My name is Jake (obviously) and I am a 22 year old about to have a double jaw surgery to correct my maxillary hypoplasia and mandibular hyperplasia.These growth deformities leave me with a very pronounced looking jaw, but an inefficient bite, and more recently pain. Only a few of my teeth are able to touch leaving me with a bite that looks like this (see picture above). And yes, that is me fully biting down. Other symptoms for me include:-talking with a slight lisp
-spitting when talking, or pooling up of saliva in my mouth as I talk
-my mouth hanging open most of the time (especially when sleeping, or so I'm told)
-a side profile that is defined by my huge under-bite.
The procedure I am going to have done is actually two, called a Lefort I Maxillary osteotomy with superior repositioning and rigid fixation, and a bilateral mandibular sagittal split osteotomy with rigid fixation construction of a custom surgical splint. I was told by the oral surgeon to expect to be in the hospital for at least 2-3 days and for my mouth to be wired shut 4-6 weeks.
I have known about this surgery for roughly ten years since my orthodontist noticed my jaw and teeth beginning to not line up properly. She too had this procedure down but to a lesser extent. I have had braces for the last year and 9 months as I have been in college. My friends say they can't tell I have them unless I smile big, but I tend to smile a lot. While my friends have tried to convince me that they don't and haven't affected my social life, I tend to think the opposite, at least when it comes to the dating scene (or the lack of being able to get a date). I am going to have the braces on for at least six months following the procedure. This means I will have them on as I begin grad school...joy. (Can you tell I'm a little insecure about my braces? haha) Anyway, I am so excited that the surgery is finally here, and finally going to happen!
