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.
February 10, 2016 at 8:56 am
Just had my double jaw surgery, bottom jaw moved back 6 mm top jae forward 4mm. Wason the table 6 hours, i had my oppertion 10 hours ago! In a wee bit of pain but its tolerable, i have a morphine oain button. My face is extremely swollen! Like i meen massive! And its getting worse at this stage. At the moment i feel like sh#t but when i put my teath together its AMAZING! I have yhe bite i always wanted
February 10, 2016 at 11:08 am
Good news mate glad the bite feels good so early, don’t worry the swelling goes down.
February 10, 2016 at 2:07 pm
Thanks ian:) thanks for the support! Really appreciate it
February 10, 2016 at 12:16 am
Hey! I’m a double jaw ‘redo’. im 36 in Dallas and starting over. My first surgery failed because they didn’t advance me like they should have. It really didn’t bother me for years. But, now I am having problems with eating, speech, breathing etc. and it seems to get worse. Undergoing this surgery scares me, but dealing with this forever is not want I want. So, I got braces yesterday (first step to treatment on double jaw) and will decide on one of two surgeons in next week. One is in Cali, one is in Dallas. I’m considering documenting this because this blog and everyone else’s had been helpful. Xo -Ash
February 10, 2016 at 6:43 pm
Ashley,
Who is the surgeon you’re considering in Dallas? I am from Dallas and just had my surgery here and was just wondering.
February 10, 2016 at 7:14 pm
Hi Ashley, that’s really unfortunate to hear that you have to tackle this surgery twice! I suppose the rest of us no longer have any reason to complain about our single surgeries, hehe.
Any idea when you’re scheduled for the second surgery?
February 9, 2016 at 5:13 pm
Bee here again, so I had my surgery yesterday 😨 I’m not in as much pain as I thought I would be but my face does hurt and the swelling is really bad… no bruising so that’s a plus but I’m just barely on day 1.
I was wondering if anybody has any advice on how to reduce swelling faster (besides the ice packs on my face which I apply religiously)…
I’m going back to work next week so any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
February 9, 2016 at 6:46 pm
Hey bee, today is two weeks post op for me. I was really tired after surgery so that’s good ur feeling okay. The swelling is gonna get worse by the third and fourth day and then is starts dramatically going down. I still had a lot of swelling after a week and I was really tired when I went back to school. Ensure helps a lot but it does not taste good
February 9, 2016 at 6:55 pm
Thanks Donna!
I got the chocolate and strawberry Ensure and the taste is ok but the price is ridiculous!! I’m in college almost $12 for like 8 tiny bottles i think it is is heartbreaking! 😢 I’ve heard about swelling getting really bad on the 4th day a lot I’m like nooo how much worse can it get?! I’m barely in day 1 and already want to be out and about 😧 hope your recovery goes good!
February 8, 2016 at 11:06 am
Hi, I had double jaw surgery on the 13th of January, on Feb. 4th I was un-wired and I was given bands. Did you suffer any pain on one side of your jaw when doing jaw exercises? Is this normal? Thank you
February 8, 2016 at 11:56 pm
Hi Alicia, feeling a bit of pain when doing jaw exercises is normal. As long as the pain is not chronic and only occurs when you are stretching your jaw, all should be well. This pain should subside as your muscles regain some of their strength and elasticity.
That being said, it you are feeling the pain even when you are not doing the exercises, you may want to give your surgeon a call for some peace of mind. 😊
February 3, 2016 at 10:21 pm
I have a question I had a double jaw surgery but didn’t like the way I look can I get a second jaw surgery please reply thank you
February 5, 2016 at 10:32 pm
Adrian, most surgeons recommend this operation to correct breathing and chewing difficulties and consider the aesthetic benefits an added bonus. If you are still recovering from your surgery, remember that your swelling will have a dramatic impact on your appearance and can cause your face to appear disproportionate and lopsided. Try to be patient and see how your feel about your appearance after 6 months of recovery.
March 18, 2018 at 3:10 am
Did you get a second surgery?
