Confessions Of a Metal Mouth
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What Next?

8/6/2015

2 Comments

 
Picture
I feel like every time I turn around it's something else.  Either another tooth root is dead and will need to be pulled, another issue with the ortho, another issue with the surgical plan, another issue somehow stemming from the first surgery, etc.  Back in Jan I started to feel some irritation around the circle with the 1 on it in the picture above.  I could feel a notch on my cheek, and it wasn't hard/infected kind of painful, but just not right and it was sore.  Doc said the screw was backing out of the bone there.  Normally they would go in and take them out if you run in to complications where you reject the hardware or it gets infected, but since I am getting everything out in revision, as long as I can take it and it's not infected, we decided to leave it in so I can avoid being sliced and diced yet another time through all of this.  Fast forward 7 months, now the plates and screws around my nose on the right are feeling funny (circle 2).  I almost thought I felt a pop in there a few weeks ago but I just thought maybe it was pressure equalizing in my sinus cavity or something.  But, that too now is feeling weird and sensitive when I catch it the wrong way or push on it with my fingers on purpose. 

This is not the first issues I've had with that spot.  Pretty soon post op this area was super hyper sensitive, vs the rest of my mouth/chin/lips/face up to my eyes having lost feeling all together.  It was kind of weird, but I was so sensitive I had trouble brushing.  At first I couldn't tell if it was my k9 that was sensitive, but I think overall it was the whole area including the gums up through the area where the gums hit my cheek.  It ended up settling back down after a couple months, but it's never been back to normal.  And then the area around that plate and screw has always been weird for me.  The two sets around my nose have always been sensitive and tender from the start.  Now, even 16 months post op, it's is still that way.  But when I press on this one spot over the set on the right (the set that is bothering me a bit now), it causes this shot of numbness to shoot down through my gum/lip/teeth below that area.  The entire area which was hypersensitive at first.  So.... I am willing to bet money that the plate/screw set there is near or in a nerve.  Thanks again, Dr. O'Ryan!!!

I'm not even going to bother mentioning this one to my surgeon.  Unless I feel like it's starting to get really weird and infected, it's just going to stay until revision anyway.  At this point, what next? Every time I turn around it's something else, which means every time I turn around I am out another couple hundred bucks here and there and adds to the money pit this has all become.  I was thinking about that the other day-- how much money I've spent in all of this up to this point, and the thousands and thousands of dollars I am going to be out for restorative work after now.  It made me pretty sick to my stomach, so I'd rather not think about it!  Lets hope that there isn't too much lurking to happen next after this.  I just don't know how much more I can take!
2 Comments
Traci
8/7/2015 11:40:54 am

Hi! I've been reading your blog for quite a while and it sounds as though you've had quite a rough time. I'm sorry! I had my double jaw surgery two years ago tomorrow (August 8, 2013). Everything went well other than one side of my lower jaw splitting incorrectly but that was stopped. Since then though, I've had quite the issues, as well. I was born without my lateral incisors so I've since had implants placed for these. One oral surgeon tried to place them but found the space was too small, that my roots are dissolving on my front teeth, and that my front teeth are dangerously loose! My original surgeon was able to place my implants and is hopeful that I'll keep my front teeth. I'm not able to bite with my front teeth and probably never will but at least I still have my teeth. The other complication I've had is with my TMJs. Pretty much as soon as my braces came off, I began having a lot of pain. The pain was there prior (from the time I had my original surgery) but it greatly increased at the time of brace removal. I also was never able to gain back my opening. I've had three arthrocentesis surgeries (they place needles in your joints and wash them out) in an attempt to lower my pain and get my mouth opened properly. These were all unsuccessful and the last actually increased my pain. I had an MRI last December that showed my discs were both displaced without reduction and I show signs of Degenerative Joint Disease (I'm 37). I suffered for another 8 months with increasing pain and very minimal opening...max 16 mm. Two weeks ago, I had another major surgery. My surgeon opened up my TMJs, removed my discs which were badly balled up and deformed, and rebuilt them with fat from my hip. I'm still recovering and have actually had more pain with this surgery than my double jaw surgery. I do notice some improvements during the day and my opening is slightly increased (2 fingers). I've got a long road ahead, as you do, but I'm hopeful I'll feel "normal" again. As background, I started having issues with my TMJs when I was 12. My surgeon said that people who have prior TMJ issues are at risk for an increase of issues following orthognathic surgery. :( I'm so sorry that you've had to go through this all and I hope your joints and bite stay "okay" until you're able to have your second surgery. I understand the money pit thing...none of my 5 surgeries have been covered by my insurance even though they were medically necessary. Just know that someone else out there knows how you feel in many ways. Hang in there and good luck!

Reply
Ashley
8/9/2015 06:01:59 am

Thanks for your reply. So sorry to hear you've had a rough go of it too. Hopefully for both of us, we can get to a place where we can put this stuff behind us and move on with life. Keep in touch and let me know how your case is going. Here's to hoping for smooth roads for both of us from here on out!

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