Day 73: Crooked Teeth and Blog Issues

Wow, sorry about the delay in posting!

Due to some technical issues my last few posts have not posted. I am still experiencing issues with uploaded photographs - I hope by tonight to have all of the issues resolved and everything back up-to-date (photographs, FAQ, etc).

Thanks for the emails and comments wondering what was going on! :)


Well, here we are at week 10! It seems like an eon ago that I had my surgery which is not a bad thing having to remember the first few weeks let me tell you:)

I was looking at the inside of my mouth in the mirror last night and in terms of mobility my jaws are opening completely in terms of up and down motion but I cannot move my jaws at all left and right. Never even thought about whether I needed to move it like that to be honest but there is no movement whatsoever left and right. One would think that you need them to move left and right simply to be able to chew but given that my chewing is almost not existent presently (unless you count putting instant pudding between my teeth in an effort to get used to the new bite position!) I guess it doesn't matter.

The biggest observation however was how crooked my teeth presently are, especially my bottom front teeth. They were not this crooked prior to surgery (I don't think) and it is quite amusing how rooked they actually are. My Orthodontist has his work cut out for him I think! :) Some teeth need to be lifted, some need to be pushed down, they all need to be aligned in terms of how straight they are when you look at them but apart from that, they look great! :)

So, after 10 weeks, what do I think of my new face so far you might wonder?! Well, I have to say that I am super happy with the progress I have made to date. That doesn't mean that some things don't bother me or frustrate me, of course they do but considering the severity of the operation, life is  great! In terms of these minor frustrations, I am talking about:

Numbness
I really wish that I had feeling in my lips and chin as it is just plain inconvenient quite honestly. My lips feel swollen (even though they are not) all of the time and it changes the way in which I talk.

The numbness is definitely a distraction, especially where my lips are concerned (I liken it to the feeling you have when you have a tooth extraction - only the feeling is presently permanent for the last 3 months!) but the reality is that there is little you can do about it. Nerves take time to regenerate. Sometime they regenerate, sometimes they do not but it is a good sign that I have a tingling sensation in my lips.

Swelling
As I have mentioned numerous times before, I know that it can take anywhere up to 18 months post-op for the swelling to completely go away but the fact is that I am tired of the swelling already :) Most people do not even notice it I am sure but I notice it as it changes how I look. It bugs me. Nothing can be done however so you just get on with it really . . ..

Talking
A combination of numbness and swelling causes me to talk differently than I did prior to surgery. At least that is what I think. Everyone tells me that I talk just like I did prior to surgery but what with the numbness and associated sensations, I am very self-conscious presently about how I talk and how I need to focus on enunciation whereas previously this was not an issue. Think about after you have been to the dentist and had a tooth removed - difficult to talk isn't it? Well, that is how it is for me permanently.

Smiling
Again, recognising that this will not be an issue once all of the above issues are resolved, I still cannot smile normally. Or perhaps I simply have to readjust to what normal is now given the new jaw structure, bone positions, teeth alignment, etc. I look at myself smiling and it looks, well, weird quite honestly. Not at all natural. I find myself smiling with my mouth close rather than with my mouth open because I think it is strange looking.

I admit that all of the above issues are probably all psychological but that is part of the recovery process I guess - adjusting to the new face and all of the mechanics behind that. It isn't like they really frustrate me on a daily basis or anything, just something that I recognise that bothers me to some degree. Make sense?