Wednesday, February 24, 2010

BIG NEWS!!!

I know what your thinking... that's a pretty big post title to live up to, but I'm not kidding... I have HUGE NEWS!!!

So I went in for a normal adjustment today knowing that they were going to take progression models and photos... and came out learning that my jaw surgery is going to be scheduled for JUNE! OMFG! I'm freakin' out! haha.

A few months back my orthodontist told me that it was looking more like I would have the surgery in the late summer/early fall. At first that kind of bummed me out because I was expecting it to be in the early summer. I finally got used to it and then he drops this bomb on me. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! He said that they could even book the surgery for May, but because of work being super busy that month - it's not going to be possible.

So June is the month! June is also my BIRTHDAY month. Coincidence? Maybe. All I know is a new face is the ULTIMATE birthday present. The only date I requested NOT to have the surgery is on my actual birthday. I don't care of it's the day before or the day after... just not that day!

The exact date is not booked yet - I have an appointment with the surgeon at the end of March and that's when we'll decide what day works best. I've heard that the normal time for recovery (i.e. to be able to go back to work) is about 2-3 weeks depending on how fast I recover.

Another bombshell that was dropped on me today was that my orthodontist mentioned that I may have to have top jaw AND bottom jaw surgery! EEK! I was hoping that it's just the top jaw with a slight movement of my chin to better my profile. This will all be determined at the end of March. Before my meeting with the surgeon, my orthodontist and him are meeting and chatting about what needs to be done. If I hear anything back from them before my actual meeting, I'll make sure to keep you guys in the loop!

Some other good news comes from the news just mentioned - I asked my Ortho whether the 30 months for braces was set in stone and he said NO! He said depending on how well I recover from the surgery, it will be anytime BETWEEN 24 and 30 months! That means that I could be braces free for my 27th birthday. I won't get my hopes up...but that would top the new face as a birthday present. Perfect smile trumps new face (but only because I'll already have had the new face).

Here are the progression photos taken today @ Week 45 and compared to the original photos - before braces:




You think there is a HUGE change now...just wait till the post-op photos :)

Top Teeth:




Bottom Teeth:




For all of you post-op readers out there, I would love your advice on EVERYTHING that has to do with jaw surgery (i.e. food, pain, swelling, etc.)

Thanks for reading and I'll keep you up to date when I have more information!!!

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Facebook Fan Page - Brooks' & Alexis' Tin Grin Adventures!

I would like to welcome my friend Brooks to the world of Tin Grins! Brooks just got his braces yesterday (Feb 19, 2010). He has to have braces on for about 30 months.



To celebrate his new brace-face, we've made a Facebook Fan Page to let our fans follow our journey to the perfect smile!

Become a fan of our page by clicking here!