Pictures of Bridget's Orthognathic Surgery

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I am Bridget's Mom. I can be reached at pyck2pyck@centurytel.net. When we discovered that Bridget was going to need this surgery, we looked on the internet everywhere for information so we would know what to expect. We found nothing. That is the reason for this page on Bridget's web. She and I wanted to let others going through this type of surgery what they could expect. If you want liquid recipes, email Bridget at emaleaddres@gmail.com.

Bridget's jaw was labeled as a severe Class III occlusion with mandibular protrusion. An occlusion is an underbite in which most teeth DO NOT meet. (In Bridget's case, she only had four teeth that met. One on the top left met with one on the bottom left, and one on the top right met with one on the bottom right. Bridget's upper jaw was narrow and almost bypassed her lower jaw altogether. This caused her severe eating difficulties, which she was mostly unaware of because she had the difficulty all her life.

Class III means that TMJ was also present. This caused sharp pain just in front of her ears. Bridget's mouth would "unlock" and would open much wider than normal. Once her jaw was "unlocked" and she shut it back, one side would click back into place and then the other would follow. It was not a smooth action as it should be.

Mandibular protrusion means that her lower jaw protruded past the normal degree. This protrusion of her jaw made it difficult for her to keep her mouth closed. In Bridget's case, her lower jaw protruded 11 millimeters. According to her oral surgeon, Dr. Hunt, (which I highly recommend) if the protrusion is greater than 7 millimeters, both jaws have to be re-aligned in order for it to look natural.

Although Bridget wanted to begin fixing her jaw right away, we were not able to begin Bridget's surgeries until she had finished growing. On December 30, 2002, Bridget had her first surgery. Her diagnosis was Maxillary Hypoplasia. This surgery was to widen her top jaw so that her teeth would meet on the side. This procedure was called a Lefort I Osteotomy - RPE (Rapid Pallet Expansion). She also had her wisdom teeth removed at this time. At the time of this surgery, Bridget was 17 years old. She had this surgery during the Christmas holidays of her junior year of high school.

Prior to this surgery, her Orthodontist, had already put in a pallet expander. This appliance goes in the roof of the mouth and pushes the teeth apart to widen the jaw. In minor cases, this alone can repair the jaw. The expander had a hole that you placed a pin into that cranked it wider daily. The hole in the expander was located at the roof of Bridget's mouth, and it was difficult not to jab Bridget with the pin, or to scratch the roof of her mouth. She was very understanding with me. Maybe it was because I cried too.

It was after this surgery that I learned that even if the patient is asleep, YOU MUST WAKE THEM when it is time for their pain medicine. This IS NOT the time to worry about addiction.

Because Bridget's underbite was so great, she had to have both jaws adjusted. Her next surgery was to pull the top jaw forward, push the lower jaw back and straighten her deviated septum. These procedures were called, Lefort I Osteotomy, Bilateral Sagittal Split, Septoplasty, Bilateral Turbinectomy, and Surgical Splint. This was done on June 17, 2003. It was done during the summer break before her senior year of high school. She was 17 years old.

Click on the pictures below to enlarge.

06/01/02 Before any surgery. Notice how narrow her top jaw is and how far her lower jaw protrudes.
04/19/03 After the first surgery and before the second. The first surgery did improve her looks, but straightening her teeth made her underbite more pronounced.
06/17/03 The morning before surgery. This position was difficult for Bridget because it was hard for her to close her lips together.
06/17/03 Side view. This shot shows the whole story.
06/17/03 Major alignment of the jaw was needed. Just look at the gap between those jaws! She is not jutting her lower jaw forward either. That was her natural bite.
This was a seven hour surgery. Her head & jaw were wrapped in an ace bandage to help with the swelling.
Because her lower jaw was moved back, her tongue was further down her throat. She also had a deviated septum, so she couldn't breath through her nose. She felt like she was choking on her tongue and couldn't breathe. She was afraid to have the oxygen removed.
Dr. Hunt had to move her top jaw forward, and her lower jaw back. There are NO outside scars! All the work was done INSIDE her mouth. I'm sure her lips had to be stretched horribly during this procedure which made the swelling so bad. Vasoline lip balm helped the cracked and sore lips.
In the past, wires were used to keep the jaws aligned, but then the patient had to carry wire cutters around in case they were to choke. Now rubber bands are used. The jaws don't actually have to stay completely shut. The bands are to teach the patient how to bite correctly. Bridget said that if the bands were not on, she could feel her lower jaw trying to jut back out.
At first, Bridget could not even suck through a straw so we had to use a syringe to push the food in her mouth. Ask her about the liquid tacos. Yuck to me (her Mom) but she said they were good! She was on several medications that I discovered should be given ON TIME - EVERY TIME!!! It is awful watching your child hurt horribly for 30 minutes or more until the pain medicine begins to work.
The pain medicine makes some wild looking eyes. LOL
06/30/03 Thirteen days, still swollen, but WHAT A DIFFERENCE!
Doesn't even look like the same child. There were people she had known all her life that didn't even recognize her.
07/16/03 Almost one month after surgery.
08/20/03 Two months and 3 days after surgery.

Created on ... May 13, 2005