Debracing postponed

So I was supposed to get my braces off yesterday but it's been postponed until at least January. My last appointment (2 weeks ago) was supposed to involve getting impressions taken for the bonded retainers, but I pointed out a small space that had opened up between my two front teeth after the last adjustment. It was small but it extended from the gumline to about 2/3 of the way down my teeth, and it bugged me! My orthodontist said it was due to the shape of the teeth so he did some IPR (shaving of the enamel) between them, and then he also had to do some between the four bottom front teeth because once the space closed I would be biting too heavily in the front. It didn't hurt but it was rather unnerving! It felt like I was going to end up with peg teeth! haha. The spaces were small and have already closed with powerchains. I'm really glad I pointed it out because that space would have haunted me if I hadn't mentioned it. Plus, I had some "black triangle" spaces between the bottom front teeth which seemed to get worse after surgery (maybe because I forcefully sucked liquids through them while being banded shut? Or the lack of flossing? Or just the nature of the surgery?) and the IPR helped to decrease their size. What's another few weeks with braces after going through jaw surgery, right? :) My next appointment isn't until Dec 27, and hopefully the appointment after that is debracing day! I'm ready to get these things off and do some thorough cleaning and teeth whitening.

I'm now 7 months post-op and I have full feeling in my face again (yay!) and no tingling anywhere except when I touch a tiny part of my upper lip above the right corner of my mouth. I still have sections of my teeth and gums that are numb, and some are still very sensitive to touch. There are two teeth in particular that make me cringe when flossing because the gums are so sensitive it's painful!

The amount I can open my mouth (almost 3 fingers) hasn't changed in a few months now, but I think it's within the "normal" range. I could open pretty far before surgery (4+ fingers!) but my jaw would also pop when opening wide, so part of the extra range was probably due to some joint dislocation. It no longer pops which is great! So much more comfortable. Sometimes I have some pain and stiffness around the plate on the right side of my lower jaw after chewing or clenching, but this usually goes away quickly. I asked my surgeon about this at the last appointment and he said that he didn't think it warranted anything drastic right now (ie. plate removal) but I should go easy on the chewing if it flares up. Hopefully it'll just go away with time. I used to have some random stabbing pains under the right side of my nose when I smiled wide but that's stopped now.

My lips are finally feeling more relaxed when I close them. I think getting the braces off will really help too. I can almost follow the "lips together, teeth apart" rule that's supposed to be so beneficial for TMJ problems but which I could never do properly before.