Why you must wear a surgical wafer after double jaw surgery! Essential information summarized | EU Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Hello! We are EU Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery! 🩵
Today we are going to learn all about wafers, which you will be required to wear following double jaw surgery!
We completely understand when patients are itching to remove their wafers because they can be very uncomfortable 😭
However, wafers are a necessary device to ensure that the jaw bones heal in the proper position!
Why do you have to wear them?
We will go in depth in this blog post! 💡
📌What is a wafer?
A wafer is an important device that is used for moving the jaws to the proper location during and after double jaw surgery. There are two different types of wafers!
1️⃣A "guide wafer" used to determine exactly where the jaw will need to be moved during the surgery.
During double jaw surgery, deciding the exact movements of the jaw is the most important!
However, during surgery, it is difficult to move the jaw to a precise position due to the low visibility caused by the bleeding and small incision site. This is where the "guide wafer" comes into play!
✅What the wafer does:
✔️It is made in advance using predetermined measurements for how the jaw should move.
✔️It guides the jaw into the exact position it will need to move to.
✔️The jaw is moved to exactly where it needs to be by the exact distance it was supposed to move for the bite to be positioned correctly.
💡What if you move the jaw without a guide wafer?
❌The possibility of the maxilla (upper jaw) and mandible (lower jaw) positions being misaligned goes up↑
❌The bite will not be aligned, which can cause difficulty chewing
❌It may be not be possible to revert the jaw to its original position after the surgery.
👉🏻Conclusion: It is only possible to perform the surgery with a wafer!
2️⃣A "stabilization wafer" used after surgery to prevent the jaw from moving to an incorrect position. The jaw bones have a tendency to return to its original position, so it is necessary to fix the jaw bone in its new, correct position.
💡The "post-surgery wafer" is what is used to play this important role!
✅What the wafer does:
✔️Prevents the jaw from going back to its original position.
✔️Ensures the correct bite is maintained.
✔️Stabilizes the jaw so that it heals correctly during the healing period.
When you wear the wafer after surgery, the teeth fit into the indents of the wafer exactly, which is why it is possible to maintain the correct bite! If you wear the wafer for about one month after surgery, the jaw stabilizes, enabling the jaw bones to heal in the proper position.
💡What if you remove the wafer early?
❌The possibility of the bones healing in a way that create an incorrect bite also goes up↑
❌The jaw bone can become unstable
👉🏻Conclusion: You must follow your surgeon's instructions when wearing the wafer!🎯
📌Guidelines for wearing and taking care of your wafer
✅1. Never remove the wafter unless instructed by the doctor!
✔️ Even if the wafer is causing discomfort, removing it on your own can cause the bite to shift.
✔️ You must wear the wafer until the doctor tells you "you may remove the wafer starting today!"
✅ 2. Maintain oral hygiene
✔️ Be sure to gargle your mouth after your meals to ensure no food becomes stuck in the wafer!
✔️ If you are unable to brush your teeth, use other methods such as a water pick or interdental brush
✅ 3. Stick to soft foods while adjusting
✔️ Porridge, coup, tofu, soft fish or other soft foods are recommended
✔️ Hard or tough foods will strain your jaws and must be avoided
👉🏻Conclusion: wafers MUST be worn.
✔️ Double jaw surgery is not possible without a wafer!
✔️ The wafer plays an important role during surgery as a guide and after surgery as a stabilizer.
✔️ A necessary device for maintaining the bite and stabilizing the jaw bones
😥"It's so uncomfortable... I'd like to remove it..."
👉🏻Removing the wafer without the doctor's approval can cause the bite to become misaligned! The surgery will have been for nothing.
In order for a beautiful and stable result, please wear the wafer for the designated period of time 😊
📌How do I wear the wafer?
✅1. Use a mirror when wearing the wafer!
✔️At first, the numbness may make it difficult to wear without looking at where you are placing the wafer
✔️Use the mirror to see that it is placed correctly when wearing the wafer.
✅2. Ensure the teeth are precisely aligned with the indents of the wafer!
✔️There are indents in the wafer where your teeth need to be positioned.
✔️Make sure the upper and lower teeth are in the correct positions.
✔️Take care to ensure the bite is not misaligned!
✅3. Adapt to the new position by maintaining the bite!
✔️It may be difficult at first but do not exert any excess force!
✔️Bite lightly, and make sure you are able to bite the correct position naturally.
✅4. (If necessary) Use elastics!
✔️If the doctor instructs you to use elastics, wear the elastics in the areas you are instructed to wear them.
✔️Wearing the elastics as instructed will help stabilize your bite!
📌Precautions for wearing the wafer!🚨
❌Do not use dirty hands to prevent infections!
❌Do not bite the wafer hard to prevent the wafer from breaking!
❌Do not remove the wafer too often to ensure bite stability!
❌Drink water often to prevent your mouth from drying out!
💡TIP: It may be difficult at first, but you should get used to it with time!
✔️If you need to wear it for 24 hours, ensure to maintain good oral hygiene with the disinfectant mouth wash.
✔️Wear the wafer continuously until the doctor tells you that it is okay to remove the wafer!
It can be uncomfortable and awkward at first, but wearing the wafer will ensure that the surgery result will be maintained in a more stable way!
📌What if I have concerns regarding the wafer and bite after double jaw surgery?
If you have any additional questions, receive a detailed consultation at EU oral and maxillofacial surgery today! 😊
✅ We guarantee safety and high satisfaction as an oral and maxillofacial specialist clinic.
✅ We can deliver the best possible results conveniently as we can liaise with orthodontists or consult our in-house orthodontist.
✅ We deliver meticulous post-op care to aid in patients' recovery and satisfaction.
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