Successful Double Jaw Surgery for Class III Malocclusion, Crowded Teeth, etc. (Long 3-Month Review)

Since I was young, when I looked at my side profile or at photos other people took of me, I was really unhappy with my lower face and jaw. Because I had a Class III malocclusion, my lower teeth overlapped in front of my upper teeth, and I also had crowded teeth, so I got orthodontic treatment and underwent double jaw surgery plus contouring procedures 2 types (square jaw, chin) at Y Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery in May, and now the 3-month mark is almost here.The hospital was one of about four places I looked into through YouTube and the internet, and I also had consultations. I was told that for double jaw surgery, it is safer and better to have it at an oral and maxillofacial surgery clinic if possible. They also do dentistry there, so I decided to have the surgery at Y Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, where I could also get orthodontic treatment done together.Also, things like one-surgery-per-day, CCTV access, and the director's surgical experience were the most suitable among the places I looked into, according to my standards.I had orthodontic treatment before surgery for about 1 to 2 years, and originally the surgery had been planned for earlier, but due to personal reasons it was delayed by about a year.Because the surgery was delayed, I kept visiting for about 2 years, and everyone from the staff director in charge of scheduling orthodontic treatment and surgery to the nurses was kind, and they explained everything carefully.The director also seemed blunt and cold in other reviews I had seen, but I did not feel that at all. He explained the surgery in detail, and his serious approach made me feel even more reassured.Up until the surgery in late May, I just continued orthodontic visits as usual, had pre-op blood tests and various other tests, got the wafer adjusted, and prepared for the operation.They said I had to fast for 12 hours before surgery, so I did not even drink a drop of water after 12 hours before, afraid I might not be able to have the surgery. That was really hard because I was so thirsty and wanted water.+ While watching YouTube reviews of double jaw surgery, I packed the items the hospital told me to bring (for example: sauce bottles, socks, extra underwear, etc.)Surgery day (5/28)I arrived at the hospital around 9:30, changed into a patient gown, filled out consent forms and such, and waited while feeling a little nervous. Then they told me to go into the operating room. After I went in and lay down, they put on something like an oxygen mask, and after that I have no memory until I woke up.There was no pain at all. I just closed my eyes and then woke up, and I could hear the nurses saying a buzzing sound, telling me to wake up.Even when I woke up right after surgery, there was really not even 1 bit of pain in my jaw or anything like that. It was just discomfort, like not being able to breathe well and not being able to drink water.That was all.I asked a friend to stay until I was discharged in case I needed a guardian (from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.), but the guardian's role was mostly just emotional support..? If you do not really have someone to come with you, I do not think you need to worry, because the nurses take care of everything one by one anyway.The hardest things right after surgery were not being able to gulp down as much water as I wanted, not being able to breathe easily, and time feeling incredibly slow. Other than that, it was more tolerable than I expected.Oh, and every few hours they gave me antibiotics through the IV, and when the antibiotics were added to the drip, the smell felt extremely unpleasant to me, so that was also hard.Anyway, it was not as hard as I had feared. I did not sleep well, but somehow the day passed while I kept waking and dozing off.Second day (5/29)In the morning they removed the urinary catheter (that was the most painful and uncomfortable part for me), then removed the nose hose and gauze, and after getting the swelling laser treatment, I saw the director, who removed the drain(?) and showed me how to put in the wafer that had been fitted before surgery.Clearly, once all those things were removed, I could go to the bathroom, and in the evening I could walk around a little, so it was much more comfortable than the first day.I walked a lot, and from then on there was no major discomfort, so I just lay there watching YouTube, went for walks, and time passed quickly.The only hard part of the second day was that because I had been lying in the same position since the first day, the tailbone area hurt a lot.The long-awaited discharge dayMaybe because I had taken a short nap on the second day, I woke up from dawn and watched YouTube, and around 9 a.m. a nurse came to remove the IV.I thought the needle would hurt a lot because it was so thick, but it did not hurt that much, and the nurse carefully explained the precautions after surgery. After listening to the explanation, I packed my things, changed clothes, got one more swelling-laser treatment, saw the director before discharge, got the prescription from the pharmacy right downstairs, and then went home.When I got home, I took the medicines for the first time. There were more medicines than I