapsing, but . . . .). I'm feeling pretty good now, wounds are

> healing nicely. Not much pain or tenderness. Overall, I'm quite

> happy.

>

> I have 3 big questions, and I hope that someone out there can give

me

> their voice of experience. First, NUMBNESS: I still can't feel

much

> of anything in my chin area and beneath my eyes alongside my nose.

I

> suppose this will likely get better over time (though I understand

> that for some people, it never goes away). On the bright side, I

do

> feel a lot of tingling/electric feeling, so I think the nerves are

> trying to make their way back. In your experience, how long did it

> take for the feeling to return to normal?

>

> Second, OCCLUSION/BITE: Of course, it's a weird feeling having my

> teeth be in a whole new orientation in my mouth. Pre-op, I had a

> pretty big underbite and openbite, so that only my rear-most left

> molars touched, and all other teeth didn't come close to touching.

> Post-op, I still only have contact on two teeth (right side upper

> canine touches right side lower pre-molar), while all other teeth

> don't make contact. The gap between the other teeth is quite

small,

> yet they don't touch. I'm hoping (praying, actually) that this

will

> be fixed over the next few months by the orthodontist using the

> braces (i.e., fine tuning my bite). Still, though, my current two-

> tooth contact feels very unnerving and unbalanced and weak (plus

it's

> hard to chew). Did you have a similar experience after surgery,

and

> was your bite made more balanced (more teeth touching) thanks to

> braces over a period of months?

>

> Third, lastly, SWELLING: I'm still a bit puffy in the cheeks and

> jowls. This I don't mind at all. I just wonder, how long did it

> take for your face swelling to really go away (to the point where

you

> yourself didn't see any swelling, as opposed to others noticing it)?

>

> OK, that's it. I hope someone will have the patience to read

> this long email and chime in with your wisdom! Thanks very, very

> much, .

[Guest guest]

, I have the answer for you, not from wisdom but from reading a

lot of posts on these sites. Matter of fact, you said it yourself.

But you're not gonna like it.

It's PATIENCE.

Three weeks isn't long after surgery. If you have tingles and

prickles, those are indeed good signs about the numbness.

I can reassure you a bit about the bite, though. When my splint came

out, at 7 weeks post op, exactly two of my teeth touched. That was

because one crown was, after the realignment, very, very high. My

ortho has ground it down several times now, and I may yet ask for

more. But in general, after a pretty short time post-op in braces and

many, many elastics, my bite was back in kilter, only lined up much

better and better balanced.

Nobody can predict when the swelling or the numbness will go. You

just gotta do what the docs tell you, drink lots of fluids (

Fiddlesticks might suggest Manual Lymph Drainage massage and/or some

homeopathic potions.

But they're gonna go when they get good and ready, and not before,

essentially.

Take care, and we'll be thinking of you.

Cammie

> Hi, Everyone:

>

> I'm 3 weeks post-op after having two-jaw surgery (mandibular

setback

> and maxillary advancement). I'm doing much better than I

expected.

> The doctor cut my fixation bands after just 8 days (which actually

> worried me a bit, because I'd rather not rush things at the risk of

> relapsing, but . . . .). I'm feeling pretty good now, wounds are

> healing nicely. Not much pain or tenderness. Overall, I'm quite

> happy.

>

> I have 3 big questions, and I hope that someone out there can give

me

> their voice of experience. First, NUMBNESS: I still can't feel

much

> of anything in my chin area and beneath my eyes alongside my nose.

I

> suppose this will likely get better over time (though I understand

> that for some people, it never goes away). On the bright side, I

do

> feel a lot of tingling/electric feeling, so I think the nerves are

> trying to make their way back. In your experience, how long did it

> take for the feeling to return to normal?

>

> Second, OCCLUSION/BITE: Of course, it's a weird feeling having my

> teeth be in a whole new orientation in my mouth. Pre-op, I had a

> pretty big underbite and openbite, so that only my rear-most left

> molars touched, and all other teeth didn't come close to touching.

