Common Questions
Following is a list of the most common questions I’ve received about double jaw surgery. If your question is not answered below, feel free to ask about it in the comments and I’d be happy to respond there.
Before the surgery:
- Why should I get jaw surgery?
- Is jaw surgery painful?
- How long does it take to recover from jaw surgery?
- How much does jaw surgery cost?
- What should I buy to prepare for recovery?
After the surgery:
- Will I look different after jaw surgery?
- How much weight will I lose after jaw surgery?
- Will I experience numbness after jaw surgery?
- Will I get all of my feeling back after jaw surgery?
- What can I eat after jaw surgery?
Cries for help:
- Help, I’m experiencing pain!
- Help, my breath is terrible!
- Help, my teeth are no longer touching!
- Help, my jaw movement is not returning!
- Help, I don’t look like myself anymore!
Why should I get jaw surgery?
There are several reasons to undergo jaw surgery:
- To be able to chew with all your teeth
- To speak without a lisp
- To speak without spitting
- To stop your mouth from hanging open
- To stop breathing through your mouth and start breathing through your nose
- To change your appearance (side profile)
These reasons are all explained on the Reasons to Get Jaw Surgery page.
Is jaw surgery painful?
Jaw surgery is usually not painful. This may be difficult to believe, but since your nerves become bruised and numb during the surgery, you don’t actually feel any of the pain. By the time feeling returns to your face, most of the pain is gone.
Granted, you’ll experience a bit of pain when you yawn, sneeze and cough. It’ll also hurt when your jaw spasms (and it will spasm for the first month), but for the most part, you should not experience much pain at all.
How long does it take to recover from jaw surgery?
It will take 90 days (3 months) for a full recovery after jaw surgery. Most of your feeling and energy will be back after 2 months, but it takes a full 90 days for your bone to fuse back together. A full range of motion in your jaw will return depending on how much you’re moving it around, so make sure you follow the exercises your surgeon gives you.
How much does jaw surgery cost?
Jaw surgery costs roughly $5000 in Canada, but that price may differ significantly in other provinces and countries. If your surgery is deemed cosmetic (instead of “medically necessary”), the cost will be higher because you’ll be required to cover the hospital bills. Sadly, patients in the US have seen jaw surgery bills in excess of $50,000.
What should I buy to prepare for recovery?
You can find a full list of items that with help you through the recovery at the Must-Have Recovery Products page.
Will I look different after jaw surgery?
You will notice subtle changes in your appearance following jaw surgery. Your overbite/underbite will no longer be present and your cheeks, nose, and chin may take on a different shape as well. My cheeks filled out a lot as a result of my surgery.
How much weight will I lose after jaw surgery?
Most people lose between 5–10 pounds during the first month of their recovery. The general rule of thumb is that you will lose weight until you reach your natural body weight.
Will I experience numbness after jaw surgery?
Yes, you will experience extreme numbness following jaw surgery. During the operation, several nerves in your face and chin have to be moved around. When you move a nerve, it becomes bruised, and when a nerve is bruised, it stops providing sensations, thus giving you that numb feeling (more on this in my Day 20 post).
Will I get all of my feeling back after jaw surgery?
70% of patients regain full feeling, while 30% may experience slightly numb areas in their cheeks, chin and lower lip for the rest of their lives. The feeling you have after 6 months post-op is likely what you’ll live with for the rest of your life.
What can I eat after jaw surgery?
You’ll be on a strict liquid diet following jaw surgery. Buy lots of Boost, Ensure or Carnation supplements and learn to make smoothies, because these will be your staple foods for at least the first 2 weeks. I had to eat them for 8 weeks, but my surgery was a bit more invasive than most. You’ll probably have to administer your food through a syringe for the first week as well.
Once your surgeon gives you permission to start chewing again, you can begin to eat soft foods such as pasta and mashed potatoes. During the weeks following your re-entry into the realm of chewing, you’ll be able to eat whatever is comfortable. Don’t expect to tear into a steak as soon as you’re allowed to chew again, though.
