Update, 4+ years post-surgery

Some people have asked for updates on how I'm doing now, over 4 years after my surgery.

First, a comment I got yesterday from CeCe:

During my first stint of pre-op craziness, I researched hundreds (literally) of blogs...Your blog was BY FAR the most useful one out of all of them. Your attention to details was amazing. Just curious...Has your life really changed a lot since surgery, or have you just gotten so used to a "new normal" that you really don't notice any difference??

I'm so happy to read that! It means a lot. I worked so hard on this blog.

My life has changed somewhat since my surgery. I have way less pain. My jaw problems are now non-existent. No cracking at all. My TMJ is healed. I do still get migraines but they went from 1-2 a month pre-surgery to one every 3 months or so, almost always hormonal.

As for my looks, I'm more confident for sure. I still, 4 years later, love my chin and look at it/touch it often. I love my profile. My smile is still a little goofy, I think, but it's much improved. I think I was used my "new normal" very soon after surgery. These days, I don't even think about it, and I have to actually struggle to remember when my surgery was.

I got my braces off over 3 years ago and I still wear my retainers every single night. My teeth are in the exact same position they were when the braces came off. I take very good care of them. Brush 2-3 times a day, floss almost every day, use anti-bacterial mouthwash. I'm still using the same retainers and they've gotten pretty nasty-looking, but I keep them clean. They have little cracks near the molar parts and are all scratched up, but they do the job. I plan to get my dentist to make me new ones soon, which I will wear every night until I die.

It's amazing to me that people are still interested in this blog and how I'm doing. I think orthognathic surgery is becoming more common now. I remember back when I started researching it because, honestly, I was scared out of my wits about it and wanted to read some success stories. I'm grateful that I was able to write my own success story for others to read