The Face Dental Clinic (Two Jaw Surgery)

I wanted to share my experience having 2 jaw surgery at The Face Dental clinic. I posted my experience on another forum and I figured it wouldn’t hurt to share my review here as well. Before I get started I want to mention that I am not a promoter. I am just sharing my experience. I also want to give a little background so you guys know how I ended up at Face Dental

About 2 years ago I had mini V line surgery at Small face clinic. The surgery went well and I think the surgeon did a very good job in making my chin smaller. Unfortunately he couldn’t make it as small as I wanted it to be because my main nerve runs too low on my chin. After the surgery I still didn’t think my face was small enough. It was still considered long. Now the surgery was an improvement but I kinda knew from this point that the results that I really wanted could only happen with 2 Jaw surgery.

Over the past year I have been doing research in finding the right clinic for my 2 Jaw surgery. I always considered EverM because of all the good reviews I read here on this forum. But I wanted some other options besides EverM. I decided to take the time and do some research on Naver (Korean search engine) and see if maybe I can find a clinic that basically only the locals know about. The reason why I wanted to find a clinic that only was known by locals was because I had a pretty good chance in getting a better price than going with a clinic that sees a lot of foreigners. Lets’s face it, most of these clinics that have a lot of foreigners as patients take advantage of us financially. It was important for me to find a place that had a surgeon that specializes in Maxillofacial surgery and not have to pay a huge amount of money for it. So after searching on Naver I came across “Face Dental”. I really liked what I saw on their website plus I thought their before and after pics looked great. It was exactly what I was looking for. I was able to read good reviews about the clinic and the surgeon Dr Joongkyou Lee. This was all in Korean so I had to take the time to do Google translate and I must say it was definitely worth it

This past March I had planned that I was going to come to Korea and have consults at EverM and Face Dental. I went to EverM first. It’s a nice clinic, and the doctor seemed honest and knew what he was talking about. The problem I had with EverM was that the doctor kinda rushed my consult (I think he was in the middle of surgery) and the price I was quoted for 2 Jaw with V line revision was too high even after negotiating. First they said it was going to be 18 million won then they brought it down to 16 million won which was still over my budget. I left from EverM and went straight to Face Dental.

Consult Day at Face Dental 2/24/15: When I went to Face Dental, my friend met me there to help translate for me. She’s Korean American and perfectly fluent in Korean. Being that Face Dental is only really known to the locals, they don’t have a translator yet, so this is why I needed my friend’s help. The sales consultant greeted us, she was very nice and friendly. They took lots of pics and X-rays. Then the sales consultant went over all the details about my pics and what I wanted to achieve. I basically told her I wanted to fix my long face and have more of a smaller and softer look. She totally understood and reassured me that the doctor was more than capable enough to give me the results I wanted. After speaking with the sales consultant, we waited to see the doctor. While we were waiting we saw more before and after pics of patients in the clinic’s book, plus we saw that Face Dental was on the makeover show “Let Me In” and the doctor did an amazing job on one of the girls that was on the show

When Dr Lee entered into the consultant room, he greeted us and was very friendly. Actually he’s probably the most friendly doctor I have met out all all the consults I’ve had in Korea. He spoke some English which was cool but I still needed my friend to translate when it came to certain medical terms. He was very detailed and took his time to explain everything to me. I rarely had to ask that many questions because he was so honest, detailed, and upfront about the surgery procedure and the results I can expect. They have this photoshop projection that can give you an idea what you would look like after surgery, and I really liked what he was able to show me if I decided to have the surgery.

So after we spoke to the doctor, we came back to see the sales consultant and she gave the price of what it would cost for 2 Jaw + V line revision. I was pleasantly surprised at the price she quoted me especially for V line revision. I don’t want to say exactly what I paid but I can definitely say it was way lower than what EverM was going to charge me. I was quoted the locals price I believe. I asked when I could have surgery, they said I can have it done on Fri (2/27) and I can have my wafer made today (2/24). I thought about everything carefully and decided to go with Face Dental. My gut was telling me that this was the place I needed to choose and I’m happy to say I made the right decision. Right after the consult, I went to get my wafer made, blood work done, etc. And they told me my wafer will be ready in time for my surgery on Fri. After everything was done for the day, they told me everything I needed to be prepared for on my surgery day. Again I really appreciate how detailed and precise the staff is at this clinic. It was also cool that the sales consultant gave us free coffee coupons for the cafe that’s located in the same building. I thought it was really nice for her to do that.