If you have the following implements, you should survive perfectly fine:
- A reliable blender (this is extremely important, as you’ll be blending almost everything)
- Smoothie materials (ice cream, yogurt, milk, bananas, strawberries, granola, peanut butter, honey, etc.) — Recipe
- Soup (you’ll have to blend everything except tomato soup)
- Ensure, Boost or Carnation (I drank 3 of these per day during my liquid diet phase)
- Prune juice (you’ll need the fiber in it)
- Whole milk (you’ll need all the calcium you can get so your bones heal back just as strong as they were before)
- Water (make sure you drink at least 1 L of water per day; drinking 2 L per day is a much better option)
The most important item on that list is water. If you don’t drink enough water each day, you’ll become dehydrated and sick, and your bowel movements won’t feel good because none of the fiber you’re eating will dissolve into your body.
Help, I’m experiencing pain!
If your pain is chronic (ie. consistent and throbbing), you may have an infection and should schedule a visit with your surgeon just to be safe.
On the other hand, if your pain comes in small bouts, it’s likely your nerves reawakening or your teeth being pulled by the elastics. In this case, just be patient and the pain will subside in due time. If you were prescribed pain medication, that may help as well.
Help, my breath is terrible!
At times, your breath may be indicative of the fact that you are not allowed to brush your teeth or floss during the first several weeks of recovery. To aid in freshening your breath, try gurgling with warm salt water a few times each day. Soon enough, you’ll be given the go-ahead to brush and floss again.
Help, my teeth are no longer touching!
An open bite is a common problem following jaw surgery. Fear not, however, because your teeth will naturally grow until they encounter opposition (in the form of your other jaw), so this problem will slowly correct itself over time.
Help, my jaw movement is not returning!
If you have been given the green light to resume eating regular food, but the movement in your jaw doesn’t seem to be returning, try whistling and chewing gum each day. Whistling will help to break up scar tissue, while chewing gum will stretch the muscles in your jaw.
Help, I don’t look like myself anymore!
This is perhaps the most common fear people have following jaw surgery. Remember that swelling takes a minimum of 3 months to go away, so try to avoid judging your appearance until that point.
Also, keep in mind that you are your own worst critic because you’ve been seeing your face in the mirror every single day for most of your life. While the subtle changes in your appearance seem drastic to you, most people will not even notice that your face changed shape.
October 27, 2010 at 12:12 pm
Yeah, those spasms woke me up as well. It was a solid month before I finally had a good night’s sleep.
And I’m still wearing my bands! My orthodontist wants me to wear them until my braces come off. But that’s only because my bite is open.
October 27, 2010 at 11:57 am
Hi Graham,
Did you get the spasms when you fell asleep….that seems to be when I get them the most now. As soon as I fall asleep my mouth spasms and wakes me up..it is very rare that I get a good nights sleep. I have a temporary mouth guard that goes between my back teeth, seems to help some.
I got unbanded 6 days after surgery, but now I have to wear 2 bands (one on each side), did you wear these? how long? My jaw is feeling a lot better, but now my teeth ache/throb 24/7. I go back to surgen in a week…I really hope he tells me I don’t have to wear them anymore.
take care
Lisa
October 26, 2010 at 5:15 pm
Hey Lisa!
Yeah, those spasms were one of the worst parts of the recovery. The other killer was smiling/laughing because my lip would split wide open every single time. I’m happy to report that those are both normal problems though and they go away as quickly as they came. =)
Keep smiling (but maybe just on the inside for now, hehe)!
October 26, 2010 at 12:57 pm
Graham,
Thanks for your post…I had surgery on Oct. 7th. Surgery went well, but the recovery has been very painful. I had read many post and no one really talked about the jaw spasms. My jaw had the spasms you wrote about (still have a couple a day), I was so worried that this was not normal, glad to hear it is and that it will go away soon. It will be three weeks on Thursday..looking forward to my 6 week appt…hopefully I can eat more foods.
Lisa
October 14, 2010 at 2:20 pm
Hello,
I have a story from the Hospital.
I woke up from a drug-induced stupor and standing before me was a beautiful blond hair blue eye woman dressed in white. The light from the hall was behind her so she had a glow. I really thought that it was my day and I was glad an angel had come to get me and she was beautiful. She leaned down and started checking my mouth and I then woke up to the fact that getting into heaven doesn’t require a dental exam. So I’m laying there swollen like I just did 10 rounds with Mike Tyson, a water mask on my face to reduce swelling, hair was in all directions and I have no idea if my gown was covering anything and for the most part I didn’t care. In my best jaw wired shut, drugged up stupor I asked her: “Rar Ru a Roctor?” ( I sounded like scooby-do) She then smiled and stepped back to explain she was a surgical intern and assisted in my surgery. I was happy that my gown did not present a tent as it had in recovery which my wife said I was trying to show everyone, don’t remember that, scouts honor. I did see her (the doctor) the next day and she was just as beautiful as ever. I told this story to my Surgeon during a post op visit and he laughed like heck.