> Post-op, I still only have contact on two teeth (right side upper

> canine touches right side lower pre-molar), while all other teeth

> don't make contact. The gap between the other teeth is quite

small,

> yet they don't touch. I'm hoping (praying, actually) that this

will

> be fixed over the next few months by the orthodontist using the

> braces (i.e., fine tuning my bite). Still, though, my current two-

> tooth contact feels very unnerving and unbalanced and weak (plus

it's

> hard to chew). Did you have a similar experience after surgery,

and

> was your bite made more balanced (more teeth touching) thanks to

> braces over a period of months?

>

> Third, lastly, SWELLING: I'm still a bit puffy in the cheeks and

> jowls. This I don't mind at all. I just wonder, how long did it

> take for your face swelling to really go away (to the point where

you

> yourself didn't see any swelling, as opposed to others noticing it)?

>

> OK, that's it. I hope someone will have the patience to read

> this long email and chime in with your wisdom! Thanks very, very

> much, .

[Guest guest]

CAM-MIE! not homeopathic potions! that conjures up hocus-pocus for

some people. They are remedies. Not over-the-counter either, but best

prescribed by a knowledgeable and experienced registered homeopath. A

good one will spend at least an hour asking questions about one's

general health (not many general physicians spend that much time),

and followup after prescribing remedies. One size does not fit all. A

good homeopath will tell you what, when, how much and for how long to

take the remedy.

, if you want to visit the geocites website I set up, you can

find out more about MLD therapy. I also put some links about

homeopathy on site2 in the links section. Here's the link to the

geocities site, click on MLD therapy in the left hand sidebar:

http://www.geocities.com/orthognathicinfo/

> > Hi, Everyone:

> >

> > I'm 3 weeks post-op after having two-jaw surgery (mandibular

> setback

> > and maxillary advancement). I'm doing much better than I

> expected.

> > The doctor cut my fixation bands after just 8 days (which

actually

> > worried me a bit, because I'd rather not rush things at the risk

of

> > relapsing, but . . . .). I'm feeling pretty good now, wounds are

> > healing nicely. Not much pain or tenderness. Overall, I'm quite

> > happy.

> >

> > I have 3 big questions, and I hope that someone out there can

give

> me

> > their voice of experience. First, NUMBNESS: I still can't feel

> much

> > of anything in my chin area and beneath my eyes alongside my

nose.

> I

> > suppose this will likely get better over time (though I

understand

> > that for some people, it never goes away). On the bright side, I

> do

> > feel a lot of tingling/electric feeling, so I think the nerves

are

> > trying to make their way back. In your experience, how long did

it

> > take for the feeling to return to normal?

> >

> > Second, OCCLUSION/BITE: Of course, it's a weird feeling having

my

> > teeth be in a whole new orientation in my mouth. Pre-op, I had a

> > pretty big underbite and openbite, so that only my rear-most left

> > molars touched, and all other teeth didn't come close to

touching.

> > Post-op, I still only have contact on two teeth (right side upper

> > canine touches right side lower pre-molar), while all other teeth

> > don't make contact. The gap between the other teeth is quite

> small,

> > yet they don't touch. I'm hoping (praying, actually) that this

> will

> > be fixed over the next few months by the orthodontist using the

> > braces (i.e., fine tuning my bite). Still, though, my current

two-

> > tooth contact feels very unnerving and unbalanced and weak (plus

> it's

> > hard to chew). Did you have a similar experience after surgery,

> and

> > was your bite made more balanced (more teeth touching) thanks to

> > braces over a period of months?

> >

> > Third, lastly, SWELLING: I'm still a bit puffy in the cheeks and

> > jowls. This I don't mind at all. I just wonder, how long did it

> > take for your face swelling to really go away (to the point where

> you

> > yourself didn't see any swelling, as opposed to others noticing

it)?

> >

> > OK, that's it. I hope someone will have the patience to read

> > this long email and chime in with your wisdom! Thanks very, very

> > much, .

