I think that due to the relatively gradual nature of my improvement, my prior posts might the extent to which things have returned to normal since the accident. Thus, I thought I’d write a post about which things are normal and which are not.
At this point, I would say that from a functional perspective, my jaw is normal. I can bite and chew anything I want to eat without feeling any pain. I can also talk normally (as I have since getting my jaw unwired at the end of April).
A few things are not normal, but these are of lesser practical importance. The facial asymmetries persist (and I expect that they will be permanent). I also don’t have normal feeling on much of the left side of my face, and I don’t know whether that will get any better with time. It feels weird, but I’ve been used to it for months.
There are a couple of things I’m not sure about, too. I don’t know whether my mouth opens as far as it did before the accident. My guess is that it does not open quite as far, but it’s hard to say because I didn’t think I had any reason to measure my opening before the accident. I also think there might be some minor swelling in my left ear (near the site of the fracture). After the accident, the area was quite swollen, resulting in noticeable pressure in my ear. It definitely feels much better right now than it did six months ago, but it’s hard for me to tell whether the pressure has gone away completely.
Shock and Jaw 
Ive only just come accross your blog after trying to find some information on arch bar removal. I have to say I wish I had found it earlier.
About a month ago I was attacked and mugged, getting my jaw broken in the process. I had a couple of fractures (1 at the condyle and another at the sympahsis) so ended up getting ORIF at the symphasis and MMF to treat the condylar fracture. 2 1/2 weeks with the archbar/wire combo and now on elastics with another week and a half to go before arch bar removal.
Im pretty excited about the prospect of not having all the metal in my gums anymore. I find, as you did, that pain on chewing is coming from the wires holding the arch bars in place rather than the jaw itself. Even chewing the softest things at the moment seems painful.
I just wanted to thankyou for writing this blog. A lot of the experiences that you went through ring true with my own treatment (although thankfully I dont have to worry about the bailiffs turning up just yet thanks to the NHS) and it was really helpful to read about them.
Many thanks, and I hope your recovery continues.
James
Hi James,
I’m sorry to hear about what happened to you. It sounds like a rough time. It’s good to hear that you’ll be getting the arch bars off soon. In my case, the oral surgeon left the arch bars on until he was satisfied that my mouth was opening normally, which was a little over nine weeks post surgery. I don’t recall it being so much painful as uncomfortable, though.
Thanks for sharing your story, and best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Adam