Today I will answer a question a commenter left regarding why we need to wear wafers after surgery!
When doing double jaw surgery, wearing a wafer is mandatory. You can say it's an essential item for double jaw surgery!
You can think of it as mouth guards that athletes wear. They are made of a slightly thinner and harder material than mouth guards. They are to be worn immediately after surgery until you begin orthodontic treatment on the upper teeth.
"What is the purpose of a wafer?"
The purpose of a wafer is to guide the teeth to the new bite after double jaw surgery! Whether or not you've undergone orthodontic treatment, not all the upper and lower teeth can reach each other. If some of the upper and corresponding lower teeth are touching each other, this means other teeth are not, and if this biting force is applied to the teeth, it can cause the teeth to move to positions that are not ideal.
Many patients are most curious about this! You will be allowed to temporarily remove the wafer starting at the 2 week mark when you need to eat or if you have an important event to attend.
This is the wafer that you will use after the surgery. It needs to be able to be removed and put back again, so there are hooks on both side.
These hooks go between the teeth to hold the wafer in place.
If you look carefully, there is one on either side.
They are located towards your molars. There are no hooks towards the incisors.
How do you wear the wafer!?
When you look at your teeth, the incisors and left and right molars create a "U" shape.
You can see that the wafer is in a similar "U" shape.
When wearing the wafer, match the front of the wafer to the incisors first, then press on either side near the molars where the hooks are located to secure the sides of the wafer in place.
When removing the wafer, remove either the right or left side, then the opposite side, and it should fall out on its own.
When removing the wafer, there is a possibility of misplacing the wafer.
Sometimes, patients leave their wafer at restaurants after they have eaten. Let's be careful not to lose it!
Additionally, because the wafer is incredibly thin, it can break easily. If wearing the wafer when broken, the bite can adjust to an unfavorable position, so you should bring it to the clinic to have it repaired.
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