Before before, after after after My family had a family history of malocclusion accompanied by mandibular prognathism due to genetic factors, and to prevent this, my parents took me to the dentistry department of a university hospital from when I was young and asked professors about many things. The answer they got back was that you can’t prevent something genetic. I heard there’s also a method of wrapping a band around the jaw to inhibit jaw growth, but every professor they met said it was useless, and since surgical techniques have advanced these days, they were told to have me undergo surgery after I finished growing. Sure enough, when secondary sexual characteristics began, my jaw developed and my bite became misaligned. At first, I thought I would just live with it. A somewhat protruding jaw looked masculine and wasn’t that bad. Chewing was only a little uncomfortable, but while living with it, I struggled with speech leakage/pronunciation issues and digestive system problems caused by impaired masticatory function, though I didn’t think much of it. Then I became an adult, and after seeing a friend similar to me improve function and also achieve a major cosmetic change through double-jaw surgery without major side effects, I decided to have surgery. If it weren’t for that friend, I probably would have lived my whole life without even realizing it was uncomfortable. I visited several dental clinics in Seoul for consultations, and there was one place I was strongly drawn to. Orthodontic treatment could also be done there, they showed CCTV to the guardian during surgery, and during the consultation I could feel the director’s confidence. The hospital that gave me certainty was Y Oral.
Because my dental condition was very poor, they said surgery-first would be difficult and that I needed to start with orthodontic treatment, so I began orthodontic treatment on the day I visited and did about 10 months of preoperative orthodontic treatment.
Surgery day_double-jaw surgery, 2 types of facial contouring (square jaw, chin) performed
After the surgery was confirmed, I visited the hospital twice over about 3 weeks to fit the wafer and undergo various tests. I started fasting from 12 the night before, packed what I needed while looking at the guide the hospital sent, and prepared myself mentally. I was admitted at 9:30, organized my belongings, consulted with the director and received an explanation of the surgical plan, then entered the operating room around 10. After anesthesia, I don’t remember anything. When the surgery was over and I came to as the nurses woke me, there was a tube in my mouth, and my whole body was in a level of pain I had never experienced in my life. I didn’t even have the strength to look at my phone, and I spent the day lying down and just taking big breaths. At 19:00, the guardian is sent home, and what was really impressive and what I was grateful for was that the nurses took care of everything from start to finish like caregivers. Thanks to the nurses, I was able to endure it.
Second day When I woke up, I felt a little more alive. They removed the tube from my face and told me to walk around a lot, but I didn’t have the strength. For diet, the hospital provided New Care, but it was hard to eat and I had no appetite. Still, I think I ate to survive. Since I kept lying down, my lower back hurt, so I walked around the hospital a little, and when I returned to bed, I had no energy and couldn’t even look at my phone. I just zoned out and spent the day realizing how precious ordinary daily life is.
Third day The IV was removed, I listened to the director’s explanation, and I was discharged. The facial swelling was at its maximum. After going home, I set up a humidifier and made my room feel like a hospital room, and I slept all day again. The days were so difficult that I wondered if I had ever felt this powerless in my life.
2 weeks after surgery
The bruising on my face was at its peak. I visited the hospital to have the stitches removed, and I felt so good. Removing the stitches hurt a lot, and I was very grateful that the wounds had healed well without any particular problems. The wafer broke while I was cleaning it, so I told the director, and he said it seemed okay to stop using it. I stopped the wafer, and as strength returned to my lips and I stopped drooling, daily life became much better.
1 month after surgery
The bruising on my face had almost completely disappeared, and I could slowly feel sensation returning to the right lower jaw area, which had been numb. I was about to resume the orthodontic treatment that had been paused and have my 1-month follow-up, and since chewing was allowed, I’m practicing chewing mostly soft foods, practicing pronunciation, and practicing opening my mouth. Double-jaw surgery is bearable if you can get through the hospitalization period (3 days), and the difficulty and symptom improvement get better step by step as the days pass. Whenever it was hard, I endured by thinking of what the director told me: tomorrow will be better than today, and the day after tomorrow will be better than tomorrow..
3 months after surgery From this point, I think I could eat all foods without restriction. They said the bones had fused about 80%, so I should still eat carefully. Even eating carefully, being able to eat better made my satisfaction very high. The tingling feeling in my lower right jaw decreased a lot, but I was worried because it still felt like there was no sensation. They say sensation can return up to 1 year after surgery, so I’m going to wait and see.
6 months after surgery I can live a normal daily life to the point that it’s not very different from before surgery. What I’m most satisfied with is that I can exercise without worrying about impact to my face. However, what’s uncomfortable is that sensation has returned to my lower jaw, but it’s sensitive, so even small pain feels big, and every time I open my mouth wide, my temporomandibular joint makes clicking sounds. It bothers me, but the director said these symptoms are within the normal range, so I’m not worrying about it.
1 year after surgery Everything feels so natural that I wonder when I even had surgery, and I’ve gotten used to my changed face shape. However, because of the clicking in the temporomandibular joint when I open my mouth wide, I consciously avoid opening my mouth too wide, and the slight dullness of sensation on the right lower jaw side and the fact that pain feels stronger remain as side effects. Still, there’s no major inconvenience in daily life, and overall I don’t regret having surgery and I’m satisfied. If you’re planning double-jaw surgery, please keep these side effects in mind, make a thorough plan, meet a good doctor, and I hope your surgery is successful!
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This is a surgery review pursuing reconstruction.