2019 update

This photo is three years old I AM CHEATING lol at least I admit it. Whatevs
Life is still just fine! No problems. Everything still works. My girl is six! We are home today because she’s sick :( but she’ll be ok.  I was re-reading this blog and wow
What a rough go that was! Hang in there peeps.

2014 and 2015 Update!

Um, yeah, so babies really take your attention away from your blog about teeth etc. Sorry!Anyway, everything is still great and there are no problems with my teeth or jaw. I am STILL not totally used to my face and the way it moves. Like, I used to be able to see my top teeth when I had "resting bitch face", lol. Now, I do not. But oh well. My smile looks a bajillion times better. I guess that is the trade off.

 

2013 Update!

EVERYTHING IS STILL GREAT!

Yep... it's all the same.  This blog gets  a lot of traffic, too.  Almost 100k views now.  And heck no I don't advertise.  I also delete posts and comments from advertisers and peeps trying to promote their biz.  So don't bother trying!

Anyway, what is new?  OMG I had a baby!  She totally has no teeth though, so I can't really post pics because it would just be all about the baby and that has nothing to do with surgery.  Although I did post my wedding pic, and that has nothign to do with surgery now does it?

Ok truth is I don't want to post super clear pics of my baby.  Sorry. She's just ours.  But she's awesome and cute, and she sleeps through the night and has since the beginning.  I knock on wood.  I really do.

2012 Update!

YEAH!!!! 

Everything's going GREAT still!  Ha ha look how totally cool I can be, ha ha ha... Sigh.  Sorry 'bout this.  I was bored in a cab one day.  Don't hate-mail me about this ridiculousness.   

This is me and best guy in the universe camping in Big Sur, CA!  Straight teeth! 

NOT Smiling... But just for blog-effect!  I'm at "work" here.  Can you tell?  This is what your psychotherapist does between sessions.  Not really.  Okay really.  

Driving the PCH all convertible-like.

So long story short, NO changes and NO problems.  I continue to use my dental-guard thingy once every few weeks to keep my teeth truly in line.  Flossing with SUPERFLOSS (it's great and so much easier than those threaders, I mean COME ON).  Electric toothbrush.  But mostly just in love and happy and continuing on with life.  Once again, I would recommend this surgery, but again, be prepared for an adjustment period of up to one year.  'Til next year, you unfortunate surgery-goers. 'Til next year.  xo

Update 2011

Hello toothy jaw folk. Well it's almost 2 years now since my awesome fun surgery. Just wanted to post another update on all the changes that have happened... Basically, no TMJ anymore, still some numbness but I don't really mind (aka "I've adjusted"), and still some days I feel like I look funny (i.e. my face is different, and it's still a little weird to me). In any event, I am glad that I have good chompers now, and that I am no longer degenerating (or grinding and clicking and wearing down my jaw). That, and I got married! Here's a little pic of the elopement at the Art Gallery of Ontario on November 26, 2010! I married the most wonderful, kind, and loving man alive and couldn't be happier! Who knew??? :)

Those summer nights.

Aaaaah!!! I love LOVE summer! This is a toothless smile. Getting ready for the cottage... going to movies, concerts, more concerts, and more concerts. I am still learning guitar, and have started "training" for my surf trip by swimming 3x per week for 40 minutes. All I have to do now is add some yoga, and I'm good to go. I hope. My surfboard is NOT going to hit me in the jaw... repeat to self 3 times when necessary.

This is a nice little pic of me and my mfeo (made for each other... I know... a little sleepless in seattle reference for anyone over 25) camping buddy up above... after a little 5k hike up a very buggy trail on Rock Lake. He's the best.

Ok campers... enjoy your surg-journey!!! Oh GOD does it suck like a mo-fo. Say "no" to bad oral hygiene.

What happened to this post?

