Old Habits Die Hard

I'm not wearing rubber bands at night anymore. Woke up the other day to find my lower jaw slightly thrust forward. Very slightly, but very worrisome. Are my jaw muscles seeking their old positions?

Meanwhile, my right lower lip and right chin continue to feel numb and tingling. The jaws feel dull and tight, but less so as the days go by. The cheeks are gradually deflating, as the cheekbones gradually lower. I can't wait until all these changes finally stop and whatever I get stay permanent.

Still on a soft food diet, but I'm really enjoying cutting food with my front teeth! Sounds silly, right? Avocados, scrambled eggs, potatoes - even shrimp - bring them on! While slurping noodles the other day, I caught myself cutting the strands between my upper teeth and tongue (which I used to do to compensate for the gap between my edge-on-edge bite). THAT was a weird moment, realizing I didn't have to do that anymore. Old habits are hard to break. But it is time. And I can. :)

Another Before & After at Three Weeks

The photo above shows my natural profile pre-braces and pre-surgery.

This photo above shows my profile three days after the surgery, on the day I checked out of the hospital.

The last two photos are of my profile today, three weeks after the surgery. I think it looks slightly different from the day I checked out of the hospital. The nose doesn't seem as perky; and the lower lip seems to have advanced a little - or rather, the upper lip isn't as swollen so the overjet seems smaller. Does that make any sense? But overall, no more concave face. :)