PART 1 - Consultation

Hi everyone,
This post covers 2/3 of my comprehensive review for TFD.

About me, I am in my mid-20s, male, and Asian but was raised in Germany.


I had lower jaw surgery + genioplasty (7mm) done after my orthodontist back home diagnosed me with a forced bite.
That is, my front teeth are clashing right onto each other, causing my lower jaw to be forced forward, resulting in an underbite-like appearance. (see images above)

I went to my orthodontist since I had trouble chewing hard food like carrots, which caused pain in my jaw muscles and around the TMJ (temporomandibular joint) area. She advised me to get surgery because it will get worse as I get older and can lead to all sorts of chronic illnesses.

So I decided to get surgery in South Korea, because medicine, especially plastic surgery, is highly advanced and reasonably priced there.
After contacting the first few clinics, I have decided to get an on-site consultation TFD and another clinic.

Ultimately, I felt both clinics were safe and viable options, so I went with TFD because the price was more attractive to me.
Another thing is that I felt like other clinics would overcharge you (especially if you are a foreigner), whereas TFD emphasizes affordability and quality even in their physical pamphlet that you can read in their waiting room.

Even though you don’t really want to “save money” when it comes to your health, if you see equal quality, it would naturally be wise to choose the less expensive option. This is especially true when the difference is worth thousands of USD, or percentages as high as 30-70%.
To me, indiscriminate treatment, fair market prices, and transparency are always a big plus when it comes to choosing a service.

On a side note, the prices you can find on this website, are aligned with the costs TFD billed me for LJS + genioplasty.
However the, LJS was the same price as the DJS price listed here, whereas other clinics charge less for LJS only.
Nevertheless, since TFD’s overall costs are still lower, and considering that they offer discounts for reviews, it is no big deal at all.

My first impression of TFD was that the clinic was very clean and welcoming. Unfortunately, most of the staff at TFD do not speak English but they are really kind and try hard to communicate with you. For sorting out administrative stuff and getting your examinations done, it is not a big deal.
So I sat down, got the x-rays and photos done, and discussed prices and procedures, all within an hour.
Shortly after the doctor came into the consulting room.

Luckily the surgeon, Dr. Lee is fluent in English and you freely discuss all your worries and medical questions (make sure to write them down before).
For example, I first discussed my options and LJS + genioplasty seemed reasonable because my upper jaw was fine.

You can also run simulations of how your profile will approximately look like after the surgery, which I thought was pretty cool.
That way you can decide on different procedures, e.g. with or without genioplasty.
We also talked about aesthetic concerns, like v-line shaving, but he correctly acknowledged that (Asian) male beauty standards in the west
differ from the ones in the east (e.g. having a strong jaw line vs. a round or oval face).

During the entire consultation process, I did not feel pressured into making a decision or being upsold anything, and all my questions were clearly answered. Olivia (from the MEI team) was also extremely helpful with translations (even live during the consultation).

Dr. Lee was very calm, competent, and caring. After clearing all my questions, I felt like I had all the time in the world to make up my mind or even follow up with questions, which was very comforting. Still, I gave myself a night to think about my final decision.

A couple of days later, I returned to make a deposit (about 15% of the total) to confirm the surgery date
(the date can still be changed later on though).


PART 2 - Preparation and surgery

Two weeks before the surgery, I went through a mandatory check-up (Xrays, height, weight, blood, etc.), nothing exciting and took less than an hour to complete. This is pretty much the standard check-up you can expect in any other medical facility.

In the meantime, you can prepare for the surgery by buying liquid food (think protein shakes, yogurt drinks, instant soups, soy milk, juices etc.), water, and a neck pillow (online).

Since you won’t be able to open your mouth or use a straw, you can look into getting a huge syringe too, I got a 200ml one and it was the smartest move I made in terms of prepping.

I couldn’t sleep that well on the day of surgery (unsurprisingly), but it wasn’t much of a problem.
I went to the clinic and got briefed about possible risks and side effects (asymmetry, nerve damage),
but those are things you are usually very well aware of if you do your research and ask these kinds of questions during your initial consultation.