Apparently I posted air. Anyway, just a note to say everything is still super awesome fantastic. Life is experienced and breathed in with appreciation, career is sailing along. I don't watch t.v. anymore. I am going surfing ... SURFING in October! Camping in Algonquin, cottages #1, 2, and 3 this summer. I am dating the best man in the universe and cannot believe my incredible luck. Niece & nephew are cute and healthy. Family is healthy and well. Best friend is getting married at the Gardiner - which was coincidentally designed by the best man in the universe. I count my blessings daily. As for the teeth... straight as ever. Broke the retainer, but no big deal.

Good luck to anyone reading this who is about to have surgery. It sucks. You won't be eating or breathing right for 2 weeks minimum. Enjoy the silence. Revel in the dvd time. Let yourself be sucked into the la-z-boy. It's so good if you are willing to enter into a world of apathy. It can be quite indulgent and, also... incredibly uncomfortable. xo

Happy these days I guess. Didn't know I had so many laugh lines either. This is a good thing.

Post gum-recontouring

All went well... not a huge difference / didn't really lengthen, but definitely evened out the gums! Very pleased with the result. I'll post pics after the stitches are gone (you can't see them, but I am pretty meticulous, so I'll wait).

In total, the procedure took about 1.5 hours. Weekly visits for a couple weeks afterward. No real pain, just a few little needles beforehand to freeze. That's after they freeze your gums topically with some sort of liquid, too - so nothing to fear.

I think the worst thing I did was google image search the procedure. Yuck. Ignorance is bliss when it comes to knowing what these people are going to do to my mouth. Man alive.

One Last Procedure...

Hi orthognathic chums...  I've decided on the advice of my "perfectionistic" orthodontist (that is said most lovingly, btw), to go ahead with a "crown lengthening" procedure at the end of September.  This procedure will effectively remove a little excess gum tissue along the top and bottom teeth, exposing more tooth and enhancing my smile even more.  I'm not too too thrilled about it, and it is expensive (about $1500 for top and bottom gums), but I think it will be worth it.  During the period where I had my braces, a little extra gum tissue actually "grew" on one of my bottom teeth, and the rest of the teeth are not symmetrical along the top arches.  You can research "crown lengthening" on google images to get a sense of what I will be doing.  Luckily my employer covers 100% of my dental :)  Woo hoo!!!  

P.S. I got my clear retainer for the top teeth - another $425, but luckily again...covered.  I can't drink or eat with it, so it's in and out a lot.  The metal retainers on the insides of my uppers and lowers will stay on FOREVER.  DO NOT... repeat... DO NOT let your orthodontist convince you that you don't need it after a period of time. You will ALWAYS need it.  Several formerly braced individuals who had theirs removed have convinced me (as well as my orthodontist) to never remove these.  If you want your teeth to remain straight, keep them in.  You can't even notice / feel them.  It's a total no-brainer.   The clear retainer by the way, needs to be worn for one year.  My orthodontist said that if I can wear it constantly for 6 weeks, and then every night for a year, he'll be happy.  Most people put it in the drawer when told they have to wear it 24/7 for a whole year, so he let me off the hook on this one.  I'm happy to oblige.  

A couple other things - as for the elastics post-surgery, I wore them religiously.  I really did keep them on for 7 months - 4 months day and night, 3 months night only.  I think this did some good in terms of speeding the de-bracing process.  

Cheers, all.  I will post again after the crown lengthening.

Final B4 & After

I am about 27 here. This was almost 4 years before braces.

This is at age 32, and about 5 months before the braces came off!

Braces off Day!!!! Woo Hoo!!! Age 33!!! And worth the wait.

Hey everybody! So the braces came off today - pretty painlessly I might add. I've posted the before and after (with braces & without) for you to compare. What an incredible journey! I never dreamed I would have straight teeth... SO glad I did this. True, there were several spaz attacks here and there, but in the end, it was worth it.

I know it's cliche, but if you're thinking of getting braces "after 30" or thinking of having orthognathic surgery, I would encourage you to do so. I can't stop smiling :)

Big thanks to Krista & John for the lovely de-bracing dinner! It was awesome eating without having to clear each brace of a bunch of food. So easy!