[Guest guest]

CAM-MIE! not homeopathic potions! that conjures up hocus-pocus for

some people. They are remedies. Not over-the-counter either, but best

prescribed by a knowledgeable and experienced registered homeopath. A

good one will spend at least an hour asking questions about one's

general health (not many general physicians spend that much time),

and followup after prescribing remedies. One size does not fit all. A

good homeopath will tell you what, when, how much and for how long to

take the remedy.

, if you want to visit the geocites website I set up, you can

find out more about MLD therapy. I also put some links about

homeopathy on site2 in the links section. Here's the link to the

geocities site, click on MLD therapy in the left hand sidebar:

http://www.geocities.com/orthognathicinfo/

> > Hi, Everyone:

> >

> > I'm 3 weeks post-op after having two-jaw surgery (mandibular

> setback

> > and maxillary advancement). I'm doing much better than I

> expected.

> > The doctor cut my fixation bands after just 8 days (which

actually

> > worried me a bit, because I'd rather not rush things at the risk

of

> > relapsing, but . . . .). I'm feeling pretty good now, wounds are

> > healing nicely. Not much pain or tenderness. Overall, I'm quite

> > happy.

> >

> > I have 3 big questions, and I hope that someone out there can

give

> me

> > their voice of experience. First, NUMBNESS: I still can't feel

> much

> > of anything in my chin area and beneath my eyes alongside my

nose.

> I

> > suppose this will likely get better over time (though I

understand

> > that for some people, it never goes away). On the bright side, I

> do

> > feel a lot of tingling/electric feeling, so I think the nerves

are

> > trying to make their way back. In your experience, how long did

it

> > take for the feeling to return to normal?

> >

> > Second, OCCLUSION/BITE: Of course, it's a weird feeling having

my

> > teeth be in a whole new orientation in my mouth. Pre-op, I had a

> > pretty big underbite and openbite, so that only my rear-most left

> > molars touched, and all other teeth didn't come close to

touching.

> > Post-op, I still only have contact on two teeth (right side upper

> > canine touches right side lower pre-molar), while all other teeth

> > don't make contact. The gap between the other teeth is quite

> small,

> > yet they don't touch. I'm hoping (praying, actually) that this

> will

> > be fixed over the next few months by the orthodontist using the

> > braces (i.e., fine tuning my bite). Still, though, my current

two-

> > tooth contact feels very unnerving and unbalanced and weak (plus

> it's

> > hard to chew). Did you have a similar experience after surgery,

> and

> > was your bite made more balanced (more teeth touching) thanks to

> > braces over a period of months?

> >

> > Third, lastly, SWELLING: I'm still a bit puffy in the cheeks and

> > jowls. This I don't mind at all. I just wonder, how long did it

> > take for your face swelling to really go away (to the point where

> you

> > yourself didn't see any swelling, as opposed to others noticing

it)?

> >

> > OK, that's it. I hope someone will have the patience to read

> > this long email and chime in with your wisdom! Thanks very, very

> > much, .

[Guest guest]

CAM-MIE! not homeopathic potions! that conjures up hocus-pocus for

some people. They are remedies. Not over-the-counter either, but best

prescribed by a knowledgeable and experienced registered homeopath. A

good one will spend at least an hour asking questions about one's

general health (not many general physicians spend that much time),

and followup after prescribing remedies. One size does not fit all. A

good homeopath will tell you what, when, how much and for how long to

take the remedy.

, if you want to visit the geocites website I set up, you can

find out more about MLD therapy. I also put some links about

homeopathy on site2 in the links section. Here's the link to the

geocities site, click on MLD therapy in the left hand sidebar:

http://www.geocities.com/orthognathicinfo/

> > Hi, Everyone:

> >

> > I'm 3 weeks post-op after having two-jaw surgery (mandibular

> setback

> > and maxillary advancement). I'm doing much better than I

> expected.

> > The doctor cut my fixation bands after just 8 days (which

actually

> > worried me a bit, because I'd rather not rush things at the risk

of

> > relapsing, but . . . .). I'm feeling pretty good now, wounds are

> > healing nicely. Not much pain or tenderness. Overall, I'm quite

> > happy.