You just have to sign the agreement, that you have been properly educated about these risks.
After that, everything went pretty fast. I saw Dr. Lee one last time before the surgery and he told me to not worry.
Of course I freaked out the night before, but at this point there is really nothing to worry about so I tried to stay calm and just go with it.

I got dressed in my room upstairs (they have a separate ward on 5th floor) and was taken to the operating room.
The anesthesia was given through a needle (unlike the gas masks you seen in movies), so you really don’t notice that you “fall asleep”, you’re just gone.

Then, after waking up, I basically didn’t know who I where I was, but the staff (4-5 members) took great care of me.
You can get up on your own, into a wheelchair, and back to your room. You don’t really feel any strong pain, just great discomfort and the need to rest (probably magnified due to my lack of sleep), but hey you’ve made it to the other side!

I watched TV (very light entertainment) to distract myself since I was not allowed to get sleep for the first 4 hours.
You won’t feel like doing anything, but resting. At times, I felt like even watching TV was exhausting, so maybe you just want to stare into the void or meditate, any sort of mental escape. You also have to sit upright all the time, but you get used to it.

I got my surgery done in the morning around 9am, so I was set to be discharged in the evening around 7pm. The first few hours are the worst, so bad that I thought I would have to stay overnight, but I felt surprisingly fit as the hours went by, and I could actually go home by train (20-30min).

The nurse was extremely attentive and helped you to get in and out of your bed for walking around or going to the bathroom.
Your health is being monitored constantly, so there is really nothing to worry about.

A few hours after the surgery, you get briefed with do’s and don’ts, how to take your medicine, how to clean and rinse your mouth, how to use ice packs, and so on. The nurses will get the medicine for you, as long as you leave your card. They were also kind enough to buy liquid food for you if you wish to,
but I recommend buying and preparing all of it beforehand.

Finally, I went home feeling really good, especially after the anesthetics were mostly out of my body, but there was really nothing to complain or worry about during the procedure or my post-surgery stay.

The first few nights at home were the worst because you have to sleep upright in a sort of sitting position, or at least with your upper body and head elevated by putting a pile of pillows under it. During the day I felt pretty good though, just a bit of discomfort and pain, but the most annoying part will be your diet and eating your medicine.

Basically, I could take care of myself and do everything on my own, things just took me longer (eating, washing). After a few days, I felt like things were getting pretty normal mentally, and I could go back to pursuing normal mental activities (reading, studying). As expected, the swelling peaks after 3-4 days and will be down by the first 2 weeks. After that, you can start to judge the results and I am pretty happy with mine, though I will still need to get braces outside of Korea, which will then change the final outcome again of course.

I had a check-up the day after then every 2-3 days. After the second week, it was only once a week.
During the check-ups, you get some red light treatment for swelling and get to talk to Dr. Lee about any issues, you might have.
He will also check your mouth, the wounds, etc., and talk to you about the next steps. Checkups usually take less than 30 minutes,
and the waiting times are almost 0.

After the first week, I was already cleared to eat very soft food, but keep in mind that I only had LJS.
You will have to wear a plastic wafer (that aligns your bites) between your teeth at all times, except when eating,
and they will show you how to change rubber bands that keep your mouth shut.
The first rubber bands you have to wear are very tight, but after the first week, you get loose ones, which are basically just preventing your mouth from opening too far, but not really applying any uncomfortable pressure.

All in all I am very happy with MEI’s and TFD’s service and the results so far, knowing very well I still have to go through orthodontics to make a final judgment. For my final review, I will probably touch on things to improve (nothing wildly negative), final thoughts, and the rest of my recovery.

Tomorrow, I will be 4 weeks (see images below) in post-surgery and at this point, checkups have become routine at this point and there is not much to worry about. I think it is important to ask a lot of questions, during your consultation to clear any doubts and to keep expectations in check.

Once you’re mentally prepared for the process, you just have to go through it, stay strong and try to get back to normal (or even a better) life as soon as possible.

Cheers and good luck!