Before <postoperative front view> Before <postoperative 45-degree view> Before <postoperative side view> Before <preoperative front view> Before <preoperative side view><Reason I decided to have surgery> I had malocclusion since I was young, and because of this, I developed a protruding lower jaw and slight asymmetry. When I was in high school, I went to a dental clinic near my home for an examination, and they said ordinary orthodontic treatment could not resolve the protruding lower jaw and that I would need orthodontic treatment after extracting two canine teeth. From then on, I realized that the only solution was double-jaw surgery, and I began looking into it in detail through the internet and books. At that time, double-jaw surgery had just started becoming known to the public, and I came to have a dream of saving money later and definitely getting double-jaw surgery. So on July 22, I underwent double-jaw surgery, square jaw surgery, and genioplasty at an oral and maxillofacial clinic!
<1 month after surgery> I finally removed the wafer and started orthodontic treatment. I applied for orthodontic treatment with Invisalign. I chose Invisalign because it is hardly noticeable externally and is said to hurt less than wire braces. However, while wearing Invisalign, you cannot consume anything except water, so you have to accept the inconvenience. I hope others carefully consider the pros and cons of each orthodontic method when choosing. When I visited the hospital at one month, they took an X-ray, checked with the director to make sure there were no problems, and then attached attachments to my teeth. These attachments help hold the Invisalign in place when wearing it. They also attached screws near the molars so I could hook elastics onto them. The teacher showed me how to put on and remove the Invisalign and how to attach the elastics, but at first it is very difficult. Since my cheeks were already swollen, if I did not push my cheek out with my hand while putting it in, my cheek tissue would get caught and it would be very painful, so please be careful. You cannot eat while wearing it, and the Invisalign would not come off easily, so at first I was really stressed. During the half day it took to get from the hospital to my home in Gwangju, I could not eat anything, and as soon as I got home, I struggled and barely removed it, then ate porridge. Then I practiced putting it on and taking it off right away and decided to find my own method. In my case, it was easiest to use the index finger of my right hand to lift the ends of the upper and lower Invisalign on the left side, then remove them in order starting from the left. Once you find your own method, there is no inconvenience at all with putting on or removing Invisalign or attaching the elastics. However, after removing Invisalign and eating, you absolutely have to brush your teeth and put it back in, so I have almost stopped snacking. At one month, the swelling has gone down a lot, enough that I can go around without a mask now. There is still minor swelling, though. They say orthodontic treatment can take as short as 7-8 months or as long as 2 years, but if I wear it well for more than 20 hours a day, it should not take long. From now on, it is a battle of patience.
<3 months after surgery> I am at 3 months, but I still have a lot of minor swelling left. Enough that I can feel it when I press inside my mouth with my tongue. Still, when I meet several friends after a long time since surgery, it is really fascinating. Friends who did not know I had surgery all say I lost a lot of weight. Of course, I did lose 10 kg while wearing the wafer because I only ate porridge and liquid foods, but not a single friend asked if I had surgery. Even friends who know I had surgery say they cannot really tell I had surgery. But both groups commonly say my face looks much softer and that I look younger. Some people said that before I had a mischievous look, but now I look intellectual. I originally wore round glasses with large lenses, but now that my face has gotten a bit smaller, they say the glasses look too big and tell me to switch to smaller glasses. When I hear these things, I feel proud, and I am really looking forward to how it will look once all the swelling goes down, but I am also worried because it has not gone down for a long time. Now I have no pain at all in my jaw or cheeks, and sensation has really returned a lot. Before, even when I touched my lower jaw, it felt like it was not my own skin and I felt nothing, which was very unpleasant, but now I can clearly feel that I am touching it. After meals, I brushed my teeth and consistently did mouth-opening exercises three times a day. As a result, now at 3 months, I can fit three fingers into my mouth well. At times along the way, I felt like my mouth would not open any wider, and I felt anxious and wanted to give up. Still, if you trust yourself and consistently do mouth-opening exercises, before 3 months you really will be able to fit three fingers in. They say if you neglect mouth-opening exercises, the muscles can become fixed later and it becomes harder, so please make sure to keep doing them consistently. My case was surgery first and orthodontics afterward, so at first after surgery my molar occlusion did not fit well, and chewing was really difficult. My right molars were floating and only half of my left molars met, so I ate little by little. From the second month, my right molars started meeting, and now I have no discomfort eating most foods, whether chicken or meat. However, I am still careful when eating hard and tough foods like jerky. After passing 3 months, I think there is really nothing left except waiting for the swelling to go down. If you are considering double-jaw surgery or have just started, it will be very painful and uncomfortable at first, but please think of it as enduring just 2-3 months. After that, there will only be a changed version of yourself that feels satisfied.
This is a surgery review pursuing natural beauty.