Jaw Surgery Plate Removal: Getting the rest of my titanium plates taken out 1.5yrs after jaw surgery
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- Опубліковано 10 жов 2024
- After a third trip to Spain, I am now completely metal free! In this video, I'll recap my experience having the remaining titanium plates removed from my upper jaw and chin, why I decided to have one more procedure to get rid of all the metal, and how things are feeling now ~8 weeks post-op. And yes, I do have photos of all the plates if you're curious :)
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Questions about my surgery/health journey? Feel free to send me an email!
megan@meganschall.com
![What is Orthognathic Surgery? [Jaw Surgery with Braces Explained]](/img/n.gif)
Megan, I’m so happy for you and thank you for sharing! We briefly chatted back in April on one of your other videos as I mentioned looking into getting consultations with orthodontists and finding an oral surgeon. Finally found an orthodontist that has the confidence to help me with my case as my case is unique and severe; plus I met with an oral surgeon who also has the confidence to help as well. Today I’m starting my braces journey as the timeline / treatment plan will be 2.5 years. Very excited to get this started at 31 years old as it’s a new beginning. Thank you so much for your support as I know if I have any questions I can reach out! 😊
Thank you for the support as well, and congratulations on getting started on your journey!! That's very exciting, and I'm so glad to hear you found a team of people who are committed to helping you through this process :)
Best of luck with everything, and please do keep us posted on how things are going as you move forward!
Onward and upward 🙂
Thank you for keeping us informed! Melisa test in Germany doesnt exist anymore, got shut down. So my husband wasnt able to get the test done. We found a surgeon who is willing to do it without the test since he sees that my husband is suffering from severe dermatitis that started aprox. 1 year post his jaw surgery. However its been 10 years since the surgery and the xray showed that bone grew over metal. Doctor gives 50/50 chance of nerve or sinus damage during the removal of the metal. Im just so scared right now! Nobody ever told us that titanium hardware is not actually 100% titanium and can cause chronic illness. Nobody told us it should have been removed within a year right after jaw surgery. I feel betrayed.
I'm so sorry you and your husband have been through all of that, and I agree with you that it's very disappointing and frustrating to learn about this after the fact, and feel like we could've/should've had more information from the get go...
I really hope all goes well for your husband with his surgery and that he recovers quickly and starts to heal! 🙏❤
@@meganschall Thank you 🥰
How is your husband? Most doctors in America think they should stay in. It seems that down the road, many people have issues. It's terrible! I'm six months post -op and I'm planning on removing mine. My doctor said he would...just waiting on insurance approval. The hardware is painful and it wakes me up at night
My surgery to take out mine (all 3 sides) will be on November 22nd which will be over 2 yrs after surgery! So glad this video exists.
Thank you for watching, and I hope all goes well for you with the plate removal!
How did the plate removal go?
@alaura.444 - Did u notice your nose widened after the upper jaw plates were removed? Thanks
Thanks for the update! I'm glad you're doing so well. So when you had your lower jaw plates removed you were awake and it was at the doctor's office, and this time it was a proper surgery? In a hospital, and you were asleep? Why the difference? Thanks!
Thank you for the support! And yes - good question about the different procedures: for the lower plates removal I was *not* sedated, just local anesthesia in the clinic. For the upper plates/chin, it was still in the clinic but with sedation - so I was totally unaware of what was happening, but it wasn't general anesthesia and I wasn't admitted to the hospital (this particular clinic is in a large hospital though - the only time I was actually admitted to the hospital was for the original jaw surgery when I had to have general anesthesia).
I think the reason they do this is because the lower plates are pretty easy to get at through the gums, but those upper plates are pretty far up there, and I have to imagine it would be fairly uncomfortable to be awake while they are getting at those!
If all the plates had been removed at one time, it would've been under sedation, but since I did the lower and upper ones separately, I got to experience it all lol. (And honestly, I might've preferred to be sedated when I had the lower plates removed - it was a little bit stressful to be aware of everything that first time around!)
Everybody should have the hardware removed. Titanium causes silent inflammation. There are PubMed papers on this subject.
Hey. So happy for you! ❤
Thank you so much! I really appreciate the support 😊💕
Thank you for sharing this! I'm considering having plates removed since I have fatigue and vertigo since the surgery.
You're welcome! Thank you for watching, and I wish you the best on your own journey :)
Just had my jaw plates removed. It was a bigger operation than I’d thought. I hope the plate irritations will have gone. Still swollen and sore .
@stephanieemmens2936 I hope you heal well and get relief from the irritations you were experiencing! 🙏🏻❤️
Thank you for sharing your journey, I am in the process of removing my plates too. This video was very informative.
