Details of Surgery

After I had decided to do the surgery, my doctor explained what would happen. I would have 4 teeth + my wisdom teeth removed and braces put on. I would then have the braces for about a year to move my teeth back and close the gaps. This was done so that when my jaw wis move forward my teeth will still look even.

My actually surgery is called a Maxillomandibular advancement with genioplasty. This consists of  a BSSO (bilateral sagittal split osteomoty), Lefort 1 Osteotomy, and a genioplasty. Essentially, this involves cutting my upper and lower jaw and moving them forward, along with my chin. My jaw will be held in its new place with metal plates and screws. I have linked to a cute video below which explains the surgery.

This surgery will take about 7 hours + 2 nights in hospital, but the recovery is the worst. I will be on a liquid diet for about six weeks, followed by a soft diet before going to regular food in about 4 months. The surgery will change how I look (hopefully for the better ;p), but of course the real benefit will be the (hopefully) curing of my apnea!

I was originally set to have my surgery later this year, but I found out that I was accepted for a program to south korea! I told my orthodontist that he needed to start moving things faster, because I would be leaving in august and would need time to recover after surgery. The aggressive last few months of braces haven't been fun, but I know it will all pay off in the end.

As of today my surgery is schedule for June 10th. I will keep this blog updated with recovery info, recipes, before and after pics, etc. So check back often!