Pre-Op Visit to Orthodontist & Surgeons

Hello, it's been a really long while since I last posted. Sorry I didn't keep to my monthly postings :(

As I write this, my bones are trying to heal... yup, I've been for the surgery and am back home already. So these posts are going to be in retrospect.

While my surgery was initially projected to be in August, the orthodontist, Dr Cheng, gave the green light for the surgery to proceed during my visit in end May, since my teeth were ready already. What he meant by 'ready' was that my incisors were straight enough for the surgeons to know how to position my jaws together during the surgery. Yay! I was so happy that it could be done earlier because I had to much wanted to start working as early as possible (instead of bumming around at home - human nature). 

So after that visit in May, I was to return to his clinic for the last pre-op visit in early June, where he would collect two sets of mould for the surgeons and take some x-rays. If you would look at the picture below, the braces look really unorthodox haha. Thin metal wires replaced the coloured bands and those 'T' hooks between every tooth was installed (with much force). 

Everything silver!

With my two sets of moulds in hand, I gladly marched into the surgeon's clinic, where Dr Tan had a last look at me while Dr Wee (the assisting surgeon) took down the measurements for my face. Only then did I realise that my face was really longer on one side than the other. I'm not being nit picky on facial asymmetries (for that is what humanizes us) but mine seemed quite serious (to me at least haha). If you'd look closely at the picture on above, the right side of my face shows more gum on the upper when i smile. I don't know the term for it, but I will find out. So that's my maxillofacial problem, so to speak, in addition to my crossbite.

I had one last consultation with Dr Tan and Dr Wee on the day of surgery (only because I was overseas the week before). They ran me through the  things I would be experiencing in no less than 24 hours - post surgery depression, difficulty breathing and swallowing, weakness, uncomfortableness factor x10 (as per Dr Wee's lingo haha). Many more.

As with any surgery, I had to fast 8 hours before the surgery. I felt it so difficult, especially when I saw my dad buy some of my favourite teh from the hawker centre. Sigh. It really worried me because if I couldn't handle this, how would I handle the initial days of recovery? Thank God it's been well so far.