Big thanks also to Toronto's best Dr. Christopher Cameron @ Yonge & Eglinton... I was never more happy to meet a perfectionist in my life. Thanks to all the staff as well... consummate professionals. I never had to wait more than 5 minutes in the waiting room either.

Big thanks again to Dr. Claudio Tocchio @ North York General. You did a fantastic job. My jaw no longer clicks, I can't feel the bones "grinding" anymore, and my bite hasn't shifted one bit.

MOST of all, thanks to my beautiful-toothed mother, Bev, and to my good friend Charlie. Without you two, I would have had a very difficult time. Thank you for crushing up aspirin, for making me ensure & whey milkshakes, for the walks and the talks, and for keeping my spirits up. Not two weeks before this surgery, me & my fiance split up, I had to move out, and I started a new job. Needless to say, an unluckier person would have easily cracked up. Without the support and reassurance you both showed me, I wouldn't know so well what it means to be so selfless. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. xoxo.

I'm off to do my whitening now...

Big News!

Just a quick note... In 6 days, I'll be getting my braces off!  Woo Hoo!!!  I haven't posted pics bc my camera needs a memory card, but I'll try to pick one up and post some "final" pics.  I am SO looking forward to this.  I've already got the internal bottom retainer on, and the top goes on next week when they take these torture devices off.  'Til then!

Another before & after

Okay the "angelic light effect" was an accident... I swear... but it beats the "before" photo, and that's the whole point of these before and afters, right?

May pics - 3 months post op.

Still some swelling...NOT used to my face yet.  Some days I feel like a wildebeast, some days I feel just fine.  It's an adjustment.  I like some things, and am not used to other things.  What I do know, is that reading other people's blogs, everyone is going through this.  We pick apart little "spots" on our faces that aren't "right", etc.  We probably sound silly to other people, but it's your face, man.  Geez.    

Oh...I have COMPLETE feeling back.  It's been all good for about 2-3 weeks now.  No numb spots at all.  I did do something about a month after surgery  - I took these vitamin B12 sublingual vitamins.   It doesn't make a difference if it's not sublingual - it was just easier to take because it melts under your tongue.  Anyway, it "supposedly" helps nerve regeneration, so I took it.  I'm just one case - probably not linked (and surgery man didn't have an opinion on it one way or the other).  But if it did help, then it really worked.  :)

2 months and a week post op.

Oooopsies... I've fallen behind on the blog-thing.  I think I'll stick to monthly updates from now on, as there isn't a lot happening in recovery-land these days.  Swelling is down a bit more (other people say this but I don't notice it one day to the next).  The feeling is almost totally restored - but just the sensation - not the same "type" of feeling yet.  In other words, if I touch my chin and lips I can feel it, but it doesn't feel like it used to.   Whatever - at least I can feel it.  

I can open almost to two fingers now... but it's a stretch.  The bumpy jawline is starting to go away too.  I can still see my cheeks if I look down (never used to).  I don't have to wear my elastics now either (according to my surgeon), but I wear them at night anyway (until I get the all-clear from my orthodontist too). 

My gums... let's just say it is very important to keep up the waterpic, the flossing, the little tiny "brushy" thing (you know what I'm talking about) that goes between your braces under the wire, and MOST of all... LISTERINE.  I forgot about the listerine.  :(  Regret.  Let this be a lesson that I learned for you... don't ask me for details.

I will post again around May 12 (the 3 month mark), and do monthly updates from then on.  

p.s. Ortho-man says the braces can come off in September (we'll see...).  

Week 8: April 2 to April 8th

Hey everyone ...  Nothing new to report...  More feeling in my chin.  Still getting weird sensations.  Still getting the "Carbonite Han Solo Face" once in a while.  My lips kind of disappear now and then (which is awesome in an "opposite meaning" kind of way).  