February 3, 2016 at 12:11 pm
Hi. It is Angie again. Post op 4 weeks and the surgeon has giving me the ok to remove my bands once a day. I am having a hard time getting them back on after taking them off. Almost to the point that it isn’t worth it. It is taking me 45 minutes to get the five bands reattached and the band that is attached to the screws in my bones in the center of my upper and lower jaw terrify me trying to hook them back. Also, I can barely fit a baby spoon in to try and get some mashed foods in and the roof of my mouth is still completely numb making it very difficult to swallow.
Any advice/tricks to reattaching the bands and how long before feeling returned to the roof of your mouth?
February 5, 2016 at 10:27 pm
Angie, I think I spent a full hour the first time I was trying to put my bands back in — very frustrating! However, you will be able to swap them in and out in mere seconds after about a week of practice. I promise it will become much less of a chore soon!
As for feeling returning to the roof of your mouth, that can take up to 3 months, so I wouldn’t worry about it just yet. You should notice a large portion of your feeling returning over the course of your second month of recovery.
February 10, 2016 at 6:16 am
Thank you Graham. Another question. I have started personal training again now at my energy level has returned. I noticed today that my front teeth are getting spaces between them. Of course I’m wondering if I’ve pulled something and jacked my teeth up or is this just normal and my orthodontist will pull them back together.
February 10, 2016 at 7:12 pm
If your front teeth are moving apart, that likely has something to do with your braces and elastics. I recommend calling your orthodontist and asking them if this is something you should be taking care of right now, or if it will be okay until your next appointment. 😁
February 3, 2016 at 10:27 am
Hey guys!
Obviously everyone will have their own experience, but this is mine and if it can help or reassure anyone going through the same thing, then great 🙂
I’m from the UK, and 1 week post op today for double jaw surgery with my 2 bottom wisdom teeth removed. I had braces for 3 years 3 months before the op. My experience so far has been highly positive.
I had an overbite, and my lower jaw was extended forward 9mm, and my upper jaw moved up 4mm (to fix a lot of visible gum when smiling). My stay in hospital lasted 4 days, mainly because I had to travel 4 hours from home, so they were keen to keep me in a little longer just to be 100% safe. I wasn’t wired shut, and didn’t have a splint or anything, my mouth was naturally open after the op and I had to make an effort to bite together.
The first 3 or 4 days are definitily the scariest, the main things I’d tell people to be aware of are that your nose will be filled with clotted blood, and you will not be able to breathe through it no matter how hard you try, you just have to try and forget about your nose and concentrate on breathing through your mouth. You will have a hard time swallowing and will feel like you constantly have gunk stuck at the back of your throat which is extremely scary, as it can feel like you can’t breathe and / or are about to choke. The other main thing to be aware of is, your Uvula (the little dangly bit of flesh at the back of your throat) will swell to about twice the length (if not more) and it will be scary, it will feel like you constantly have something stuck in your throat, and it will lie on the back of your tongue which is very annoying, I kept thinking I was going to rip it off when coughing, but was assured this wasn’t going to happen.
I had to call the doctor one night because I was genuinely scared for my life, but he just kind of smiled (you know that smile where you know he’s heard it a thousand times and it’s ridiculous, but still totally understandable why people get scared) and told me I was in no danger at all, it’s just a very unpleasant and scary experience. If this happens to you, my number 1 tip is to try and relax as much as possible and take big long deep breaths through your throat and remember it will be over in a few days.
Pain… The pain wasn’t as bad as I was expecting, I was given a morphine drip with a button to press, but I only used it about 5 or 6 times in the first day, and I think that was just mostly just because I could. The worst part I found was the tightness of the swelling, which will kick in around 2 or 3 days post op. Overall, I would say the pain isn’t anything to panic about, it’s more uncomfortable and frustrating than painful, and after 1 week, I could easily stop my painkillers.
Diet… I had only water for the rest of the day after my op, and I wanted to stick to water because I was scared of choking, but the nurses were quite keen to get me eating the next morning, so I had a yoghurt and some soggy milky Weetabix, there was nothing to worry about, just take your time. I stuck to mainly liquids (and still am) like soup, milk (milk is great, because it has protein, carbs and fat) milky porridge, and I’m about to get some custard, yoghurts, milkshakes and hot chocolate (come to think of it, I could stay on this diet easily haha!). Don’t forget to drink lots of water, and a great thing you can add to lots of stuff is ground flaxseed, it’s a superfood that’s great for you.
