Day 65-Before/after Official photos.

Hey Guys,

Here are some official before/after photos given to me by my Orthodontist this week. I really can't believe the differences in my face height, shape and profile, It is quite extraordinary to know that I will never look like that before picture ever again. I am so glad the Genioplasty was part of my surgery. I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is unhappy with their recessed chin and set back, vertically growing bottom jaw.

I actually feel conformable with my 'relaxed' face now. It is SOOOOO less strained, and angry looking. I feel normal and with peace at how my face is at rest. I'm at the point now where I can sit and be in the company of others without constantly being self conscious and uncomfortable with my profile and face straining. I went for an interview for an Internship in Sydney yesterday and the whole time while the interviewer was talking and looking at me face on, I felt ok and was not stressing about how I looked. I was initially worried about my braces being a hindrance in getting this position, but apparently it wasn't an issue at all because I got the Internship and start next week :-) l really like the fact that my life at the moment is really hectic with work, my studies and starting this internship. Being busy will help me to focus my attention on something different then the surgery and will make recovery and the time I have to wait to get these braces off go a lot quicker. I still think about the surgery every day but I am glad I have some normality back in my life now.

My lips FINALLY come together now. I don't have to think about them when my face is at rest because they naturally just want to come together. I don't think I have 100% lip competence back yet, but I am really happy with how they comfortably meet, without me having to force them like pre surgery. It's amazing how you stress and worry for weeks about certain things like lips not correctly meeting and then one day they just DO!! Recovery is one HUGE waiting game and patience is very much the key!!! I am generally not very good at being patient, so this has been my biggest challenge... WAITING WAITING WAITING to see the improvements.

My bottom lip and gums are still numb in areas, and parts of my chin are without complete feeling. I still think my smile slants up more on one side, but looking back at old photos, I definitely know that this was the same pre surgery and I guess It wasn't as noticeable to me as my severe open bite was. My surgeon agrees that I still have a substantial amount of smaller changes to go through before I am completely recovered from this surgery. It can take up to 12 months for soft tissue to heal, so I am hoping and praying that in the next few months to come, everything will just settle well and that I'll be very happy with the end results. I can't wait to, have my braces off and really see my new bite in all its glory!

I finally got a chance to ask my Surgeon the reasons for not having proper contact on my back molers. I asked if there was a reason for it, and he said it was actually done on purpose. He discussed the same reasons why as Danny described in one of her earlier posts. Basically the back molers have too much negative force and control over your bite becoming unstable and shifting. He said they in the years to come, it will actually be more beneficial for them not to touch completely like they did pre surgery. It will help prevent them grinding down on each-other and cause bite discrepancy. He also said my orthodontist still has some slight tweaking to do with my teeth/bite but everything is coming along nicely so I should be happy.

Click to enlarge photo.

The after photos were taken only at 1month post op, so I actually still felt very swollen and tight at that stage. My lips were forced closed but in comparison to the before pictures, they are worlds apart in difference.

It will be very exciting to compare the before photo with a post 12month photo :)