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.
January 31, 2013 at 8:43 pm
Thanks Graham, I do believe that my surgery will be covered, but the surgeons fees are going to run between $7000-$8000. Guess I need to call my insurance company.
January 31, 2013 at 9:21 pm
Terry, my surgeon fees in Canada were $5000 and I had to pay that out of my own pocket. The hospital stay and drugs, however, were covered by my healthcare. If you have private insurance, you may be able to get the surgeon’s fees covered as well.
January 30, 2013 at 10:26 pm
Graham, were you lucky enough to have any insurance cover your procedure? I haven’t checked with my insurance carrier but I don’t see anything in my policy.
January 31, 2013 at 6:19 am
Terry, since I’m a Canadian citizen, my province covered about 90% of my surgery. You’ll have to call your insurer, though. I’ve heard it can be a battle in some cases. The trick is to have your surgeon vouch for the operation being “medically necessary to prevent future complications such at TMJ (lock jaw).” =)
January 27, 2013 at 9:01 pm
Vicky, I haven’t met anyone who has experienced a change in their hearing following surgery. I don’t reckon the operation touches anything that should affect your hearing, but if it’s worrying you, perhaps it’s best to give your surgeon a call and ask.
January 27, 2013 at 8:24 pm
Is it normal to experience an altered sense of hearing after the surgery? Personally I’m hearing things at a lower pitch than their original pitch and it’s kind of bothering me that this might be permanent
January 27, 2013 at 4:25 pm
I just had double jaw/chin surgery with a wisdom tooth removal 2 weeks ago.
i suspect i am gonna be wired for 2-4 more weeks (very very tight elastics actually).
I was swollen quite bad for the first week, but things are slowly coming down. bruising was surprisingly mimimal and pain was surprisingly low.
I have NO FEELING in my lower lip, and my chin is tingling all the frickin time. Really hoping the lip sensation returns 100%, as i tend to drool quite a bit. kinda funny actually.
I am already brushing my teeth up with a baby toothbrush, but i need some remedy for my inside of my mouth. it is driving me crazy, the feeling of gunky teeth.., more so than the tingling, the stretched mouth soreness, the little twangs of pain that comes and goes or the syringe drinking.. lol
Does anyone have any remedies?
January 27, 2013 at 8:05 pm
James, I understand the frustrating feeling you’re experiencing, but unfortunately, there’s no way to really clean your teeth until you can brush and floss with a bit more vigor. Try gurgling with warm salt water after each meal to ensure your mouth is actually clean (even though it may not feel that way). You’ll feel fresh again soon, but until then, it’s honestly a game of patience. Give yourself a couple more weeks, my friend. =)
January 26, 2013 at 10:23 am
Hey Graham! Thanks for your response!! I recently saw my orthodontist and we are working on fixing my concerns. And I can already see and feel the difference and I like where things are headed.
The age old question, I’m at week 5 today (can’t believe it’s already been 5 whole weeks!!!!!) and I have the pins and needle feeling in a lot of the areas of my face. Any idea how much longer until they back to life. As you read, my patience is the size of a grape.
Thanks again Graham!!!
January 26, 2013 at 9:53 pm
Haha, patience the size of a grape, nice. Feeling returns at different points for every person, but don’t be surprised if remnants of feeling continue to return all the way to the 4-month mark. Certainly don’t worry until you’ve been at this game for at least 3 months. =)
January 22, 2013 at 12:13 pm
my question is this that my face is looking very different and swelling is not gone after 3 months of my surgery,i looked very fat from face because of swelling ,what should i do?
January 25, 2013 at 9:04 pm
Lamia, if you’re still quite swollen after 3 months of recovery, I would ask your surgeon if there is any reason that your swelling may not be going away. I haven’t met anyone who is still noticeably swollen at that point, so you may need to do some exercises to break up the scar tissue. Give your surgeon a call. They’ll know best. =)
January 21, 2013 at 10:30 am
Hi Graham,
Your blog is amazing. I can’t begin to tell you have helpful it is to read everything that you and all of these other recoveries have written. It’s so nice to know I’m not alone.
I’m a little past the four week mark. 🙂 There are a few things that I’m growing concerned about: my midline is no longer centered, my left side jaw closes before right does and I still have no feeling in my lips, nose, or chin. My cheeks are starting to come back to life. Is all of this normal? Any advice would be helpful. And thanks for keeping up with your blog!