Surgery Day 2/27/15

My surgery was scheduled for 10am. Me and my friend arrived at 9am. I was fitted for my wafer and I met with Dr. Lee. Went over the details of the surgery again. Then the nurses escorted me to my VIP room. This is the room that I was assigned to for my recovery. It was really nice. It has plenty of room for guests plus a big flat screen plasma tv with awesome cable (plenty of english speaking channels)… I was really impressed. I was just grateful to get my own room. After I put my belongings in my room and changed, I was escorted to the operating room. At this point, I was a little nervous, especially when I was lying on the operating table. But the anesthesiologist was so nice, he kept reassuring me everything is going to be ok. That really made me feel better that he said that. After I got the anesthesia, I was out like a light.

When I woke up, felt like I just took a long nap. I was groggy but thank goodness I was not nauseas. I was in my room and they kept telling me to please stay awake. It wasn’t easy because I really wanted to go back to sleep. I didn’t have any pain. My head was wrapped really tight and I basically just felt a lot of compression. I was spitting up some blood which I was totally prepared for. I was very congested though. I had tubes in my nose… wasn’t that easy to breathe but I was just grateful I could still breathe through my mouth and that I wasn’t in pain. The doctor came to visit me after surgery to see if I was ok… I gave him a thumbs up because obviously I couldn’t talk at this time. They gave me a cute little writing board with a magic marker so I can communicate with my friend and the nurses. The first night was a little rough, but the nurses were very nice and attentive. Everytime I buzzed them for something, they were so patient to help me. They know a little English… good enough to be able to help me when I needed assistance. Didn’t get to sleep much at all. maybe 2 hours at the most. But I appreciate how the staff tried their best to make me feel as comfortable as possible.

Day 2 (2/28/15)

In the morning I was more swollen than I was the day before. But not too bad yet. By this time most of my bandages were removed and the tubes were taken out. Even though I was still congested, it was so much easier to breathe after the tube were removed. Every once in a while, I walked around the clinic a little bit which always made me feel better. I was able to drink water plus nutrient drinks thru a syringe. I was also able to watch some really good movies in my room. I tried to rest as much as possible but still, I couldn’t be able to sleep more than 2 hours straight… I would take like little naps on and off thru out the day. I felt a little weak but honestly recovery seemed to be going better than I expected it would.

Day 3 (3/1/15)

Today is the day I check out. I was pretty swollen in the morning… definitely at its peak. But when my friend came to pick me up she said I honestly don’t look bad at all. The nurse also agreed that my swelling wasn’t bad considering. Dr. Lee came to visit me again. I can tell he just came in just to see how I was doing because he doesn’t work on Sun but still took the time to make sure I was ok. It meant a lot to me because he didn’t have to do that. They went over how I’m suppose to take my meds, made a simple enough schedule for me to be able to follow with no issues. It was a lot of meds but obviously they were all necessary. It felt so good to be able to check out and go outside for some fresh air. I was staying close enough to the clinic that I could walk. I was still weak but I felt good enough that I could be able to walk 3 blocks back to the studio. Wow it felt so great to finally be able to take a shower, wash my hair, etc! My next check up is scheduled for Fri. 3/6/15 but the clinic told me if I have any issues, just stop by anytime. Next couple of days I plan to walk a little bit for at least 30 min to help bring down swelling.

1 Week Post Op:

Today I go in for my check up. Swelling did go down… my worst day was the third day. My doctor untied the wafer in my mouth and said that the wafer fits so well that I can be able to remove it when I eat or drink but I have to leave it in at all other times. I was so happy I didn’t have to stay tied. He gave the ok that I could have very soft food. He was very pleased that I was recovering so well. He asked if I was having any pain or discomfort. I told him the only problems I was having was not being able to sleep properly, congestion, and random nose bleeds. He reassured me it’ll get better in the next couple of days, which he was right. Right after my checkup, my friend took me to a porridge house. It wasn’t easy to chew. But I tried my best to get thru it because I wanted to eat so bad lol. Porridge really does make you feel a lot better post op. Went back home and just rested.

