Reason for Surgery

I had facial asymmetry ever since I was born and it started to get more noticeable during middle school. So I went to the dentist to get braces during middle school and the orthodontist advised me to get double jaw surgery when I become an adult. But I didn’t have any thoughts of getting surgery. However, after I became an adult, my asymmetry started to become even more noticeable. Digesting food started to become more difficult and I hated when other people took pictures of me so I tried to avoid it. People who have an underbite can related to this: it is hard to chew on noodles properly. Chewing was becoming a tough task to me and I always felt frustrated about this. In the long term, it seemed beneficial for me to get surgery to correct my bite. After surgery, my wish is to be able to eat noodles properly. Of course, I also want to become more handsome.

Reason for Choosing EU

First, I liked that it was an oral & maxillofacial clinic. I received consultation at a plastic surgery clinic before and they suggested me to do surgery as soon as possible. However, EU Orla & Maxillofacial Surgery advised me to get braces first so that my teeth would be more stable for surgery. I was about to go to another clinic for a consultation but I felt that I would eventually come back to EU. Also, I think first impressions are very important! Dr. Shin’s image somehow was “good” to me, so I chose EU.

Day 4

I was supposed to take off the facial tape after I was discharged and arrived back to my house. However, it was difficult to take it off so I gave up!! Breathing through my nose feels much better than before. Everything got better compared to the first 3 days of surgery, but I’m still not used to sleeping upright. My waist hurts more than my jaw. I hope my swelling decreases quickly and that my face will look less puffy soon. During the night, my ears felt clogged due to the swelling. Every time I look at my selfie. My facial asymmetry that was severe before surgery looks much more symmetrical now, despite being swollen. As expected, Dr. Shin has the skills of a god!

Day 7

It’s been 7 days since I had surgery. My nose is still stuffy, but it's getting better. As time goes by, I get used to it. I'm having a hard time with tonsillitis because my immune system got weaker after surgery. And I think my face is more swollen compared to other people who had surgery. Dr. Shin told me that I can eat any foods that does not require me to chew. I had porridge, soup, ice cream, and instant noodles.

7 Day Summary

My nose is still a little stuffy, so it’s important to take care of your health before + after surgery, and be careful not to catch a cold or tonsillitis!!! The swelling is not severe. I hope I can remove my stitches soon.

14 Days

It's already been two weeks. Everything is getting easier and I can eat more variety of foods. I think my swelling is decreasing but the swelling around my nose isn't going away yet. It's only been two weeks and I already want all the swelling to go away. My face is less swollen so I take more selfies now. Before surgery, I hated taking pictures from the front because my jaw looked slanted, but now I look good even if I take pictures from the front. And now that it's the second week, there are so many things I want to eat... I look forward to when I can eat chicken, ribs, and beef... I hope time goes by quickly. But these days, I'm making snacks that came out on EU TV (youtube) For those who are getting ready for surgery, I think it'd be really good to take a look at it in advance. The combination of castella and milk... I can't express it with words! Anyway, I think I'm recovering quickly. And don't worry about the stitch removal…It hurts… (It's tolerable)

2 Week Summary

Doing daily activities is easier.

The swelling decreased a lot but the area around the nose takes a long time to decrease.

I’m not scared of taking selfies front the front now!

Having severe cravings. Watching EU’s youtube video of foods to eat after jaw surgery is helpful.

Don’t worry about stitch removal!!! It hurts :’)​

1 Month

It's been a month since my surgery. I understand why people who did double jaw surgery went through hell for one month. As my immunity system weakened, my felt broken. The first week is difficult due to surgery. The the second week, I suffered from soreness and inflammation in my neck and mouth. During the third week, I suddenly caught a cold and even sinusitis... If you're preparing for surgery, you have to take care of your health! When I got sinusitis, my face got swollen again. And I didn't want to eat at all, but in the fourth week, I suddenly got angry when I ate because I was sad that I could only eat porridge. Everyone, eat as much as you want before the surgery or you might go crazy. Anyway, I'm happy everyday because I'm getting better and better. And I think one of the side effects of surgery is nerve damage, but the sensation for the roof of my mouth has returned a little bit. I think the sensation around the chin came back 90%. It came back faster than expected. Maybe it’s proof that the surgery went well?

1 Month Summary

-Taking care of your health is important!!!!!!! ★★★★★(5 stars!)

-Be careful of the cold. The swelling can get worse.

-Eat a lot of delicious food before surgery (or you might go insane during the 3^rd week).

-Nerve damage (none). Dull sensation (almost none)​

2 Months

My lifestyle is almost the same as it was before surgery. I’m able to sleep well and my nose does not feel stuffy anymore. About 99% of the sensation on the roof of my mouth has returned. As for food, I still cannot eat anything that is too tough. I’m eating most foods by cutting them up. Now that I’m feeling better, I just need to wait to take my braces off. My wish is to be able to eat meat soon! Also, since I did have braces too long before the surgery, my teeth alignment still isn’t perfect. I have to practice aligning my teeth to the right position and make sure that I can fit at least 3 finger in my mouth.

Summary

-Everything is fine

-No side effects regarding dull sensation

-Waiting 3 months to be able to eat meat is difficult.

-I can open my mouth wide enough to fit 3 fingers)

3 Months

It's already been 3 months since my surgery. I started eating meat and working out. It feels like everything went back to how it was before surgery. My swelling is almost gone and I think my face is settling to the new (bone) shape. I proceed with all of my daily activities. And I heard that the swelling keeps decreasing for a year, so I want to see how it looks after a year.

3 months Summary

- Meat: OK!

- Working out: OK!

- All activities are possible now. But be careful not to get injured!

- I want to hurry up and see my after a year.

4 Months

I can do everything. Working out, eating... everything! Maybe that's why my braces is slightly annoying me again. The pre-surgery braces period was short, so the teeth aren’t fully aligned yet. I'm worried that my teeth might shift to the wrong position so I've been practicing how to align my teeth to the right position. Also, I can fit 4 fingers in my mouth now.

4 month Summary

1. Returned to normal like how it was before surgery.

2. I think it's better to do pre-surgery orthodontics for a longer period of time.

5 Months

There are no side effects and I’m doing well. But my braces still bother me. People around me don’t know that I had surgery. I think the surgery results are very natural. I just want to get my braces removed quickly.

5 Month Summary

- Side effects: X

- The surgery results are very natural (my friends don’t know I had surgery!!)

- I want to get my braces taken out

6 Months

After 6 months, I don't feel any discomforts at all. Now I can eat whatever I want. The swelling is gone, so people can’t tell that I had surgery, and there are many people who don't know it. I think it went well. Now I'm thinking about whether to get the plates removed or not after my braces. The doctor said it's better to get a plate removal surgery because there's a very small possibility of inflammation if I get older and my immunity system weakens. I don't know how much longer I have to wear braces, but I'm looking forward to the day when I get them removed.

6 months.

- Side effects: X

- I'm thinking about getting plate removal surgery.​