Personal Narrative: Orthognathic Surgery
It’s not every day your face gets cut into five pieces.
Although the surgery wasn’t fun, it was entirely my decision. I had an underbite – not so drastic that people stopped and stared, but enough that made it uncomfortable to chew and impossible to smile normally. To compensate, I always smiled with an open mouth. My underbite also gave me a slight lisp, so I carried a self-consciousness that was hard to shake. While I still pushed myself to sing, act, and run for class office, I never felt as confident as I seemed.
When I first heard about orthognathic surgery, I wasn’t sure if I was up to the challenge. Aside from the physical trauma, severe pain and weeks on an all-liquid diet, I had no idea how I would look when everything was over. Most
Although the surgery wasn’t fun, it was entirely my decision. I had an underbite – not so drastic that people stopped and stared, but enough that made it uncomfortable to chew and impossible to smile normally. To compensate, I always smiled with an open mouth. My underbite also gave me a slight lisp, so I carried a self-consciousness that was hard to shake. While I still pushed myself to sing, act, and run for class office, I never felt as confident as I seemed.
When I first heard about orthognathic surgery, I wasn’t sure if I was up to the challenge. Aside from the physical trauma, severe pain and weeks on an all-liquid diet, I had no idea how I would look when everything was over. Most