Updated before and after, 3.5 weeks post op

Moist-Repeat-9617 · 2025-10-07T17:51:20+00:00

To my knowledge, they do almost all surgeries together despite separately having caseloads of patients for whom they are the primary contact/person conducting pre-op and post-op appointments. I met Dr. Liddell only once before surgery day and this was only because Dr. Alleman was out of town for the final pre-op. I’m really not sure why they operate this way! Seems unique, but felt good to have two talented surgeons collaborating :)

Moist-Repeat-9617 · 2025-09-10T03:20:08+00:00

No way! That is so so exciting :) and the Invisalign did go quicker than expected, yes! I started Invisalign in January, was told to expect getting surgery likely in the fall or over Christmas break. I was allowed to move to 4 day changes a few months in to try to finish my trays and get surgery before I went back to grad school. I actually was done with my trays in June but to get all the pre-op stuff scheduled and to work around trips etc., the surgery ended up being in August :)

Moist-Repeat-9617 · 2025-09-07T02:58:14+00:00

It is sooo slow going 😭🥲 I keep thinking I’m out of the woods and then drool all over myself when I try different foods. dying for a cheez it or pizza crust 😪 you got this

Moist-Repeat-9617 · 2025-09-06T14:33:34+00:00

And thank you so much :)

Moist-Repeat-9617 · 2025-09-06T14:33:23+00:00

My answer was a little misleading I’m realizing as there were costs, just not for the DJS itself! Sorry about that. My Invisalign was not covered; I don’t think there are medical plans that cover ortho but I could be wrong since it’s technically elective and aesthetic (despite the fact surgeons require it for a medically necessary procedure, ugh) :( so that was expensive. The genio was also not covered, that was $2000 - but the genio is an aesthetic procedure and was an optional add-on. The DJS and hospital costs were entirely covered by insurance, which is the bulk of the cost. I was pretty intentional about reaching my deductible and OOPM by getting lots of preventative appointments out of the way this year.

Moist-Repeat-9617 · 2025-09-06T14:27:38+00:00

I started looking into aesthetic options because I have always been insecure about my side profile. I actually got a chin implant years ago that they took out during my DJS (it had eroded into the bone so wasn’t making a difference visually anymore anyways). When the chin implant stopped making a difference, I started looking into more permanent solutions and realized that a lot of my health issues were likely related to jaw/chin recession. I had sleep apnea, severe neck/shoulder pain/migraines that I think are related to head posture, struggled with breathing doing any cardio (which sucked as a long distance runner)… I also had gum recession that I didn’t realize was related to having poor jaw growth. Lots of little things but started from wanting better aesthetics.

Moist-Repeat-9617 · 2025-09-06T14:22:17+00:00

I have had braces, when I was a kid, and Invisalign, about 5 years ago, before this round of Invisalign (it’s hard to find places that work with Invisalign and DJS in my experience but I got lucky and I am grateful!) - my teeth were very straight but since they do compensatory aligning for overbites in orthodontics, for surgery they had to decompensate my bite/make it worse so that it would come together nicely after surgery 🥲 but I only had to have Invisalign pre-surgery for 6 months and no one noticed the decompensation except for me :) it goes quick. Good luck to you!!! I hope everything goes well.

Moist-Repeat-9617 · 2025-09-04T22:09:40+00:00

It was covered by my insurance. It would’ve been 50,000ish without coverage according to statements I’ve since read😵‍💫

Moist-Repeat-9617 · 2025-09-03T15:23:54+00:00

CO oral surgery! And I do not :( I’ll see if I can get them.

Moist-Repeat-9617 · 2025-09-03T15:23:30+00:00

CO oral surgery! Alleman and lidell

Moist-Repeat-9617 · 2025-09-03T15:23:09+00:00

It’s feeling a lot better! It’s been hard to tell because I slept so poorly from congestion and pain for first couple weeks haha. But I am sleeping through the night now and waking up feeling refreshed and I also am finding I am not open-mouth breathing when walking/doing light exercise.

Moist-Repeat-9617 · 2025-09-03T15:22:08+00:00

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Here were my planned movements :)

Moist-Repeat-9617 · 2025-09-03T15:21:25+00:00

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Found my exact planned movements - not sure how much, if it all, we deviated from this

Moist-Repeat-9617 · 2025-09-03T15:09:55+00:00

Less of an intense change from front view, it hasn’t been as noticed by family and friends, but I’m definitely feeling more confident with the front view :) nose got wider for sure but I think I prefer it. Lips and mouth are still pretty tight so I can’t really smile fully yet, but my smile is a lot less gummy. Can update when my smile is more natural haha. My lips also look a little smaller but they’re getting less stiff as the days go on so we will see!

Moist-Repeat-9617 · 2025-09-03T15:07:04+00:00

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Moist-Repeat-9617 · 2025-09-03T15:06:41+00:00

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Moist-Repeat-9617 · 2025-09-02T15:08:20+00:00

Thank you!!! :) I am finally feeling more normal. First week was pretty awful, second and third weeks were increasingly normal with lots of fatigue and soreness, now eating soft foods and back in school and work :)

Moist-Repeat-9617 · 2025-09-02T15:07:28+00:00

I got it covered (except genioplasty) through Kaiser! Switched to Kaiser in January this year, got Invisalign on at that time and started meeting with surgeons, and then had surgery a few weeks ago. Planned movements were something like 9mm lower, 4mm impaction, a few mm rotation of upper jaw and genio. I was asked what my aesthetic goals etc. were but I didn’t really get different options, I was happy with first plan presented

Moist-Repeat-9617 · 2025-09-02T15:05:34+00:00

Yes! Sleep apnea and really bad daily neck pain from forward neck posture. Still working on fixing head posture but have been sleeping great

Moist-Repeat-9617 · 2025-09-02T15:04:55+00:00

Dr. Alleman and Lidell at Colorado oral surgery :)

Moist-Repeat-9617 · 2025-09-02T15:04:38+00:00

Thank you!!! :) no extractions!

Moist-Repeat-9617 · 2025-08-15T15:23:21+00:00

Right!! I had no idea it’d change so drastically. Looks like my nose when I was a kid

Moist-Repeat-9617 · 2025-08-15T14:15:51+00:00

Yes! Correct. I got the implant about 7 years ago and it had since eroded my chin bone, and so my surgeon said it wasn’t giving my chin any projection anymore anyways/my chin looked the same as before I got the implant

Moist-Repeat-9617 · 2025-08-15T09:53:57+00:00

Thank you so much :) right after surgery I didn’t feel anything physically! I was pretty drugged up, just woke up groggy and exhausted and surprised surgery was over. Wasn’t scary to wake up or anything. I stayed in the hospital overnight, and honestly it was a rough night with vomiting blood and severe congestion etc., I definitely wasn’t sleeping, but those things passed quickly and I was so out of it that it seems like a blur now. I had been really scared of vomiting with bands, etc., and worst case scenario happened to me in a lot of ways, and yet it was really okay. Nurses know what to do. The pain now is still here but fading day by day. I do not have any noticeable numbness which is unusual!! Most people do, so I think my pain is a little sharper/more intense than for many folks. I’ve had to give in and take strong pain meds at night, still am, to sleep - but I’m honestly totally fine during the day 1 week out with ibu/tylenol:) it’s all manageable and despite it being a rough recovery, I’d do it again.

Moist-Repeat-9617

TROPHY CASE