expected, and since my mouth did not open well, it was hard to swallow them, but once I swallowed the tablets one by one, they went down fine.After that, for one week, every day at home I drank New Care, took medicine, gargled, used elastic bands and cold compresses, and occasionally went for walks, repeating the same routine all week.That was probably when time felt the slowest.For me, even after discharge there was not much that was especially hard; the hardest thing was simply that I could not eat food.I usually have a small appetite and am not the type to make much effort to eat meals, but once I was in this situation, I suddenly wanted so many things to eat, and not being able to eat properly was stressful.Still, since it is not forever, I endured it..Until my first follow-up visit, I think I only drank New Care every day.The swelling was really severe until about day 5 after discharge? It peaked and then gradually started going down.I went for a follow-up visit at one week (6/3)When I came in, I got the swelling laser treatment first, and then the director came and disinfected the sutured area, and that was the most painful thing of everything so far.Maybe because I was not tense, it hurt so much that I even thought they were removing the stitches. When the director left, they said the stitches would be removed next week and that it might hurt a bit, so I became really worried about the next week..Anyway, from then on, I was told that when eating I could remove the wafer, and I could also brush my teeth with a baby toothbrush, so eating became much more comfortable, and I could eat soup and very soft steamed eggs. I got used to it, and I felt like I was gradually improving.After that, until the second follow-up, it was the same daily routine again every day: eat, take medicine, brush teeth, and go for walks.At the two-week follow-up (6/10)Last time, the disinfection was so painful that I was really afraid of having the stitches removed.I was so nervous that I clenched my hands tightly while they removed the stitches, and maybe because I was so tense, it hurt less than the previous disinfection, and it seemed to be over in about 2 minutes.From now on, the director said I needed to practice opening my mouth, so lately I have been working hard on mouth-opening exercises.The only inconveniences these days are wearing a mask when going out because there is still swelling, and the fact that my mouth does not open very wide when brushing my teeth, plus not being able to eat meat Other than that, there is not even 1 thing.I originally planned to have the surgery 1 year ago, but because of personal reasons I ended up having it this year, and I regretted it so much.Of course, it is a major surgery, so you have to be careful, but if you, like me, have had a major concern for a long time and are sure you want the surgery, I strongly recommend getting it as early as possible. (I regret having had the surgery late If I had done it last year, the swelling would already be gone by now. I have thought that more than 1,000 times: I should have done it last year^_^) <3 months>As 3 months passed, the changes were definitely that overall it became much more comfortable compared to right after surgery.First, until the one-month mark, my ears felt extremely blocked, and I worried that if that did not go away, what would happen. I do not know exactly when it went away, but the blocked-ear feeling disappeared, and I think more than 80 percent of the facial nerves have also recovered.And if I had to name the biggest inconvenience after the one-month mark, it was that my mouth could not open very wide (not even 2 fingers fit), so eating and brushing my teeth were very uncomfortable (a spoon would not fit, and it was hard to put a toothbrush in..). But after practicing opening my mouth for about 10 to 20 minutes a day, now that I am almost at 3 months after surgery, I can open my mouth wide enough to fit about 3 fingers vertically.The swelling has also continued to go down since the one-month mark, so I can go out without a mask. It is barely noticeable, but when I wake up in the morning there is still a bit of swelling. Still, by around noon most of the swelling goes down.To be honest, even by the 3-month mark, the only inconveniences I can think of are things like hamburgers or other foods that require opening the mouth wide, and not being able to eat hard foods.If I think back to life 2 months ago, it is almost unbelievable that I have improved this much in just 2 months. After holding out for about 3 months, most of the discomfort has disappeared.The part I disliked most when looking in the mirror or taking photos before surgery was my side profile, but after surgery my bite was definitely aligned naturally, so I am satisfied, and people around me also often say my face got smaller (even though there is still swelling).Once the swelling goes down, I think I will be even more satisfied, and I often think, I should have done it a little earlier. Then by now the minor swelling would probably already be gone. Because of that, I recommend that people who, like me, are strongly determined to have the surgery should get it as soon as possible..(Of course, you still need to be careful because it is a major surgery.)To summarize the 3-month review: I have returned to more than 90 percent of my life before surgery~!