So, that’s my experience so far, If anyone has any questions, fire away and I’ll do my best to answer, best of luck to everyone, break a jaw! 🙂
Callum.
February 3, 2016 at 10:44 am
Hey 🙂
You have had exactly what I have had , I had the same amount moved and what not I had mine back in November 🙂 swelling is still apparent , I’m wondering if you have had any issues with smell or pain/ache in your top jaw since it had been moved up which is currently what I’m experiencing post op 3 months later :/
February 6, 2016 at 12:50 am
Louise, I do not have any pain in my upper jaw or smell. I have pain in my lower jaw, mainly around the ears. I get spams.
The area of my mouth seem protrude, no sure if it swollen or it is how is going to be. I am exactly 3 months after my double jaw surgery. Any advice or thoughts would be appreciate it
February 26, 2016 at 9:56 am
Hi Louise.
That’s me now 4 weeks post op, I have noticed that my smell isn’t too great, and my nose is still a little clogged, I have to blow at least once a day, usually more. The ache in my jaw is almost completely gone, and most of the pain is in my teeth and gums. Graham does say to give it 6 months until worrying about anything that you think might be long term, so I wouldn’t worry yet 🙂
February 3, 2016 at 11:56 pm
Callum, I have the same problem of overbite, double jaw surgery, lower jaw move fwd 6 mm, my upper move up 4 mm, are you happy with your appearance? My nose is now shorter and my face is bigger/ square . I had a very feminine face. It s now 3 months…
February 4, 2016 at 1:29 am
I have the same issue with my nose , it looks more bigger at the end then it used to like its all been squashed up
February 4, 2016 at 2:55 am
Thanks Louise. I had my surgery 3 months ago. I do have my nostril larger, the area before my upper lip seem a bit protruded, my face has change in ways I do not like it. I wish I went to a doctor that did computer imaginary. I chat with my doctor and he said to wait that the bone is remodeling itself. I have braces still and the surgeon said that all will change when I take my braces off. Do you have the same experience?
Re pain, I do have some in my left ear, still trying to open my mouth beyond 2 fingers, hard to do where I am still wearing the elastic a at night.
February 4, 2016 at 3:20 am
With regards to my face shape I’m defiantly more happy with how I look now then how I looked before, however my nostrils have also become larger as you say yours have and my bite isn’t quite centre , it looks like my chin is at a slight angle ? I was unhappy at first as I felt my chin was huge lol but then once more of the swelling has started to go down it doesn’t look as bad. However I didn’t really have a chin before so I guess it just takes some getting used to ?
I had my elastics taken off as I get my braces removed next month but I still can’t open my mouth that much and it hurts to yawn, as well as I can’t chew very well on one side
February 26, 2016 at 9:59 am
Hi Anamur.
I’m pretty happy with my appearance so far, although there’s a little swelling still, the main differences are my bottom jaw is further forward, and my nose is a bit wider because of the top being further up (I was told about this pre op)
Callum.
February 2, 2016 at 11:09 am
Will I Have To Stay Out Of Work All Of The Three Months?
February 2, 2016 at 11:55 am
Not really!, you probably be out 2/3 weeks depending upon your progress. What you can’t do is any physical activity for at least 6 weeks. No lifting, no running but that will be dictated by your Doctor..
I was out of work for exactly 3 weeks, it has been 7 weeks since I had surgery and continue to heal every day.
February 3, 2016 at 7:44 am
I had surgery on November 11 and I am still out. My bite is not adjusting correctly.
February 3, 2016 at 12:33 pm
I worked from home the second week and returned to work the third week.
February 1, 2016 at 11:28 am
Hi I’m thinking about getting the jaw surgery but very nervous about the end result my main problem is my teeth but now I have also noticed my profile I have a longer bottom jaw class 3 and they want to move my top jaw in place. I’m really worried incase I don’t like how I look after surgery as my case isn’t serve and trying to make a decision as to what to do. !!!
