I had an operation about a week and a half ago to move out a portion of
my lower jaw so the teeth are aligned with the upper teeth. This is after
over one year of orthodontics and in expectation of perhaps 1 more year
of orthodontics. The swelling is tremendously reduced and I love the results.

What I'm wondering is how do the portions of the lower jaw grow towards
one another? Is the growth constant over the 5-6 week period my jaws will be
wired shut? Does some sort of growth take place first and then calcification?

I'm somewhat prone to calcium-based kidney stones. While I realize that during
the bone growth period kidney stones shouldn't be a problem even after drinking
lots of milk, I wonder how soon after the healing process can I expect to
worry about how much calcium I'm taking in?

I'm also wondering what caused my lower jaw not to grow completely. Is it
completely genetic, or is something else involved?

Thanks,

-Eileen