Good times
Take care
October 14, 2010 at 8:40 am
Kirk, that’s fantastic advice! You sound like you were pretty in control with your entire recovery!
And two surgeries… that’s crazy! Good luck with the last few weeks of your recovery.
October 14, 2010 at 12:48 am
Hello,
I’m 6 weeks out from jaw surgery and everything seems to be going as planned. I did have to have the surgery twice as the next morning my 4 surgeons checked me and my lower jaw had slipped so at 4 that afternoon I had another surgery. My jaw was wired shut which sucked and the bite plate or splint was okay but I talked funny, it is now off. I still have a great deal of numbness on the roof of my mouth and lower lip and chin. I lost 10 pounds but I have a fast metabolism anyway even at 44 years old. The surgery cost me $0 so that was nice any every cent I had to pay was reimbursed. I still sleep on my chair as it is comfortable but slowly I’m using the bed more. I took a month off of work and came back with all of my vacation time, every hour. I’m super super lucky and lets hope everything goes well. I waited 17 months to get the surgery and still have a year of ortho and an implant and plenty of dental work but I asked for it so I’m good. I have several good doctors and my HMO takes good care of me. I just started eating some solid foods yesterday and it is still tough to retrain myself with my new bite but again that should change as the numbness goes away and I think it is. I remember after surgery that it was tough some days and I had to take it a minute at a time some days and just get through it. I had a lot of face swelling and the gross halo bruise on the chest that turns yellow but it is now gone. I carry a cooler with me at all times and drink tons of different beverages to keep hydrated and change things up a bit, sick of Boost and Ensure but they did me right when I needed them. My advice is take it slow and take any help you can get and just let the body heal itself, take care of you and you will get the best results. I still feel so good from eating that soup tonight and some grapes and I cant wait to really start chowing on some food like I used too. I have a huge appreciation for food now and can’t wait to cook some wonderful meals for my family. For some reason I want a philly cheese steak sandwich and some salmon, go figure. Stay positive and help you body heal, you really gave it a hammering and now you have to give it a break.
Cheers
September 23, 2010 at 3:31 pm
Madison, that doesn’t sound good at all! I definitely didn’t like the way I looked after the surgery either, but I’ve gotten used to my appearance now. I’m not sure if I looked “better” before or after–I just look different.
Here’s hoping everything works out for you! I understand that every experience is different, but I’ve not met too many people who weren’t happy with the results.
Best of luck, my friend!
September 23, 2010 at 4:34 am
Hey,
I did not lose a single pound during my first month! I guess my body thought I was starving with Boost and held onto my fat–but it still sucked. Also my surgery cost 9,000 for jus upper surgery, because my insurance wouldn’t cover it plus 3,000 for my braces–the kicker here is I HATE the way I look, and I went to the “best” surgeon. I was happy with how I looked before (my teeth just touched and my enamle was wearing away I was told that I needed this)not to be cocky but I had a wonderful smile (I would always get complements)and I would like of myself as pretty. Everyone said that I wouldn’t really notice a difference, NO one told me that my nose would tilt up and that my I would be able to feel the bone of my upper jaw. I spent my whole savings on something that everyone told me I would be sooooo happy with, and now I look worse and I’m getting married in 8 months!!!!!!!!!! Well I’m not giving up, I’m going to get this fixed–hell if I know how, or if it will be done in time for the wedding. Sorry I just needed to rant, thanks for the spot to rant.
September 13, 2010 at 9:02 am
You’re prices are a little off, either that or my oral surgeron is super expensive.
I had lower jaw surgery (BSSO) to bring my jaw forward and up and it costed me $5500. At his office to have a double jaw surgery it would cost $9000.
August 24, 2010 at 10:26 pm
Hi Rebecca! I stopped taking painkillers after 2 weeks, but I’m a little stubborn. You’re lucky you don’t have the spasms. They’re crazy painful!
I primarily used hot packs for my pain. I found I could fall asleep pretty quickly if I was laying on one.
