Anyone get back their BIG smile??

[HJY]

Hi!
Just a little curious question......has anyone whos had facial paralysis for over 3 months ever got back your big, open mouth, show your teeth smile??? Even an approximation of it?  I'd live to hear your 'smile experiences'!!

Take care,
Heather

[Jeanlea]

Hi Heather,

It sounds like you are newly out of surgery and don't have a big smile. I had no movement at all after my surgery until about 3 months. Then I slowly started to get some movement back. By 12 months I had a decent closed mouth smile. Somewhere around 18 months I had a fairly decent open mouth smile. It's gotten a little better ever since. My picture shows me after 4 years. It's not my old smile, but it's not too bad.
I know in the beginning that it's really difficult to not have your smile. I remember looking at people who'd had surgery before me and seeing their smiles; not the same as before, but not bad either. I didn't think that I would ever get to that point. But I did. And now it doesn't even seem like it took all that long.
We have to be patient. That's really hard, but it's all we've got.

Jean

[Darren]

Hi Heather--- The most frustrating thing for me is not getting my "big smile" back--- I was a HB grade 5 after surgery with a bad droop for about 6 months until I started to notice movement and symtery--- I'm now just over 2 yrs post op and have a smile again! however its not the same smile I once had, but so is life as they say... I will post some photos of my progress in another thread..

Darren