January 25, 2013 at 8:36 pm
Jamie, being at the 4-week mark means that you still have a lot of swelling and residual numbness. Your midline alignment and lack of feeling should correct themselves during these next few months. Your open bite, however, may take a little longer, but I assure you that will resolve itself as well. My open bite took approximately 6 months to close. The name of the game is patience, my friend! =)
January 17, 2013 at 9:36 am
Graham, Thanks for so much for your blog it’s awesome! My question is I’m 3 weeks post op today and I still have numbness and swelling of course but when I talk the lower left corner of my lip doesn’t move with the rest of my mouth. Did you or do you know of anyone who may have went thru this? Really scaring me, I ventured out yesterday for the 1st time and my friend pointed it out that if it was for my lip that I would just appear to have chubby cheeks.
what’s odd also is my right side is still really swollen but I can feel my teeth, but my left side is almost back to normal and can’t feel my teeth or move my lower lip in the corner. Just nervous and it may be to early to worry but I’m still worried.
January 18, 2013 at 7:41 pm
Lee Ann, this has to be the most common question I’ve received over the past few years. You can rest assured that, as time goes on, your nerves should reawaken and your lips will begin to function normally again. Try not to stress about numbness until at least two months have passed. =)
December 29, 2012 at 10:02 pm
here it goes, once again. I’ve been getting at least 8 hours+ sleep every night since day 4 or 5. Just wanted to add that.
December 29, 2012 at 9:57 pm
Ah. I always seem to want to post another thought once I post my first one, ha. Anyways, don’t get me wrong. My swelling is not crazy right now. I’ve been going out and haven’t got ONE weird look yet. I guess if somebody that didn’t know me before the surgery sees me and would think that this is how my face is. Its just kinda fat, but its does not looks as if I just went under surgery. Maybe on one side a little, but I’m sure that that will go away for when I start class.
December 29, 2012 at 9:53 pm
Hey, thanks for the fast response. I would like to thank you for keeping this blog up, its awesome to see that you still care for the people undergoing this surgery even though yours was a long time ago!
Anyways, it’s not school, its college. Im just scared that people will judge me. I just really didn’t want to change after the surgery, at least front side speaking. But I guess I’m gonna have to deal with that and just get used to it.
Thanks!
December 29, 2012 at 4:43 pm
Also, they told me to stop smoking at least 1.5 months before the surgery. I couldnt do it. But I did reduce the smoking from 1 pack a day to 3-10 cigaretes per week. Sorry for the triple post.
December 29, 2012 at 9:17 pm
Hey Juan Carlos,
Your recovery sounds fairly spot on, though you appear to be moving forward a lot more quickly than I did. You’re lucky, man.
Since it’s only been 2 weeks since your surgery, chances are your swelling will remain in a noticeable fashion for at least another month. I wouldn’t worry about what people at school think of you, though. You may be surprised at how accepting people are (especially when they find out you recently underwent jaw surgery). It will also give you a great story to tell!
As for smoking, I cannot say since I’m not a smoker myself. I would caution you against smoking for another 3–4 weeks until all of the open wounds in your mouth heal, though. Cigarettes are a quick way to cause infection. Best of luck in this venture. I know it can be tough. Stay strong, my friend!
December 29, 2012 at 4:39 pm
Also, when do you think that itll be ok to start smoking again? I know its bad for me and all, but I really miss smoking a cigarete every once in a while. Im almost in the two week mark, should I still be worried about getting a dry socket from the removal of my wisdom teeth?
