Before<1. Compression band. Right after surgery>Before<1. I gently loosened the compression band>Before<1. I slept after taking off the compression band....ㅎ...damn..I couldn’t open my eyes>Before<2. My cracked cavity.. it was my fault..>Before<2. From day 5 to week 2, my teeth were pulled by swelling and pushed inward in the dental arch. It actually looks worse. It just doesn’t show much in the photo>Before<3. Before surgery>Before<3. Day 22. When I walked 10,000 steps at a time>Before<3. Day 25, 3 days after walking 20,000 steps>Before<3. Same, day 25!>Okay, for everyone, I’m overcoming my laziness and leaving a long list of tips. Use this as reference before getting surgery.
1. For at least 3 days after surgery, absolutely do not take off the compression band....!!!!! Endure it ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ The moment you take it off, the swelling gets even more hellish...
Seriously, absolutely...... Refer to the photos below for why^^ I felt suffocated, so within the first 3 days I took it off several times for an hour or two at a time...? The swelling comes up like crazy....ㅎ... Watch related YouTube videos and refer to what doctors say about why they tell you never to take it off..ㅠ
2. If you’re a laid-back person like me who leaves a serious cavity untreated... Get your cavity treated in advance before facial contouring surgery.... From week 1, rather than pain, because of the swelling, my teeth were pushed a lot, and this lasted until week 2.
At this time, if you’re unlucky, a really severe cavity can decay and crack...ㅎㅎ Around week 2, I felt like it was loose, then suddenly it chipped a little with a tap, and the exposed base of the tooth was pitch black....sigh..ㅠ
On top of being someone with poor blood circulation to begin with, if you have a severely decayed cavity.. your dental arch can get pushed by swelling like mine and this can happen..ㅎ
The mandibular canines and molars get pushed. It’s not just a feeling; the dental arch seriously gets pushed..ㅎ The gums stay as they are, so the tooth roots stay still, but only the upper part of the teeth is tilted inward diagonally ㅎㅎ....
If you’re experiencing tooth pulling, and it’s after week 1 post-op, get help from swelling medication at the pharmacy (if you have poor circulation like me..) and do warm compresses and walks like crazy...
Especially if you’re planning to get 3-part facial contouring, it’s important to reduce major swelling as quickly as possible, but it’s best to check before surgery whether you have any serious cavities and be careful. Front teeth don’t matter as much, but be careful with cavities in the molars and canines...ㅠ
3. I explained this in number 2 as well. In my case, I know myself that I tend to have severe edema. My blood pressure is low too... and I have severe lower-body edema..
So even though I’m in week 3, I took swelling medication, and did warm compresses often. (Warm compresses to improve blood circulation, and power walking....ㅋㅋ) My job requires standing, so I walked 20,000 steps a day, and the day I walked 5,000 steps, the day I walked 10,000 steps, and the day I walked 20,000 steps were clearly different.
From what I’ve seen, reducing swelling during the first month after surgery is very important... If your swelling and tooth pulling are severe like mine, especially increase your walks. My coworkers say my face looks different when I come to work and when I leave work...ㅋㅋ Just walking at work alone comes to 20,000 steps... Really, more than 10,000 steps, I highly recommend 20,000 steps during the first month... It’s clearly different from 10,000 steps.... Just think of it as dieting and move a lot ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
4. You can eat regular food in week 1, but eat a liquid diet for at least 2 weeks. Honestly, I recommend a liquid diet even in week 3 too... but that’s not something a person can realistically do...^^
In my case, I couldn’t hold back in week 1, got sick of pumpkin porridge, and ate rice.... My mouth didn’t open well, but I forced it with a small spoon...ㅎ..
But definitely, once I ate regular food, the swelling wouldn’t go down worth a damn^^ If you can’t resist and eat anyway, I recommend something good for swelling, like seaweed soup...
I think it’s best to avoid sodium as much as possible.. Just take in a little bit so you don’t go into shock.
5. Mouth-opening exercises. Did they say that once it’s been a month and a half or over 2 months, the muscles stick as they are and it gets harder to open your mouth any further...? My doctor said from week 2 it was okay to open my mouth wide, even if it felt like tearing, so from week 2 I practiced like crazy, and since they said it was okay even after a little over 1 week, I practiced little by little.
Now it’s day 25, and I can still only fit two fingers.. Next month I’m going to make it so three fingers can fit... If your doctor allows it, opening your mouth hurts, but don’t give up and practice....ㅠ Especially people who had masseter muscle reduction (yeah, honestly it’s excision^^) and deep cheek fat removal will have an even harder time, you know? Still, don’t give up.. Otherwise you won’t be able to get dental treatment for the rest of your life.... You need to be able to fit 3 fingers so it won’t be difficult later.. You have to keep using the muscles... If you only care about swelling, you’ll be in big trouble..
Do a-e-i-o-u, smiling expressions, and putting fingers in, go go
I don’t know if anyone will read this, but I hope it helps. All of this.. is stuff I realized after going through it myself and regretting a lot..
I’m writing this hoping everyone recovers with fewer problems. All the photos were taken with the basic camera to be helpful. In reality, the swelling now looks even more reduced than in those photos lol Day 22 and day 25 are clearly different... It’s a shame it doesn’t show in the photos ㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜ
Like 12