I'm so glad this was helpful! Thanks for the comment, and I hope all goes well for you with your plate removal :)
@ParisLoveblue - Did u notice your nose widening after your upper jaw plates were removed? Want to hear feedback from more people. Thanks.
@@ParisLoveBlue I'm going to get my lower jaw hardware removed and I'm not sure what I can eat after the surgery! How did you eat and what did you eat?
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I started considering jaw surgery only yesterday after an orthodontist suggested it. It took a bit for it to occurr to me that it would involve metal. I am sensitive to metal (and basically everything), so that alone had already started deterring me. I wondered if it could be removed and within the day and without having tried to research that yet your video was suggested. So happy it was! Will def ask surgeon about this at consult. Thanks again!
Also, I’m watching all the ads on your channel bc you deserve it. 😂❤🥹
Thank you very much for the support! 🥰I'm so glad the video was helpful, and it's great that you already know you are sensitive to metal and can be prepared ahead of time if you do decide to have surgery.
I hope all goes well for you moving forward! If you ever have any questions, feel free to reach out - happy to help if I can :)
Hi! I just had hardware removal surgery yesterday.. And unfortunately my surgeon wasn't able to removal all of the hardware. :( I was really hoping that they will all get removed. I'm only 1 year and 2 months post op. Really makes me sad that they couldn't remove it all. My surgeon said that my bone already started to grow over my back screws, so he didn't want to remove those..Did your surgeon ever mention about your bones growing over the metal? You got them taken out 1.5 years post op but my bone already grew over my metal at just 1 year post op
Hi! I'm so sorry you weren't able to get all of the metal removed :(
I was definitely worried that might be an issue for me as well, and my surgeon did mention that could be the case since it had been over a year from my original surgery, but I guess I was lucky that the bone hadn't grown over the plates and he was able to get everything out...
When I was first thinking about the removal, I did read that it is preferable to have it done before the 1 year mark - I wish that had been more clear and/or patients were informed of that just in case they do need to have them removed! I certainly would have been more proactive about making the decision if I had realized it needed to be done within a certain timeline.
I really hope you heal well, and it is still great that you got the majority of the metal removed! My guess would be that your body will be able to handle the small amount of metal that remains much more easily, and there are things you can do to support your immune system if needed or if you feel like it still could be an issue ❤
Thanks for this video, i was nervous for my LJS plate removal tomorrow but i am a lot more relaxed now.
I will actually ask the surgeon to remove both my plates, as just one is showing trough my gums but i want to be safe for the future
Thanks for watching, I'm so glad it was helpful! I hope all goes well with your plate removal and you have a quick recovery :)
Can you share the reason why you went to Spain? I'm in Canada, I have titanium toxicity from my surgery and my surgeon is refusing to remove the plates for me, maybe you can tell me the doctor you went to?
@mareemazi5261 I had gone to Spain for my original surgery, so when I wanted the plates removed I decided to have the same surgeon do it (and thankfully they were totally willing to make it happen!)
I'm so sorry you have titanium toxicity and your surgeon is not being helpful 😕 the clinic I went to in Barcelona is Instituto Maxilofacial, I'm not sure if they do removal for patients where they didn't so the initial surgery, but it's worth contacting them! www.institutomaxilofacial.com/en/
I hope you find someone who can remove the plates for you and you can begin healing! 🙏🏻
Im in Canada too. We are in Alberta. My husband found a canadian surgeon who is willing to do this surgery. His name is Dr. Jay Lalli Calgary, Northland Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Centre. My husband is going to book a surgery soon. Wait times 6 months usually. Hopefully this helps. Good luck!
Hi Megan, do you feel better post plate removal? I had DJS 6 months ago, and am convinced I have chronic fatigue from my plates. I feel worse now than I did before surgery.
Oh no, I'm so sorry you're feeling worse after your surgery! Removing the plates did not change my overall chronic fatigue situation, but it definitely did resolve the issues I was experiencing like facial pain, sinus inflammation, etc. that I was pretty sure were related to the metal...
(I also had a metal plate removed from my wrist that was causing all sorts of pain and had immediate relief - so I'm pretty sure my body did not love the titanium!)
I hope that helps, and that you are able to find some answers and get relief/recover!
I have had chronic fatigue since a facial reconstruction surgery many years ago. They finally diagnosed me as allergic to the nickel in the stainless steel pins in my chin. So I am getting them removed.
@@owensron1ful wow, I'm so glad you've finally found some answers! I hope your removal goes well you begin to heal and feel better!!