> >

> > I have 3 big questions, and I hope that someone out there can

give

> me

> > their voice of experience. First, NUMBNESS: I still can't feel

> much

> > of anything in my chin area and beneath my eyes alongside my

nose.

> I

> > suppose this will likely get better over time (though I

understand

> > that for some people, it never goes away). On the bright side, I

> do

> > feel a lot of tingling/electric feeling, so I think the nerves

are

> > trying to make their way back. In your experience, how long did

it

> > take for the feeling to return to normal?

> >

> > Second, OCCLUSION/BITE: Of course, it's a weird feeling having

my

> > teeth be in a whole new orientation in my mouth. Pre-op, I had a

> > pretty big underbite and openbite, so that only my rear-most left

> > molars touched, and all other teeth didn't come close to

touching.

> > Post-op, I still only have contact on two teeth (right side upper

> > canine touches right side lower pre-molar), while all other teeth

> > don't make contact. The gap between the other teeth is quite

> small,

> > yet they don't touch. I'm hoping (praying, actually) that this

> will

> > be fixed over the next few months by the orthodontist using the

> > braces (i.e., fine tuning my bite). Still, though, my current

two-

> > tooth contact feels very unnerving and unbalanced and weak (plus

> it's

> > hard to chew). Did you have a similar experience after surgery,

> and

> > was your bite made more balanced (more teeth touching) thanks to

> > braces over a period of months?

> >

> > Third, lastly, SWELLING: I'm still a bit puffy in the cheeks and

> > jowls. This I don't mind at all. I just wonder, how long did it

> > take for your face swelling to really go away (to the point where

> you

> > yourself didn't see any swelling, as opposed to others noticing

it)?

> >

> > OK, that's it. I hope someone will have the patience to read

> > this long email and chime in with your wisdom! Thanks very, very

> > much, .

[Guest guest]

Ohhhh, Miz . Don't wince before I hit you!

What my genuwine, traditionally trained MDs prescribe for me are

potions. What Pfizer and Lilly and all those other folks sell (and

yes, they are indeed in the business of selling them - just read the

latest U. S. Medicare bill if you don't believe it) are potions.

There isn't anything derogatory in that word... Truly.

I got no fight with anybody about wanting folks who are trained and

educated in their attempts to help us patients. I agree, I agree! Ho-

kay???

But hey -- my M.D. types do spend an hour or more with me, if that's

what it takes... So don't knock them, either. Puh-leeze.

Personally, I think Ghiradelli hot choklit ground choklit can be as

effective a potion as my anti-infection antibiotics I take each time

before I go to the dentist. I just want potions, however concocted,

that WORK!!!

And I still think, from that standpoint, that patience (or PATIENCE)

is the most effective potion of all, at least in dealing with

orthognathic/orthodontic procedures.

Cammie

> CAM-MIE! not homeopathic potions! that conjures up hocus-pocus for

> some people. They are remedies. Not over-the-counter either, but

best

> prescribed by a knowledgeable and experienced registered homeopath.

A

> good one will spend at least an hour asking questions about one's

> general health (not many general physicians spend that much time),

> and followup after prescribing remedies. One size does not fit all.

A

> good homeopath will tell you what, when, how much and for how long

to

> take the remedy.

>

> , if you want to visit the geocites website I set up, you can

> find out more about MLD therapy. I also put some links about

> homeopathy on site2 in the links section. Here's the link to the

> geocities site, click on MLD therapy in the left hand sidebar:

> http://www.geocities.com/orthognathicinfo/

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi, Cammie! Hi, !

Thank you BOTH for the sage and sound advice. Cammie, you've hit the

nail on the head - it all boils down to having some patience, and

letting the healing take its course. I think that the swelling and

numbness will resolve themselves over time, and the occlusion can be

adjusted with a few visits (over some months) to the orthodontist.

(Trouble is, my orthodontist is in Tokyo, where I actually live, and

the surgeon is here in California, where I had the operation and

where I'm recuperating with my family. I'm just starting to work

with an ortho colleague of my surgeon here, and I'm hoping that he'll

do a bit of adjusting of the bite till I return to Japan in January.)

