my practically perfect bite

As my journey is slowly coming to an end I look back and see more positives than negatives. There are many days that go by that I don't even think about my jaw or my teeth - for the first time in years, now. Some of my favorite things about my post-jaw surgery existence:

• When I bite into something, it bites off evenly. Prior to jaw surgery (and before I knew anything about jaw surgery) I would tear things apart with my front teeth instead of bite through them - life was so much messier before jaw surgery.
• Chewing with teeth that meet is incredible! I chew so much more effectively now, and in less time - especially with salads. Before jaw surgery I had to shift my jaw around to find a chewing surface - no more! All (ALL) of my teeth meet!
• No migraines - can you believe it? I'm somewhere around 8 months (9 months?) post-op, and still only the 1 migraine in the week after jaw surgery. Life is good!
• I find myself breathing through my nose without thinking about it - I used to be a mouth breather (and ONLY a mouth breather). Now with my newly widened nasal passages and comfortable jaw resting position, I'm a part-time nose breather! Weird!
• Healthier gum tissue - probably from stopping some of my mouth breathing.
• An overall more balanced appearance to my face, the most noticeable aspect being the lack of a hugely gummy smile. Seeing my newly improved profile in pictures never ceases to amaze me, as well (what? I have a chin!?)
• A wider smile - looking at pictures prior to jaw surgery, only my front few teeth show and then dark pockets filled the sides of my mouth. Now, my smile is very wide, and shows most of my teeth. Neat!

As I'm wearing my rubber bands less and less (and they're weaker rubber bands when I do wear them) my jaw has been less and less painful. My range of motion has already improved despite doing no physical therapy - I can fit 2 fingers in with a little wiggle room, now - even back past my 2nd knuckles. My bite is retaining so well that if I wear the rubber bands all night for a few nights in a row I wake up with my front teeth bumping painfully - so every couple of nights I get to leave them out! And I never have to wear them during the day.

Life is good. And will be so much better when these things come off! Debracing T-47 days (I hope!). I look forward to joining my blogging buddies in falling off of the face of the earth :)