2 Weeks Post Op:

Today my next checkup is scheduled. I noticed my swelling has really decreased to the point I feel comfortable enough to walk in public with no mask. So far I’m really liking my results. I got there early and the nurses sat me down for my deswelling treatment. Its like an infrared laser light on your face. Really relaxing and it does help reduce swelling a lot. I also had my stitches in my mouth removed. It didn’t hurt at all. I was concerned it would be painful but it wasn’t. Dr. Lee was pleased with the progress I was making. He said my bite looked really good. He asked if I was wearing my wafer all the time, I said yes… only take it out when I eat, talk, or drink. He mentioned I needed to start doing some mouth exercises to help stretch my mouth. At this time I was able to open my fingers which is pretty good at this time. After my checkup the sales consultant said I can come in all the time to get swelling treatments done. Even if I wanted to come everyday. I though that was nice that they offered that.

3 Weeks Post Op:

I can’t believe how fast tome has gone by. Swelling looks a lot less noticeable. To me I still look very swollen but everyone else said I don’t look swollen at all and they couldn’t tell I had surgery. I guess that’s a good sign. I’m scheduled for my follow up with Dr. Lee. For the past week, I came in almost everyday for deswelling treatments. They really do help. Dr. Lee checked out my mouth, bite, etc, and said it’s looking great. Asked if I had any issues and I honestly said everything was good, no problems at all. I did ask if it was possible to get my teeth whitened. He said I could just as long as it won’t be too sensitive for my teeth. He gave the ok and I started my whitening treatment the same day. Only did 1 application today. I’m happy that my teeth weren’t too sensitive at all and I was able to handle it. Right after I saw my teeth and they were super white! I loved the look. They said I have 2 more applications to do plus I get a kit to take home. They gave me an awesome discount for the whitening. So much cheaper than doing this in the states. I came home and really started looking at my new face. I’m so happy because my face is so much smaller now. I didn’t want to judge my face too soon because of all the swelling. But after 3 weeks I’m amazed at what Dr Lee was able to do for me. My protrusion is gone, my face is more symmetric, and my face is so much more shorter that it makes me look a lot younger. It’s just amazing! I wish I had this surgery done years ago.

1 Month Post Op:

Today is my last checkup before I head back home to the states. my face almost looks normal. To everyone else I look normal but to me I’m obviously still swollen. At least 30%. I came in early for my appointment. Did more deswelling treatment and had my whitening applications done. Dr. Lee removed the screws on my mouth. He asked me if chewing has been easier, I told him yes… I can eat soft food with no problem. I took new X-rays and “after” pics. I reviewed everything with Dr Lee and it was such a major difference. He asked me if I was happy with everything, I said of course. The results came out better than I anticipated. Most of the numbness in my face is gone except for the right side of my bottom lip. In a couple of weeks I should get full feeling back. Dr Lee said he would like for me to come back in 6 months for a checkup just to make sure everything is ok. So I plan to be back in Sept. I mentioned how I look so different from my passport now. The staff was so awesome, they were able to type out a letter signed by the Dr Lee, gave me a CD of all my before and after pics including X-rays. Plus they sent all my pics/X-rays thru Kakao. So I won’t even have any issues when it comes to customs at the airport. I appreciate that.

It’s Tue 4/14/15 (about 7 weeks post op) I’m back home in NY. I can’t get over how much smaller my face is. Family and close friends are impressed how good my results are. I am so grateful to Face Dental. Not only did Dr Lee give me the look I desired, him and his staff was very caring and efficient. With a big surgery like this, it’s very important to have surgery at a clinic that actually cares about your wellbeing and they are not just after your money like most other clinics. They even messaged me on Kakao to make sure I made it back home ok. Little things like this mean a lot to me. I’m glad I took the extra time to do my research and find a clinic like this.

If anyone is interested to have a consult there, their website is: http://www.thefacedental.co.kr  Kakao ID: thefacedental

I strongly recommend checking them out. Only thing is that you may need to bring someone to help translate for you.