Thanks again
December 29, 2012 at 4:24 pm
Hello Graham. This is Juan Carlos from Venezuela reporting. I had lower jaw surgery on December 17th so that makes it day 12 today. Let me explain you how my first 2-5 days went. My doctor believes that the less time I spend in bed, the quicker I would recover. The tipical pain killer that patientes who goes under this surgery take is vicodin. My surgeon sent me home on Advil. The pain was so hard on day 1 that I just couldn’t get out of bed by myself. I had my mother called the doctor to ask him if I could take any stronger pain killer and he sent me Dolac. Vicodin is still much more effective than dolac for pain relief. I also got my wisdom teeth removed so the swelling in the first 2-5 days was huge, I would say at least in a 400%. I only spent the first 2 days in bed. This was probably due to the fact that I was not taking vicodin. On day 4 my life got a lot better. I regained all my energy from not being in bed all day on day 5 or 6. Since then, Ì’ve been back to normal (energy wise). Today I thank my doctor for not prescribing Vicodin for me since maybe I would still be feeling bad and without energy. I have been going out everyday since day 5 for short periods of time. The time I spend at home I spend it playing videogames either on the computer or on my Xbox. I havent been on a strict liquid diet (althought my doctor said I cannot bite on anything for the first 15 days). I have been eating pasta. Not regular though, the tiny small one that parents give to kids. I have also been eating lasagna, I cut it in very small pieces, put it in my tongue with a spoon and just swallow it. Smashed potatoes do the same. Pretty much anything that I dont need to bite on. I felt pretty emotional the first couple of days, I just couldnt stand looking myself at the mirror and seeing a different face. Im swollen, I’m not gonna lie, but nearly as much as the first couple of days. Still you can see that the shape of my face looks diferent, it looks more square-ish. I guess that’s something I’m gonna have to deal with. I liked my front looks before surgery, I didn’t wanted to change front-wise. I’ve had a couple of friends visit me and they dont notice a drastic change, although they do tell me that I look a little bit different. I went to my first post-op appointment (although my surgeon wasnt there, he’s on vacation). I got attended by his right hand doctor, who is very nice. She said my recovery was going great, that I should spend a couple of days at home. I feel like I will be able to go out and party ( before the surgery I used to party from thursday-saturday nights,every week) pretty soon. Actually I feel like I would be able to do it right now, I just dont want all the people to see me right now, as I’m still a little bit swollen and my face does looks different. Anyways, I got 2 elastics on right now, the doctor who attended me in the post-op appointment put those on, and she said I was going to be wearing those anywhere from 1-2 weeks if I wear them 24/7. She said that I should take them out to eat, but they’re just to hard to put back on so I eat with them on. I can open my mouth so that I can get the spoon in it and eat.
About 6 months ago I really got into surfing and was doing it at least 2 times a week before surgery. Its been a month since I’ve been on the water now. I really miss it. I got a Nicaragua surfing trip booked for April 18th. I need to be in shape for this, so I plan to start swimming on January 15th (approved by doctor). I think I could be back at surfing on February. It’s only been 12 days and I’ve been feeling normal since day 7 at least (energy-wise).
Other than that, I would suggest to people that will be taking this surgery to ask their doctors if they could take any less strong pain killer than Vicodin like I did. The first 3 days are gonna be a NIGHTMARE (and yes, believe me, they were TOUGH) but after day 5 you will be back to normal. I couldnt even stand up from bed by my self from day 1-3.
Also, one of my cheeks looks/feel like it not swollen at all, while the other side of the face still looks/feel swollen. My chin still is pretty swollen. I would say I got about 50% feeling on my left side of my chin/face and about 20% on the right side (same side that is more swollen). My teeth my left side of the jaw are touching (top and lower) and it doesn’t hurt at all. Teeth on my right side of jaw are touching slightly less but it does hurt when I touch them a little bit harder. Any ideas on this?
Other than that would like to ask you when do you think that the rest of my swelling will go away (not completly, I know it takes 1 or 2 months), but I start next semester on January 8th and I’m kinda nervous about people looking at me the way I am now.
Also, I can speak almost like I used to before surgery. I would say I’m speaking right now like somebody on day 1 with those retainer (the ones you get after you get your bracers removed from your teeth). (a little bit funny, but its not terrible).
Thanks a lot man, sorry for my bad english.
pd: I have been trying to post since day 2, but havent been able to. Lets hope this time works since I’m doing it from a different computer.
Sorry for the long post
December 20, 2012 at 6:49 pm
Hi graham!
So I just had my surgery this dec 13th 2012 and have finally come to a full week. I’ve had a hard time with the rubberbands in because I have around 6 in but there so tight I don’t even want to take them out. I was lucky enough not to have any bruising but the swelling is still a concern I have. It’s hard for me to eat because the bands are always in. I’ve lost about 16 pounds so far and feel by body is so weak about all I can do is take a shower before I feel wiped out. Sleeping has started to become an issue as well I don’t sleep till about 4am and wake up around 9. My splint really bothers me but they told me I would only have it in for 4 weeks not the 6 you have been saying. So I’m hoping it’s out sooner cuz my lips are so swollen its really hard to get in there and brush my teeth. Plus I always have headaches and feel I need to lay down. I also wanted to know if there’s anything to speed up the process of swelling and about how much weight in pounds u should expect to lose until you can eat again?
