Day 13: Ortho checkup

Today was my first post-op ortho appointment. It seems like just a few days ago that I booked it but it's been over 1 month! At the time of booking, I found it so strange to think of coming back to the ortho office and finally being on the "other side" after months of planning. It was a little strange today, but in a good way. All the receptionists and assistants had nothing but positive comments for me about my new profile and how well I'm healing. It made me feel great! Though it also made me feel a little bit like a circus sideshow while they crowded around and inspected me, haha. I can't complain though. I have to take all the attention and sympathy that I can get before my surgery is old news to everyone!

The actual check by my OD was very short, maybe 2 minutes max. He just checked that my teeth were now in proper alignment and that the splint and elastics were still in place. He said everything looks great and he'd like to see me again for another quick check after the splint is removed. That should be in a little over a week unless plans change. I was also told to book my next ortho appointment for 6 to 7 weeks from now, during which I'll have the archwire changed and surgical hooks removed. It'll be nice to get back to simple braces again!

I can now feel the cuts on either side of my lower jaw, and a couple of the screws under my eyes. So weird! I'm assuming the bone grows over these screws eventually so that they become less noticeable, and the notches in my jaw fill in. It's amazing what the human body can adapt to!