Now and then I can't say "B" sounds or "F" sounds and stuff.   Meh.  I can eat anything cut up (except microwaved chicken apparently), and can open as wide as a thumb.  

I would rather be in the Bahamas.  Let's just say that.

pre-op "head on" photo

As requested:

This is about 4 years old, but...

Me & my niece, Hannah!

Week 7: March 26 to April 1st

The feeling is starting to come back!!!  The feeling is starting to come back!!!  FINALLY.   Day 45. There are some weird one to two second long "pains" that happen in my chin a few times a day. I can feel light touch on my chin and everywhere else except the right half of my lower lip. My teeth hurt.  It actually feels like I have a cavity, but I saw my dentist and he said "probably not".  I still can't open my jaw more than a finger's width.   Also, when I touch my lower left lip, my bottom front teeth feel like I'm biting into tin foil.  Fun!

Other than that, I still have a lot of stiffness.  I'm not taking anti-inflammatory / pain meds because I didn't feel that they made any difference at all.  I thought about renewing the Rx, but decided not to.  What for?  

My smile is starting to look a bit normal too.  I actually liked being in public today.  Apart from the elastic-fang-teeth, I think I'm starting to look a little more like my formerly deflated faced self.  But not completely.  It'll be nice to do the 6 month comparison.  I'll keep you posted.

Oh, and I would just like to add how much I LOVE my waterpick.  Kisses, waterpick!!!  

Week 5 - March 12 to 18th.

No changes...  Had my 3rd follow up with Surgery Man.  He replaced my elastics because I can't yet do it myself.   I asked where I could get those grippers, and he said they're very expensive, so...  I also got a Rx for an anti-inflammatory / pain med because of my ridiculously stiff face. Apparently blowing one's nose can really puff the face up.  Noted.  

Other than that, the weight is still down 15lbs...  Blazers don't fit me anymore... My coats are too big...  Everything about me is shrinking except for my huge lollipop head.   I also really love how these elastics hanging of my canines make me look like a vampire.  I am so sexy.  Like siren-level sexy.  Can't wait to go back to work on Monday.

_____________

March 16th update: 

I finally had to put my elastics on myself.  One shredded and the other broke, so I was forced to do it. Not hard really - took about 10 minutes for the first one - 5 for the second.  The swelling is going down a teensy bit more also, so that helps.  I feel a teensy bit less stiff.  But not much.  As for feeling in my face, it's slooooowly coming.   I'm eating almost anything now... but I feel like I'm an ant standing at the base of a giant cupcake to tell you the truth - this tiny opening in my mouth is so small. Everything is cut up into pieces the size of a stick of gum or something.

Week 4 - Mar 5 to 11th.

Sort of a smile...with about 1/4 of my teeth.

Okay. Han Solo face day appears to have been caused by getting my elastics on. It really bummed me out. I keep expecting each day to be "better than the last" - and instead it's kind of a roller coaster of ups and downs. My chin by the way, is shiny because of some lip ointment

to help with irritation.

Nights are easier - the mouth not quite so dry through the night. Sleeping is nice and peaceful. Still adjusting to the numbness and stiffness. Still drooling periodically, but I eventually get it. I haven't yet taken off the elastics - I wasn't able to put them on myself (overlapping at first just to see). If they break, then I'll have a challenge ahead of me. I could care less anyway - after the jaw locking a while ago, I have no trouble getting tiny bits of food at a time into me over the course of an hour. Last night I even had a piece of shrimp tempura and a piece of sushi (it took an hour and I soaked it in soya sauce & cut it up until most of it fit between the tines on my fork, but I did it). Also bought some lasagna & cheesecake today and did the same. Bought sensodyne for the teeth, too. Teeth don't feel as cold now.

So, overall, the last 2 days have been okay. I'm coming to terms with the swelling. Not liking the "bumpy" look where the lower jaw was cut, but we'll see where that goes. Getting my hair done today helped. My stylist was awesome and made sure I got my favourite girl to do the wash & dry. Ahhhhhhh. Sigh.