August 24, 2010 at 10:09 pm
I haven’t had any of these painful spasms that I’ve heard about.. Just tingles. The tingles drive me absolutely insane but they don’t hurt.
However… i’m on day 21 and i’m still taking ibuprofen every 4 hours and a tylenol 3 or vicodin once a day to control the pain. Its like when you get your braces seriously tightened and your whole mouth just aches. blahh Did you experience that? when were you able to stop taking painkillers?
August 22, 2010 at 1:12 am
Hi Nathasha, nice to meet you!
I hope you get to eat Christmas dinner before you have the surgery performed. That would be torture otherwise!
I, like you, had no swelling when my wisdom teeth were removed. I did, however, swell up like crazy when I had jaw surgery. It’s a pretty crazy impact to your face, so massive swelling is a given. It goes away though, so no worries. You’ll probably be relatively swollen for about 2 months.
And yes, my jaw spasmed quite frequently when I was banded shut. I’d say I had between 4-5 spasms per day. They were painful, but only for mere seconds. They’re also completely normal and will go away in 4-6 weeks.
All pain aside, the most difficult part of the recovery is having to live off of liquids for a month or two. Most of this recovery is a mental game, so as long as you keep a positive attitude, you’ll do absolutely fine!
Take care. =)
August 22, 2010 at 12:58 am
Hi Graham,
So I’ll be getting correction jaw surgery in December. I’m a little worried about some things but mostly about the recovery and the weight loss. I’m seventeen and I’m a small girl and I only weigh about 115 pounds. I’m just worried I’ll loose too much weight.
Also about the recovery.. Did you have pretty major swelling? I know it’s not at all the same, but when I got my wisdom teeth out I had no swelling but everyone else I know did. So do you think it effects people very differently and some get more swelling than others.
Sorry I have tons of questions but one more. Did your mouth spasm at all when it was wired shut? I’ve heard that it does usually and I’m wondering if it’s really painful?
Thank you
Natasha A.
August 5, 2010 at 12:41 am
Hi Justin,
I can’t recall exactly when I stopped drooling, but you’ll definitely be alright by the time September rolls around.
You’ll still have to eat slowly and be careful (and always keep a paper towel handy!), but you should be able to feel civilized again by that 6-week mark.
Take care man!
August 4, 2010 at 3:40 pm
Hi Graham,
I really appreciate you documenting your journey, it’s been really helpful. I actually received your EXACT same surgery. The only differences that I can see is that my underbite was more severe than yours, and my doctor also used some synthetic materials to paste onto one of my cheekbones to make it even with the other (they were uneven as a result of the surgery).
My only question is this: how long did it take until you stopped drooling? I received my surgery on July 15, and although I don’t expect to stop drooling at this point, I am a bit worried about starting school at the end of September. Do you think the numbness will be more manageable by then?
Again, thanks a lot for this whole blog.
– Justin
July 28, 2010 at 5:18 pm
Well, I was on liquid for almost 10 weeks, but if your surgeon says you can eat after 6.5 weeks, then give it a try.
I just couldn’t bite hard enough to chew anything at that point, but everyone is different.
July 28, 2010 at 5:07 pm
Ah makes sense then, I was beginning to think my oral surgeon was old school with metal wires. Well I got 16 Days till Mouth is opened, wires off and tight elastics go on. And apparently I can eat whatever I like at that point (according to doctor) but I am somewhat skeptical.
At your 6.5 Week point after surgery, what was your diet like??
Orest
July 27, 2010 at 2:06 pm
Hi Orest,
I wasn’t wired shut, but I had tight elastics on right out of surgery, and couldn’t start taking them off for about a month or so.
So even though I wasn’t technically “wired” shut, I still couldn’t open my mouth or part my teeth at all. Different approach, same result.
They’ll let you open your mouth after 2-4 weeks (I’m guessing).
Good luck!
July 27, 2010 at 1:24 pm
Hey Graham, Orest here from Winnipeg, MB. I had a similar surgery to yours on June 23 but I do have one question: Did you have your jaw wired shut for the first 6 weeks. From reading a few of your earlier posts, it seems you went to tight elastics relatively soon after surgery? Not sure why I’m Required to have jaw wired shut instead of elastics but anyways I like your blog and hopefully you can eat better food now and be able to chew with your front teeth,
cheers
orest