Mam i have jaw fracture sergury in my lower jaw broken both side 2 mini plate in there 6 month ago but mam from 2 days i noticed my left side plate showing from gums so please suggestions me what can i do please help me any problem for that and i think my jaw is not healed properly
I'm so sorry you had a jaw fracture and you've noticed an exposed plate now :(
I notified my surgeon/team as soon as I found the exposed plate and they informed me what I needed to do, so I'd just suggest getting in touch with your surgeon if possible!
1. How many days it takes to settle the pain & swellen ??
2. And also how many days taken to return to normal life like normal food intake??
3. How many days it takes to speak properly?? (If you mention in days count/ dates it will gives clarity)
After the plate removal, it probably took about a 7-10 days for most of the swelling to subside, and I was pretty much able to eat normal food right away!
My mouth was sore, and I ate softer foods in general, but I didn't have to modify my diet or normal life activities very much - this recovery was definitely faster/easier than the original jaw surgery :)
@@meganschall thanks for sharing.
Hi i have removed my stainess plates just 40 hours ago my left side swollen went down a little but right side still there. Also i felt little pain in right side but left side is way more lesser pain. What to do?
1. Can i use ice bags massage on outside of the mouth to reduce swollen?
2. Any other advice??
I think it's totally normal to have a bit of pain/swelling for at least a few days after that procedure! I'm not a doctor obviously, so I'd always recommend checking with your surgeon to get their recommended protocols, but I would imagine using ice and/or anti-inflamatory meds to help with the pain and swelling would be fine for a few days...
If I remember correctly, I used ice packs the first day or two and took some ibuprofen for probably the first 3-5 days afterwards until the pain was manageable without meds. And I just tried to eat foods that wouldn't irritate my mouth or the stitches, and get lots of rest to help the healing process :)
I hope you recovery well!
did the holes from screws fill in completely or are they still healing
As far as I know, they should be completely healed by now. I believe it takes about 3-4 months for bones to heal, and when I did a recent CBCT scan I didn't notice any areas that looked like they hadn't filled in! I guess I can't say with 100% certainty, but I would venture that they are healed/filled by now.
Hi
I watched your videos and you said your front tooth die. Did they fix this? Or have you got a fake tooth now? Im having double jaw surgery soon and im scared about this.
Hello, thanks for watching! When my front tooth died, the usual protocol would have been to have a root canal to remove the dead root and then bleach it from the inside to return it to it's normal color (it had turned gray).
However, I preferred to remove the dead tooth and get a ceramic implant instead, so that's what I did! It's all complete now and everything is good :)
That said, my understanding is that it is quite rare for a tooth to die during this surgery (like 1% of the time?), so although it *can* happen, it's probably pretty unlikely. But I'm sure your surgeon can give you more info about the risk and/or what the plan would be if it did occur.
I hope all goes well for you with your upcoming surgery!
@@meganschall thank you for reply. This is reassuring. Spkoken to my surgeon today and he basically said exactly what said. Its rare, but can happen. Hope you are well and may heal fully from your surgery x
@@gabbysingh624 thank you for the support! Best of luck as you move forward!
Thank you so much for uploading this video. It really helps me to follow my guts instinct, what I have been feeling.. I just uploaded my first jaw surgery video in Japan. And... I was kind of in two mind whether I'd remove the metal plates or not. Though I've already booked the upcoming surgery to remove those metal plates in 6 months time (so it's exactly same as you, after 1.5 years of the initial jaw surgery. They said up to 5years after the first jaw surgery, the process of removing the metal plates does not make that much difference from their experience, though it can be depending on the cases and their experiences) I was still in two mind.. But... I saw and heard your experience and I'm also someone who tend to be more sensitive than many others.
Your video really encouraged me, thank you so much Megan 🙏🥲💜🦄🌈✨
You're very welcome! Thank you for the support, and for sharing your story as well - and good for you for trusting your instincts about how the metal plates are affecting you.
I definitely agree that some of us, like you and me perhaps, are more sensitive to these things...and that while many people may be able to tolerate the metal just fine, there are those of us who will be better off having them removed.
I wish you the best on your journey and hope all goes well with your upcoming surgery!
I wonder if the tight feeling could be low grade infection from the plates. I wish suegeons were more transparent with all the stuff that comes with surgery , there always seems to be some sort of complication and need for a revision :^(
It's a good question, and I do think it's very possible that I was experiencing some kind of low level inflammation from the plates over time...
And I agree that there are a lot of unkowns going into any surgery - thankfully I felt like I was very well informed of the potential negative consequences, and I went forward with it knowing that there would likely be *some* kind of side effect that I would have to deal with long-term. And I was willing to take that risk!
That said, I agree that it would be helpful if there was more discussion from surgeons about all the challenges that come with this process - and also what the plan is to deal with anything that does come up for any individual.
