Hi everyone!
So, I officially have a surgery date! Friday, August 17th I'll be going in for the last big hurdle, the double jaw + genio!
My bottom teeth are basically done in terms of movement as per my ortho; they put the steel wires in there now which from my understanding is essentially a template that locks in the teeth; they are not meant to move the teeth, as the teeth should now meet a standardized template once they put those steel wires in.
My top teeth however are not 100% complete just yet; there was still a very tiny gap that needed to be closed from the expansion right at the two front teeth, so they popped on a power chain to fix that up. The gap is now closed, though there seems to be a tiny hole on the top of the two teeth where gum should be. I figure if it doesn't grow in by the time surgery rolls around I'll probably get some gum grafting (that is pure speculation, I'm not sure what they do in actuality).
In addition to the gap on my top row of teeth, my far-most back right molar is still on an angle, so they put another arch wire in to try and get it in the most correct position as possible. I was told that a steel wire needs to be in place for at least 30 days prior to surgery, so I go back in on the 9th of July and if the molar isn't corrected by then they'll just bend a steel wire to the current profile of the top teeth and correct it after the surgery.
I have the pre-op consultation with my surgeon on July 27th where I'm sure I'll have a list of questions on hand; I'm already thinking up some already, a big one being the mitigating any shortening of my face's length.
At the beginning of all of this, I found my face to be pretty "long", and my surgeon agreed as I remember him mentioning that. After my first surgery, that being the SARPE to expand my top jaw's width, I found my face to be a bit more balanced, and, in turn not as long. That, along with the amazing transformation from the braces, I find my face not to be "long" any more.
With that in mind and recalling the impaction of the top jaw as a component to my next surgery, I'm curious to know if I could avoid doing any impaction. From what I see, the impaction is mainly done to help the reduction of a gummy smile, however, I also have a feeling it may aid in removing the open bite I have, too.
I'll have more insights to that and more questions I think up when I go in for the pre-op consultation later on this month! Until then, I'm trying to get in as much stuff as possible and avoiding watching some of my favourite TV shows so I can just plow through them during my recovery!
I'll be posting more frequently now since everything's back on the radar!
Have a great day everyone,
Nathaniel