December 20, 2012 at 10:49 pm
Sophia, know that everything you are experiencing is completely normal and expected. Once this next week goes by, your life will become a lot better. There’s no real way to reduce swelling at a more rapid rate—it’s simply a time issue. If you use heat packs at night and avoid talking, your swelling may be lower each day, but it will still take the same amount of time to actually dissipate. As for weight loss, you likely won’t lose much more than you already have. You’ll be able to eat as soon as your surgeon gives you the go-ahead. It’s different for every person, though. I, personally, couldn’t eat solid food until week 7, but I’ve had friends who were eating at week 2. All in all, be positive. In just a few short months, you’ll be back to normal and loving your new bite/smile! =)
December 18, 2012 at 2:07 pm
I am in day 8 of my recovery from jaw surgery. They moved both of my jaws 8mm due to sevear obstructive sleep apnea. Everyone complaining about their looks who had to have the surgery for their looks are a quite shallow. This has been a year long process to get the procedure approved by insurance, I had to put my life on hold to deal with life threating conditions. I am in a doctoral program, took 3 semesters off from school, fought insurance company’s for this quoted $40,000 surgery electively here in CT. I started the process 12/15/2011 got approved 11/8/12 had the procedure 12/11/12. It has been a battle but totally worth it to be able to sleep and get oxygenated while sleeping. My airway was only 2mm before while awake and while sleeping it clasped and caused me to stop breathing around 125 times an hour per-op. there is a 95% chance I will have no relapse of sleep apnea. I am keeping my fingers crossed and staying hopeful. Throughout this first week I can proudly say that I feel better than I did waking up tired all my life. The pain is nothing compared to emense tiredness. I am hopeful to see my cat scans after the swelling is gone, my air way should be anywhere from 8mm-11mm. I have lost 26 pounds so far, I just started blending soups and ice cream on Monday. It is a long road to recovery but the life I will lead being happy and awake will make it all worth it in the end. God beless anyone and everyone who has to fight with insurance company’s for approval and closure. I am great full for my mother who has been there fighting by my side to get this done. What a great way to spend my birthday Christmas, and the New Years. Haha what a wonderful world we live in, insurances cover the most bogus operations, something that is medically nessicary requires a long drawn out process and then an approval, not doing anything for the patient.
December 18, 2012 at 7:12 pm
John, insurance can certainly be a frustrating giant to deal with, though it is country-specific. In Canada, I didn’t even have to submit any paperwork—it was automatically covered because it was deemed medical by my surgeon. However, America is known for insurance difficulties, so I pray you come out on the other side having this operation covered.
Take care and stay positive, my friend.
December 18, 2012 at 11:06 am
Graham,
Wow! Am I ever glad I stumbled upon your blog. I am booked in for double jaw surgery here in Halifax at the end of January, and I am pretty excited. I will be reading all your posts as I recover. I also find your responses to be both informative and entertaining!! 🙂 Your positive energy is contagious! Thanks!
December 18, 2012 at 7:04 pm
Becca, good luck in January! Make sure you enjoy every bite of your Christmas meal this year! =)
December 12, 2012 at 6:49 pm
Hi Graham! I have recently been told I will need double jaw surgery for my class 3 malocclusion. I was wondering how much worse your underbite got during preparations for surgery. Currently, my smile looks normal, but my teeth are at dangerous angles and I have difficulty chewing.I, a superficial teenage girl, am very concerned as to how my smile will change during the next year or so preparing for surgery. I am quite impatient. Also, reading your blog has led me to the decision that I must follow through with this surgery.Thank you!
December 12, 2012 at 8:05 pm
Katie, while you’ll be wearing braces prior to the operation, your underbite will not grow noticeably more prominent. The purpose of the pre-surgery braces is to space your teeth accordingly so the surgeon has room to cut into your jaw. Braces are never fun, but I assure you the entire process is well worth the effort. I wouldn’t worry about your underbite growing worse, though. You likely won’t notice the change.
December 11, 2012 at 11:53 pm
Hey Graham!
Firstly, your blog is awesome and hilarious, it was kind of a weird way for me to unwind after a day of studying for finals.
Anyways, I also live in Edmonton, and I was wondering who your orthodontist and surgeon were?
My orthodontist suggested that I have jaw surgery about three years ago. I had a consult with a surgeon, but I didn’t really like the guy. He didn’t really explain anything or answer any of my questions, and I left the place feeling more confused than when I walked in. I ended up not having the surgery, but lately I’ve been having more pain in my jaw due to my bite, so I’m starting to rethink my decision. However, I would like to speak with a different orthodontist and surgeon (even though I’ve had the same orthodontist for 10 years, I don’t really trust her as she was the one who suggested removing one of my adult teeth which wound up making my bite even worse).
So yea, let me know! Or if you know of any other good orthodontists in the city, that’d be helpful too!
December 12, 2012 at 12:55 am
Christina, my orthodontist was Dr. Gail Burke (website) and my surgeon was Dr. Saranjeev Lahl (his clinic is called Renew Surgery, on 109th Street and 72 Avenue). Both were incredibly friendly, understanding, informative, and professional. I highly recommend these fine people!