Hi, how much did it cost for to crews and plates to be removed from your top jaw? How long did the procedure take? Thanks for all ur info
I believe the cost to have all of the upper jaw and chin plates/screws removed was around $3500-4000, and the procedure took about 45 minutes! (This procedure was much more expensive than removing just the lower plates because it involved anesthesia...)
Was swelling down by 2 weeks post removal? Were you able to smile normal by then?
I would say yes, the swelling was very minimal by 2 weeks post removal - there may have still been a little bit of tightness or a tiny bit of discomfort to smile/chew etc., but the recovery was quite fast! (especially compared to the original surgery lol)
After the upper jaw plates were removed, did your nose widen? I'm almost a year post op yet my entire mouth feels very tight, my nose is constantly flaring and I feel a lot of pressure on my upper teeth/gums. I really think it's the plates near my nasal area that's causing all these, yet my doctor refuses to remove the plates saying it will widen my nose and there's a lot of risks!
I did not notice any nose widening, although that was one of the potential side effects mentioned when I asked about removing the plates. I'm sorry you've been having those issues and that your surgeon is reluctant to remove them for you! Obviously there is always some risk involved in surgeries, and I was fortunate that my surgeon was confident he could remove the plates and minimize any potential side effects...maybe it would be worth consulting with other surgeons for a second opinion??
Thank you!
Heyy.. my surgeon just informed me that he needs to remove my plates as well. He basically said this is normal and 90% if his patients need to remove it after 6+ months. Is this normal? And my face is still so swollen after 2+ months. When did your swelling went down?
From what I have heard, it is *not* usual to remove plates - around 1% of plates are removed for one reason or another (according to the website of the clinic I went to), but it may be different for other surgeons...did he say why they "needed" to be removed?
As for swelling, it took probably at least 6 months before I felt like I was close to "normal," and even from 6-12 months there were subtle changes. If you go back and look at some of my videos from earlier on, I am definitely still quite swollen at the 2-3 month mark!
I hope all goes well for you as you continue to recover and heal :)
Dear , your lower teeth and lower lip between cuting ?are you have the plate and scrue on your chine ??
I am not sure I understand the first part of the question? I did have a plate and screws on my chin that were also removed!
Megan, did you notice any changes in your appearance after you removed your plates and the swelling went down?
I did not notice any changes, and I've gone back and compared photos from before plate removal and after...I guess if there were any changes, it's not something I see!
@@meganschall that's great to here! I had a nice aesthetic outcome and it would be a bummer if it changed things; especially, since this was a revision surgery. Thanks for posting your experiences with jaw surgery and all the healing info👍
@@chicagowren you're very welcome, and thank you for watching! I hope you are doing well with your healing and you get the outcome you are looking for :)
I got mine removed but twice one set of plates broke and now I need another surgery :( 4 in total!
Oh no!! I'm so sorry that happened to you, that sounds *very* not fun :/
I hope all goes well for you and you heal/recovery quickly!
Hello
Gracias por compartir
I want to ask if you have notice change again in your nose after remuve the plates
?
Hi! I have not noticed any changes to my nose since removing the plates :)
Thanks. With the surgery my nose change a lot, and I’m not happy with this change
Thanks. With the surgery my nose change a lot, and I’m not happy with this change
@@otigarcia1337 Oh no, I'm sorry that happened! Did you have the surgery recently? Is it possible it is still swollen or will continue to improve over time?
Are you wearing your retainer for teeth? Don't want to sound offensive or picky, but I think they moved a bit?
I do wear my retainer - and I'm also still discussing some further invisalign work with my orthodontist, so if things have shifted a bit, I'm not that worried about it :)
I have plates…
I can remove them? My issue was due to a brutal knockout game.
I would check with your surgeon about removing the plates if that is something you are considering - it may depend on how long it's been since you had them put in...
My understanding is that for the most part plates are *not* removed, unless there is some issue or the patient requests it for whatever reason (the statistic I heard was that ~1% of plates are removed).
But in general, once the bones have completely healed, the plates are unnecessary! I hope that helps :)
@@meganschall Megan,
That was much appreciated. Ill def check in with a doctor. Most likely they will say no lol
I got a plat on the chin and have an indent into the chin. Which is totally annoying.
Chris
@@chrisdavis6264 oh man, that's a bummer! Let me know what you find out, I hope you can find a good resolution in the end!
After removing plate and scrue is your numbness r gone??
The areas that were numb have continued to improve over time, I wouldn't say that having the plates and screws removed "solved" that immediately though.
oh no. your bottom teeth have shifted. will you need to get braces again?
The plan is to check back with my orthodontist this fall and see about doing Invisalign for any future adjustments/alignment!