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Showing posts from May, 2017

11 Week Check-In (Day 74-79) : Biting continues to improve

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I bit into a taco the other day, and it was the most glorious bite I've ever done. My teeth closed perfectly, crunching through the taco and the chicken, cleanly severing it into two parts. Is this what normal people experience all the time? The perfect bite In terms of my recovery, my swelling is about the same; mostly gone but slight puffiness around the cheeks still. I can open my mouth to 2.5 fingers now. I slacked off a bit on the jaw stretching and have gotten back to it. I am able to bite harder into most things now, able to crunch chips, burgers, pizzas etc. My teeth are meeting well enough to grind salads. I'm still not yet able to do raw carrots or almonds, but it's getting closer. My numbness on the outside skin is mostly gone, the cheek is almost back to full sensation which is exciting. I'm starting to get sensations in my upper gum, starting from the molars and high up in the gums. I still can't feel the upper gums around my front teeth yet, st

10 Week Check-In (Day 60-73) : Biting harder things

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10 weeks has come and gone in a flash. A friend at lunch asked about my surgery and it took me a few moments to remember I had had it. I'm so used to my new bite, it fits nicely together (except for the right side molars, which still don't touch but the gap is slowly closing). Lizzy says my swelling has reduced a little over time, I can't really tell the difference yet. We can both still see puffiness on my cheeks, so hopefully that'll reduce in another month or so. Left - 4 weeks post-op, Right - 10 weeks post-op As you can see, besides the haircut, I look about the same. One big difference from 4 weeks ago is that my jaw feels very strong now, even though I can't yet bite into almonds or carrots fully, I've started gnawing away at them with greater success each time. I have 3 elastics that are put in a box configuration around my teeth, the front two I only have to wear at night. The right rear is always-on except when I eat. It is trying its best to

Two month Check-In (Day 60) : Got a dental cleaning finally

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It's been 2 months now! Around last week I realized I forgot I ever got surgery. It's a surprising feeling considering just a month ago about all I could think about was my jaw's future. My swelling has reduced in the last month, it's barely noticeable at this point. Now I don't really see it in the mirror, but can feel it when I press around my cheeks. 2 month post-op (~9 weeks) When shaving there's a small spot on my chin which is still relearning it's nerve sensations and feels tingly on touch. Besides this little reminder, the only things that have really changed at this point from before vs. after surgery is having to put on elastics, and not being able to eat hard carrots or nuts yet. I had a pretty hard time with them before due to braces anyway so this isn't a big deal. I also went traveling this weekend. I just need to remember to take elastics with me when going on trips, otherwise it's business as usual at this point. Nothing li