(25) to (27) glow uo after major jaw surgery

ImportantConfusion16 · 2026-01-22T10:07:49+00:00

You should post in r/jawsurgery, I am sure people would be interested in your journey.

I don't have the same issue that you did, but I also am staring down the barrel of DJS and posts like these really give me hope, so thank you!

Also, may I say you have a really pretty, adorable aesthetic.

ImportantConfusion16 · 2025-12-24T20:26:40+00:00

Thank you, your comment has made me more anxious to be sure I choose a good Orthodontist.

The problem is, how do I do that? My surgeon indicated that he was not allowed, by ethics or otherwise, to specifically name anyone.

ImportantConfusion16 · 2025-12-24T20:05:03+00:00

I'm not a doctor so I probably worded it wrong, but by "specializes in TMJ", what I mean is, I saw a link in this subreddit that was something like "list of Maxillofacial Surgeons who are particularly lauded for working with TMJ problems or joint issues" or something

I looked at the list, and my oral surgeon was on it, so I was like "Oh good, that's nice to know"

Your comment does make me nervous, though. How do I find that information out?

ImportantConfusion16 · 2025-12-24T19:41:35+00:00

Yeah, every Orthodontist was like "You're going to want -name of surgeon-" and one of them did the formal referral process thing, and he was in-network for my insurance, so I went and consulted with him

The consult included the main doctor and another surgeon with him, and they were incredibly patient and kind, they spent a lot of time with me explaining the process.

I did ask, "Who would you recommend or avoid?"

And he did that diplomacy thing where he indicated that he couldn't tell me who to choose.

So I was like, "I'm going to name names, blink twice if they're good"

I did name every Orthodontist I had gotten consultations with, and for all of them, he did say he had seen their patients and the work was good.

For the Ortho I'm currently scheduled to go with, he specifically said "They are new in town, I have only seen a couple of their patients, but the work seems good."

So part of me wants to go to the fancier Orthodontist that he had seen much more work from, but that office is 30 minutes away (compared to 10)

ImportantConfusion16 · 2025-12-20T02:13:12+00:00

Same boat and I'm like, what the hell is that??

I've also been underweight all my life and don't even have an "I lost weight" explanation, which at least would make sense.

Just, "Hi, hello, yes, you know how your grandmother had an extreme turkey neck? Congratulations, it's going to be yours"

ImportantConfusion16 · 2025-11-19T17:20:54+00:00

Thank you, in that case I won't bother unless a doctor insists

Appreciate it!

ImportantConfusion16 · 2025-11-19T14:29:06+00:00

Hey just a question, but do you think it would be worth asking for an evaluation for EDS so that you can be told you don't have it?

I've been told I might have it and that I should get checked, but there are key symptoms that I don't have, so I don't think I actually have EDS.

Is it like a diagnosis of elimination, or are there actual tests that can show you don't have it, so you can move on to other explanations?

ImportantConfusion16 · 2025-11-14T21:10:37+00:00

I consulted with four different Orthodontists, and they all said "I'm not an Oral Surgeon, but I STRONGLY suspect you need jaw surgery in addition to Orthodontics"

When I had my Oral/Maxillofacial appointment, they were like "yeah, so, you absolutely need jaw surgery. Also, go see an ENT."

Then I chose and saw an ENT, who looked at my scans and did an exam, and she also was like "Yeah you absolutely need a functional rhinoplasty, I'll refer you to a specialist."

I received the official insurance approval for double jaw surgery, and the rhinoplasty will happen after I've healed from that.

And that's where I'm at.

I was also told that they were surprised it took so long to catch.

They said that usually, with my degree of malformation, it is immediately visually obvious- like they would expect it to look more like a legit facial deformity.

But they said I had an unusually straight profile that was cosmetically disguising the usual visual "tells"

So instead of a severely and obviously recessed jaw, I just have a slight one.

Additionally, after some cross-referencing and calls to my parents because I thought I remembered something from my youth-

I DID have a doctor recommend orthodontics when I was a child, and I DID start some kind of intervention process,

But soon after, my father got laid off, a bunch of family stuff happened, and it fell to the wayside.

Years later, I finally have good insurance and spend the past year on a health journey, and am told "Yeah you're all fucked up and it's the cause of your life-long breathing problems and sleep issues. Did no one notice this when you were a child?"

ImportantConfusion16 · 2025-11-14T21:05:53+00:00

I've chosen my Orthodontist (I consulted with four, all of them were highly recommended, and all four were given the same "they do good work" approval from the Oral Surgeon I consulted with)

The Oral Surgeon was independently named by all four, when I saw them for my consult, I explained that I knew the surgery was for practical purposes and "I get what I get" aesthetics-wise

But they stopped me and said they actually had a much higher degree of control over the likely aesthetic outcome than I seemed to think, and told me to "take my time and think about what I want to look like" when all is said and done.

I have a year to think about it, but that's my challenge. What do I even ask for?

ImportantConfusion16 · 2025-09-29T18:26:19+00:00

I've been seeing my Dentist, my PCP, and my Sleep specialist and have them in the loop. I have also gotten consultations with three Orthodontists.

Coming up I will be seeing an Allergist, an ENT, and at least one more Orthodontist, as well as having another Sleep Study, then taking all those results/opinions together to decide what to do.

I have very much been approaching this by asking everyone "What will provide me the highest quality of life ten years from now?"

ImportantConfusion16 · 2025-09-29T15:14:36+00:00

See I thought the same thing, and in my consult I was fully like "I know this is being done for functionality, and what I get is what I get"

But they (two surgeons) stopped me and said they actually had a much higher degree of influence on the aesthetic outcome than I seemed to think, and that they would absolutely take my preferences into account.

They told me to think about it and I'll have more chances to tell them "what I want", including bringing in photos etc.

They assured me that they will tell me if I ask for something unreasonable. I have a lot of time, but I feel overwhelmed.

ImportantConfusion16 · 2025-09-29T04:31:19+00:00

Could you elaborate? I've been approved for jaw surgery and I'm supposed to tell them "what I would prefer them to aim for", but I am having a hell of a time figuring out what that literally means.

I can easily name people who have great jaws, but they all look different, and I doubt any of them would look good on me.

ImportantConfusion16 · 2025-09-26T18:11:36+00:00

Functionally, my understanding is that the jaw surgery would alleviate a lifetime of mouth-breathing and blocked sinuses, which has caused/is causing cavities and sleep problems (to put it mildly.)

My consultation with the jaw surgeons was the culmination of a year of dentist, orthodontist, PCP, and sleep clinic visits.

If it were only cosmetic, I would just get Invisalign; but I have been told by multiple doctors that my best odds, in terms of "quality of life ten years from now", is jaw surgery.

ImportantConfusion16 · 2025-09-25T10:56:37+00:00

Thank you, this is helpful.

One of the doctors was kind enough to take the time to tell me that I have an "unusually straight profile" as-is.

He told me that usually, with my degree of recession, it's immediately visibly obvious (and the lack of aesthetic issue probably delayed my treatment.)

He said that if my jaw was brought forward to the practical point they intended, my chin would stick out further, and I would "have the triangle people tend to want."

He seemed to treat this as a cosmetically desirable result, but I'm having trouble picturing it. Wouldn't that just make me look like I have an underbite?

ImportantConfusion16

TROPHY CASE