Le Fort 1 Surgery

To correct my jaw misalignment I am undergoing a Le Fort 1 Osteotomy. A Lefort I Osteotomy is a common procedure used to correct mid face deformities. In my case, the maxilla will be down fractured so that it can be mobilized and repositioned. This will result in a more favorable occlusion. My surgeon warned me that this could also result in a more symmetrical face. Which translates into a better looking face. :) On a serious note, the real outcome i'm looking for is the ability to chew my food properly, sleep soundly, and alleviated neck/jaw pain. This surgery is pretty big and scary. I'll be in the hospital from 1-3 days. This is scary because i'm in a foreign country and everything isn't nicely in English. Secondly, i'll be recovering for quite sometime. It can take between 6-9 weeks to initially recover and up to 9 months to fully recover. I'll be eating from a syringe for several months. I definitely don't look forward to this. Later, I will post some possible meal ideas and solutions to maintain proper nutrition. Below I have posted a video of a Le Fort 1 Osteotomy from YouTube. The nature of this video is graphic and some viewers may be disturbed.

Since I have gotten braces I have been diagnosed with Temporomandibular Joint Disorder. Web MD defines TMJD as an Injury to your jaw, the joint, or the muscles of your head and neck -- like from a heavy blow or whiplash-- can lead to TMD.

Other causes include:

• Grinding or clenching your teeth, which puts a lot of pressure on the joint
• Movement of the soft cushion or disc between the ball and socket of the joint
• Arthritis in the joint
• Stress, which can cause you to tighten facial and jaw muscles or clench the teeth 

Common symptoms of TMJD include:

• Pain or tenderness in your face, jaw joint area, neck and shoulders, and in or around the ear when you chew, speak, or open your mouth wide 
• Problems when you try to open your mouth wide 
• Jaws that get "stuck" or "lock" in the open- or closed-mouth position 
• Clicking, popping, or grating sounds in the jaw joint when you open or close your mouth or chew. This may or may not be painful. 
• A tired feeling in your face 
• Trouble chewing or a sudden uncomfortable bite -- as if the upper and lower teeth are not fitting together properly

The surgeon said that I might need to undergo both top and jaw surgery. However, I won't find out if that's the case until July 27, 2015. At this point, i'm just hoping for the upper jaw surgery. The Beginning of this process has been really painful and really negatively impacted my life. I'm still hoping for the best though! TMJD has been very difficult. I can't eat foods I once used to enjoy. I am basically embarrassed to go to dinner with friends or eat in public. At this point, my teeth only meet in one position, which doesn't allow me to chew my food properly. I always say, it's not really dinner unless I choke 1-2 times. I try to make light of the situation but, it's really difficult. I hope you'll continue to follow my journey!

Once again, thanks for reading. 




Check out the images of a Lefort fracture below! 

Image of Le Fort 1 Fracture from(https://www2.aofoundation.org/wps/portal/surgerypopup?contentUrl=/srg/95b/05-RedFix/P360-MaxOstLeFortI/06_Fixation.jsp&soloState=precomp&title=&Language=en)

Images of Le Fort Fractures (http://aragec.com/le+fort+3.html)