4 Weeks Post Surgery

four weeks post surgery, Still cant quite smile properly

Before and After so far

Yay only two more weeks of recovery to go! This week I went to the orthodontist and got my false teeth put back in. I was so glad once I got them back in I was able to feel like myself again. My trip to the orthodontists also brought another happy suprise. My orthodontist told me that I could have my braces of by some time in January next year. This is so exciting because I was expecting to have them on for another six months or so. In two weeks I will be going back to the orhthodontist to get my surgical wires taken out, which will mean no more silver surgical post that stand out. Once I get these wires out I will then start getting my final wires in to start the process of getting them off. 

Now that I have a rough idea of when I will be getting my braces off I have to start planning for implants and a dental bridge. On my left side I will be able to get an implant with a false tooth on it. This involves getting a socket put into my gum which a tooth is then screwed into. Then on the right side where the cleft was I will have to have a dental bridge put in as there is not enough bone there to support an implant. This involves attaching a false tooth to the two teeth either side of it; the false tooth will have two "wings" either side of it which will be attached to my own teeth. 

This week I have gotten feeling back into my top lip although on the inside of my lip its still a bit tingly. I also have feeling back at the very back of the roof of my mouth. Most of my palate is still quite numb though. I can still feel a little bit of swelling at the bottom of my cheeks either side of my nose and still a little bit in my top lip. I was hoping the swelling would be all gone by four weeks but I can feel that each day it is getting less and less so I just have to patient. 

On other news I returned to work yesterday. It felt so good to be back into my normal routine and doing something other than sitting at home. I have four shifts next week which will keep me busy between my appointments. Life is getting back to normal now as I can speak much better again and returning back to work has made me feel more motivated.

Hopefully the next two weeks will fly by because I cannot wait to be able to eat again. I miss eating real food SO much! Oh well four weeks down only two weeks to go.