, I've looked at the website you sent me, and I looked up the

names/addresses of several osteopaths in my area, so I'll contact

them tomorrow. I know that Cammie is open-minded, and she doesn't

think that osteopaths are hocus-pocus quacks. Potions are potions,

whether prescribed by M.D. or O.D., and I'm wide-open as to the

options that are out there. (In fact, my good friend from college

days went on to become an osteopath, and I would trust my health to

her anytime.)

So, thanks again you guys for the tips and suggestions. I'm looking

forward to getting better and better each day! Bye, Dave.

> > CAM-MIE! not homeopathic potions! that conjures up hocus-pocus

for

> > some people. They are remedies. Not over-the-counter either, but

> best

> > prescribed by a knowledgeable and experienced registered

homeopath.

> A

> > good one will spend at least an hour asking questions about one's

> > general health (not many general physicians spend that much

time),

> > and followup after prescribing remedies. One size does not fit

all.

> A

> > good homeopath will tell you what, when, how much and for how

long

> to

> > take the remedy.

> >

> > , if you want to visit the geocites website I set up, you

can

> > find out more about MLD therapy. I also put some links about

> > homeopathy on site2 in the links section. Here's the link to the

> > geocities site, click on MLD therapy in the left hand sidebar:

> > http://www.geocities.com/orthognathicinfo/

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Hi, :

Thanks to you, too, for the advice. I was most heartened by the part

where you described the dramatic and fast improvement in your

occlusion after just a single visit/adjustment with your

orthodontist. Actually, I've spoken with another post-opper outside

this website, and he said the same thing, so I'm pretty excited to

see the orthodontist early next week!

Much obliged, and take care, Dave.

> > Hi, Everyone:

> >

> > I'm 3 weeks post-op after having two-jaw surgery (mandibular

> setback

> > and maxillary advancement). I'm doing much better than I

> expected.

> > The doctor cut my fixation bands after just 8 days (which

actually

> > worried me a bit, because I'd rather not rush things at the risk

of

> > relapsing, but . . . .). I'm feeling pretty good now, wounds are

> > healing nicely. Not much pain or tenderness. Overall, I'm quite

> > happy.

> >

> > I have 3 big questions, and I hope that someone out there can

give

> me

> > their voice of experience. First, NUMBNESS: I still can't feel

> much

> > of anything in my chin area and beneath my eyes alongside my

nose.

> I

> > suppose this will likely get better over time (though I

understand

> > that for some people, it never goes away). On the bright side, I

> do

> > feel a lot of tingling/electric feeling, so I think the nerves

are

> > trying to make their way back. In your experience, how long did

it

> > take for the feeling to return to normal?

> >

> > Second, OCCLUSION/BITE: Of course, it's a weird feeling having

my

> > teeth be in a whole new orientation in my mouth. Pre-op, I had a

> > pretty big underbite and openbite, so that only my rear-most left

> > molars touched, and all other teeth didn't come close to

touching.

> > Post-op, I still only have contact on two teeth (right side upper

> > canine touches right side lower pre-molar), while all other teeth

> > don't make contact. The gap between the other teeth is quite

> small,

> > yet they don't touch. I'm hoping (praying, actually) that this

> will

> > be fixed over the next few months by the orthodontist using the

> > braces (i.e., fine tuning my bite). Still, though, my current

two-

> > tooth contact feels very unnerving and unbalanced and weak (plus

> it's

> > hard to chew). Did you have a similar experience after surgery,

> and

> > was your bite made more balanced (more teeth touching) thanks to

> > braces over a period of months?

> >

> > Third, lastly, SWELLING: I'm still a bit puffy in the cheeks and

> > jowls. This I don't mind at all. I just wonder, how long did it

> > take for your face swelling to really go away (to the point where

> you

> > yourself didn't see any swelling, as opposed to others noticing

it)?

> >

> > OK, that's it. I hope someone will have the patience to read

> > this long email and chime in with your wisdom! Thanks very, very

> > much, .