9 months down

Bec is now 9 months post-op. She had a checkup with Dr. Piper on March 15th and received a great report. Dr. Piper was pleased with her CT scan and is still hopeful that no further surgeries are necessary. One side of her jaw still isn't as strong as the other side, so he wants her to continue the current vitamins in hopes of strengthening the condyle area. Depending on how the jaw continues healing, the only other surgery needed would be a bite surgery after ortho is complete. As I mentioned, Dr. Piper doesn't think that surgery will be necessary. 

After the morning appointment with Dr. Piper, Bec was able to get her surgical brackets removed. Per Dr. Piper's request, 6 brackets were left in place so the splint could still be banded at night until the orthodontic braces appointment. 

No brackets! That only lasted about 48 hours. On Thursday the 17th, Dr. Bowers placed normal orthodontic braces while expecting a full 2 years before Bec's bite is corrected. Braces will help fix the bite that's changed because of the surgery. In order to ensure the fat grafts stay successful, an even bite is necessary. While Bec is wearing braces, she wears rubber bands on both sides to take pressure off the fat grafts. Right now, Dr. Piper wants her to wear them 12 hours (mostly while sleeping). 

While we were in St. Petersburg, we were able to catch up with Natalie and Kent. Natalie had surgery the same day as Bec and is doing very well. They've kept in touch, so it was great to be able to meet for dinner. Ceviche is a great restaurant close to Piper's office:

It's been a crazy, life changing 9 months. It's awesome that Bec was able to find Dr. Piper. She's only had a few migraines in 9 months. Prior to surgery, she had a migraine a few times a month. Being nearly pain free is a great improvement. The next appointment in St. Pete is in 6 months. Life is finally becoming normal after this crazy year.