Tomorrow can't come slowly enough...

I'm not sick. I have no other excuses. The bill is paid. The date is confirmed.

Tomorrow, at approximately 1:45 p.m., I will be getting my braces put back on for the second time in my life. This is the beginning of a long pro

cess that will eventually result in (hopefully) me no longer experiencing pain in my jaw or the continued deterioration of the joint. Just for a point of reference, I am adding some pictures from before I get my braces so we (you...or maybe it's just me) can watch the progress leading up to and beyond the surgery.

The first picture (left) is just a regular

old frontal picture of me smiling. From the looks of it, my teeth are straight and there is no obvious problem. But, you also can't tell that my nose protrudes approximately 3 inc

hes from my face. Nah! Just kidding. But, in reality you can't tell much from this picture. Looks great, right? Well, lets take a look at my profile.

As you can see (at least I can anyway, and so do my doctors), my lower jaw is recessed...or shorter than my upper jaw. This has caused an incorrect bit, which causes pressure in my joints, which causes the cracking and popping and the occasional inability to open my mouth wide enough to stick a toothbrush in.

An X-ray even revealed that my joint is starting to deteriorate because of the abnormal pressure. AKA--I have arthritis in my jaw. Fun! Fun? No...not really. Because, not only does it make chewing difficult and causes migraine like symptoms on occasion, but it hampers a lot of other activities as well...but I digress.

So, tomorrow officially begins my Journey into the realm of Sagittal Split Osteotomy. Stay tuned folks, it's gonna be a thriller!

It Starts....

Okay, this is the first post of what is going to be a very long, drawn out, process.  I don't have time to go into all the details just yet, but never fear...I will indeed go into ALL the juicy details.  Basically this blog is going to chronicle my journey through a surgical procedure known as Sagittal Split Osteotomy.  

It starts with...you guessed it:  Braces.  

I just had my spacers put in two days ago.  Next tuesday, March 17th (St. Patrick's Day...so much for the luck of the Irish), I will be getting my braces put on for the second time.  Yes, the second.  I was stupid enough the last time around to put off this necessary surgery.  But, I guess it all works out for the best in the end, because now I have excellent insurance that will be paying for the whole shebang sans my $25 deductible...and the braces ($4k--groan).  

I've been doing a lot of research lately and have found not a lot to help me learn more about what's going to happen to my face.  I've read other peoples blogs, but they weren't having the same exact surgery as me, I've looked at Oral Surgeon's websites and not seen illustrations showing what they're going to do to me.  

That got me thinking...maybe I should do my own blog and fill it with all the information I wanted to know before having my surgery.  If all goes well...I'll help at least one person feel well informed before they walk into that operating room.

All for now...