Today's email comes from a reader named Kate. Skip to the bottom of this story for my bottom line about this jaw surgery recovery topic. The initial email read as follows:

I am considering having jaw surgery to correct my underbite. I have an appointment soon, with the orthodontist who works with the surgeon. What questions should I ask?

I'm wondering if there are any non-surgical options I can resort to like teeth extraction and braces? I'm really scared to have the surgery. How bad was it, was it really painful and unpleasant?

I am dreading going under anesthesia! Thank you.

In response, I advised Kate to ask how many times per year her surgeon says he or she needs to redo a surgery. This is important:

Hi Kate,

I hope your surgery goes well. One of the best questions you can ask is to your surgeon regarding his or her rate of how many times they need to redo a surgery per year. My good surgeon said he has to redo maybe one per year, which to me is good.

Orthodontics are much more straightforward, and I wouldn't worry about that. I got the kind of braces that go behind your teeth, but I regretted doing that. It's hard for the orthodontist to make adjustments.

I hope this is helpful.

Jordan

Kate responded:

Hi Jordan,

Thank you for your email. I will do as you suggested and ask the question re: the redo rate.

I am very scared to have the surgery so I am not sure if I will have it done, but will go to see the orthodontist and hope she can suggest another non surgical option.

Thank you for your help.

All the best,

Kate

The bottom line is that it’s important to know how often your surgeon messes up. The best way to ask this is: “On average, how many patients per year do you find yourself needing to perform surgery on them more than one time?”

Your surgeon is going to make adjustments inside your mouth that could have big ramifications for the rest of your life. You will want to be sure you have the right person for the job. I hope this helps.

Photo credit: arturdrobniak from Pixabay.