8 Months Post-Op Jaw Surgery at The Piper Clinic
It’s been about 8 months since I had my fat graft surgery in St. Petersburg and over a month since my last visit with The Piper Clinic. At my last appointment, instead of getting the okay to only wear my splint at night, I was told the bones on my right side was trying to fuse together. This was caused by wearing my post-surgery splint too much (which I did due to recommendations to ease my fibromyalgia pain,) and holding my jaw in that position too long. I was told to stop wearing my splint completely until I saw my dentist at home who could make me a night guard.
I was able to see Dr. Hughes, my dentist at Avon Dental Care, on April 26th. He knows Dr. Shah personally and was able to talk with him about my condition, care plan, and next steps prior to my appointment with him. That Friday, the staff took images of my teeth to make the splint and I spoke with Dr. Hughes who informed me I’m pretty famous in the dental community related to fat graft surgery. It’s amazing to hear how my blog and TikTok videos have taken off! I was genuinely taken aback by what Dr. Hughes said and just want to reiterate my thanks to everyone who is reading, watching, and supporting my posts. I want to make it clear I don’t get any perks or things in return from recording my journey, but the feedback from people seeking information on fat graft surgery has been awesome to hear. :)
After my visit with Dr. Hughes, I was scheduled to come in on May 15th to pick up my new splint. They make them in-house now which only takes a few hours to print, so I’m guessing the extra time was for them to look over my scans and have Dr. Hughes confirm everything; he was out of town the following week, so I’m assuming that’s why I had to wait. The weeks without wearing a splint were great at first but then slowly became almost unbearable. I couldn’t sleep due to the pain, and I started developing a weird noise on the left side where it sounds like my teeth are vibrating together, similar to the sound of something hitting the side of a cup holder in a car.
The week before I got my new splint my husband and I flew out to Kansas City, Missouri to visit my aunt and see The Postal Service and Death Cab for Cutie. We missed our first flight to Detroit, so ended up in Atlanta, then Missouri. On the way back we didn’t have any issues. During the trip, I’m happy to say I didn’t have any issues with pain while flying and was able to sing during the concert with minimal pain the next day.
During this time, I hadn’t been taking my Flexeril because I forgot to get it filled. I normally would have gotten a refill at my appointment in April, but the Physician’s Assistant (PA) I was interacting with wanted me to confirm with my primary care physician that my new medication I’m taking, Cymbalta, wouldn’t react with the Flexeril. After my trip home and getting back into the habit of daily life, I forgot to look into it and subsequently had muscle spasms, pain, and that weird vibrating noise.
I finally got my new splint on May 15th. It’s blue and technically made out of material for a night guard, so it feels bulkier in my mouth. Although Dr. Shah originally wanted me wearing my night guard at night, Dr. Hughes said I should wear it as much as I can. The guard originally made my symptoms disappear, but after the weekend I was in a lot of pain again. Dr. Hughes adjusted it again which made it feel a little better, although I was still having other symptoms.
I spoke with The Piper Clinic a few days later to confirm I’m supposed to be wearing my splint full-time. It’s not that I don’t trust my dentist (he’s been a godsend,) I just wanted to make sure I didn’t misunderstand something and that we’re all on the same page. During this call, Jeff (the PA) found out I hadn’t used Flexeril in a month and told me that’s why I’m in pain and having so many issues. Apparently I’m supposed to be using it up until at least nine months post-op if I need it. Oops! Needless to say, I got it refilled immediately and the majority of my symptoms quickly stopped.
I saw Dr. Hughes last week and then again today to get my splint adjusted. I still don’t love it because it does feel bulkier than the rest and is hard to talk in, but it’s taken pressure off of the fat graft and is doing what it’s supposed to. I’ve also been using my OraStretch at least three times a day to improve my range of motion (I can fit 2 and a half fingers in my mouth now!).
With my current splint and my flexeril, I feel like a new person. I’ve gotten back into yoga which has helped calm down my jaw, neck and shoulders. It’s much easier to do yoga now when I can open my mouth versus when I would go during the winter and was banded shut! I’ve started cooking more, crocheting, knitting, and being more engaged with my family and those around me.
I ordered a hula hoop yesterday to see if I’m any good and might get a jump rope after I confirm with Dr. Shah it’s okay to do so at my nine month appointment. I remember loving hula hooping and jumping rope in elementary school, but I hated it as I got older because my head would hurt. It’s not a surprise that the way my bones grew shows I injured my joints prior to puberty. Dr. Hughes and I think it’s possible I damaged them when I was ten and had my tonsils and adenoids removed.
Overall, I’m doing extremely well. There is still that weird vibrating noise occasionally on my left side, and my right side now has what I can only describe as a crinkling feeling when I open it, but I’m assured it’s normal and will go away. I am supposed to come to my nine month appointment in July with a care plan for fixing my bite next. Since we won’t know if my new splint and stretching stopped my bones from fusing together, it’s hard to tell if I’ll be able to move forward with a plan in July. My dentist is going to talk with Dr. Shah about this and in the meantime I have an orthodontist near me I need to schedule a consultation with. There’s a possibility I might need to see Dr. McDonald in St. Petersburg for my orthodontic care though, so hopefully I’ll get more information about this soon.
