How It Works

First off -- if any of you are having trouble posting under "anonymous," (*ahem* Mom) click "preview" first and then post.

OK, on to the rest of my post. I wanted to describe the type of surgery that I am going to be having. It is called arthroscopic TMJ surgery, and as far as jaw surgeries go, this is about the least invasive as they get. Until the early 90's, this procedure was done as an open surgery, with a much longer healing and recovery time. With the advent of arthroscopic surgery, the procedure has increased in safety and outcome (my doctor helped pioneer this method -- which is reassuring). The above diagram gives a very loose idea of what is wrong, if I were to explain it with crayons and fingerpaints.

Now, I'm knocked out for all of this, but because I am curious, I looked up the procedure and everything. It is done under a general. As a side note, general anesthesia is a particular challenge for singers, for obvious reasons -- I am a tiny person, and therefore, my throat and vocal cords are 

tiny. If they are not gentle, the cords can be damaged ... but it is unlikely in a non-emergency scenario.

My doctor will insert a laproscope into the TMJ via a pencil sized incision. 

He will literally have a look around and see what kind of 

gunk is in there (bone debris, inflamed tissue, other damage).

 The joint gets "cleaned out" and all the rough surfaces are smoothed down, making it easier to open, eventually, hopefully, please God. We know already that my left TMJ is arthritic, but no one really knows the full extent until they go in.

It supposedly looks something like the diagrams below ... and since I clearly will be be taking pictures in the OR, these will suffice. 

That's basically it. He will "scope" both sides. Then I go to recovery, and then I go HOME! No overnight stay, which is wonderful. In addition to attempting the recapture the meniscus, though, as the diagram shows, he will be doing the procedures listed above. Nothing will be replaced (ie meniscus, etc.).

And yes, I am happy I will have no pictures of myself with all these things sticking out of my face!!