Cymy Sue

Hi Mary,
I am sorry to hear you are not doing any better and now have other hard decisions to make about your condition.
Orthognathic or restructuring surgeries are designed to correct severe abnormalities or deformities of the jaws that cannot be corrected by other means. It is a tough surgery to go through. There are many risks and possible complications with these surgeries.

I continue to see the same complication posted by people who have this done.
People who don't already have joint problems or have healthy joints, many times, develop TMJD after the restructuring.
People who already have known joint problems, tend to get much worse.
A surgery of this nature does traumatize and put great stress on the joints.
It's not uncommon with already weak or damaged joints for the condyle(s) to dislocate. Also, I have seen reports of problems with healing when the joints are not healthy enough to withstand this procedure. Scarring and adhesions, and problems as severe as uninteneded bone fusion.
Nerve damage is reported with many. Permanent numbness is not uncommon.
Many people would not think numbness would be a big deal compared to pain.
It is. I was numb from my nose down for almost 16 years. I have recently had some feeling return which is very unusual after so long. Your lips and lower face being totallly numb is not easy to live with.
The muscles react to the new structure of the bones and will overcompensate or overwork and this adds a whole new aspect of muscular pain and problems. This affects the joints unfavorably.

I am sorry to paint such a dire picture of this surgery. I thought at one time , it was just my case. In the last couple of years, I have read much the same from many people. There have been many reports on this board in the last couple of years by people suffering different degrees of problems after having this done. It was not "just" me and the condition of my joints. It's common. If you haven't already, search "orthognathic surgery" on this board and read other members posts. It might help to decide if trying this, is a risk you are willing to take.

I also had a deviated septum and it had not caused a problem with breathing until many years after I had these procedures. With long-term nerve damage, and nerve compression from muscles that never got back to normal, I developed enlarged and atrophied turbinates which closed my nose completely. This problem was related directly back to this surgery.
I had this problem surgically corrected because I couldn't breath through my nose. The septum fixed and the extra turbinate material removed about 3 years ago. This surgery was a breeze compared to the TMJ surgeries I've had and I can breath extremely well again. Maybe this would be something to discuss with your doctor. I had always feared having the septum fixed, but after the problems and pain with the TMJ related surgeries, it was not so bad as I had read and thought it would be. I did have a wonderful surgeon who was aware of the nerve damage and other problems I had from previous surgeries. He did not traumatize or add to the existing problems.This was "one" I got over quickly and did not have any further problems.

I know you begin to feel you have to do "something" to help yourself. Surgery seems to be the only option and we get to the point of believing we could not be any worse. I did it many times.
It always was worse than before.

Please read all you can about people who have this done when they already have damaged, weakened or dysfunctional joints.
There are many good surgeons who can do these procedures with great expertise. They can realign your bite and correct the size of the opposing jaws.
It's been a mystery to me with so many people developing joint problems or existing TMJD worsening, they will still do these restructuring procedures and in all these years have not taken the next step of figuring out how to protect the joints from damage or being traumatized. In reading current reports and posts, they have not. In this respect, this surgery has not progressed at all in the last 2 decades.
From reports I've read here, elsewhere and my own experience, once this is done, they do not know how to help you with what it does to your joints among other common post-surgical problems.
I hope the others here will check in and post their conditions after having this surgery, so you can hear more opinions than mine.

I wish you well with what ever you decide.
Cymy Sue