February 1, 2016 at 11:48 am
Holly, I am in the same boat as you. But I’m too the point where I’m definetly thinking I will like change. I also have a class 3 underbite. If you are on facebook you should join the “we need/got jaw surgery”. It has helped me a lot. You can ask questions and see other peoples before and afters!
February 10, 2016 at 6:51 am
Hi,
I can relate as I wasn’t sure id like how I look. I had my surgery done on the 16th of January and at first I was so depressed (which is expected ) because I was so swollen and couldn’t recognise myself. Im just over 3 weeks and doing so much better, the swelling has gone down and I really think my appearance has changed for the better. Good luck!
February 26, 2016 at 10:47 am
Happy to hear that Yusraa, I am 8 days post op and I feel the same. I don’t recognise myself and its scary., like a stranger looking back at me with a weird face. You post has given me some hope. good luck with the rest of your recovery.
February 27, 2016 at 5:00 pm
Hi Nini,
I know this is hard but try not to judge your appearance yet. The first three weeks your swelling is still a lot, you won’t get an idea of how your face is going to look. Im 6 weeks post op and I really do look way better then before! I’m sure you’ll look feel the same. x
January 31, 2016 at 5:56 pm
Another question, how long are you generally in hospital for following the surgery?
January 31, 2016 at 6:06 pm
Hey, I had my double jaw surgery and 4 wisdom teeth pulled out at the time of surgery, it was on a wednesday and I left the hospital on a friday morning because there was a lot of blood in my stomach and I kept throwing it up so I didn’t want to go home until it was gone! I’ve heard many people generally stay for just one night though 🙂
February 1, 2016 at 12:31 am
Hi,
I stayed for 4 days but my surgeon says that most people leave after 2 days.
February 1, 2016 at 5:31 pm
Hi Clare
My 14 year old daughter broke her jaw on both side and fractured her chin, they put braces to hold her jaw in place and plates in her chin and was in hospital for a night that was 7 weeks ago. Last week she had surgery to remove 4 wisdom teeth, plates and braces taken out mouth full of stitches all this done under a general and came home same day. Doing really well.
January 31, 2016 at 5:52 pm
Hi everyone 🙂
My jaw surgery is coming up in April and I’m beginning to worry a bit about my mouth being wired shut! Simply because I have a constant blocked nose! But I was wondering if you’re still able to talk?
February 1, 2016 at 12:34 am
Hi,
I’m two weeks post surgery and it’s getting better everyday. Breathing is a bit hard but only for a bit, you can definitely still breathe though and you can talk but it’s not very clear. I got a white board which helped for the first week.
February 1, 2016 at 12:57 am
I have always slept with my mouth wide open, I was a hard mouth breather (mainly because if my underbite) so like you I was nervous but in my case (about 5cm of an underbite top and bottom jaw broke and realigned) they shut me up with hard bands. Even if they were wired I could still make noises my best friend could understand me sometimes you’re just numb but my breathing was fine my mouth was open just my teeth were more shut. Don’t worry honestly I’d do it all over if I had too.
January 30, 2016 at 9:48 am
hey I’m 16 and I just got my braces to start my journey on naw surgery. I’ll be getting it sometime this year but now sure of the exact date yet. I would just like to know how bad my bite will get during the braces?? before I had the bricks I could touch my bottom and top teeth and since the braces they don’t touch anymore and I can’t get them to touch. my orthodontist said this would happen but I wold like to know how bad my bite is going to get?
January 31, 2016 at 5:54 pm
Hi Jaime 🙂
I’ve had my braces for about 8 months now and your bite only seems worse because the whole purpose of the braces is to push your teeth towards the inside of your mouth so it’s going to seem different to you! However, everyone I’ve talked to has said they’ve noticed no change to my mouth at all
February 1, 2016 at 3:12 pm
Clare-
I mean I can definitely tell its worse because I can’t touch my bottom and top teeth together anymore I’m just over thinking it all and I don’t want my bite to get horribly bad, you know? but thanks for replying to me!! also I got my bottom braces on before my Tops and I’m supposed to only have braces for a year and a half but since I’m getting my tops on about two months after my bottoms does that mean I’ll have braces on for a longer period of time?! I hope not 🙁
February 1, 2016 at 8:01 pm
Hey girly, trust me there’s no need to worry about what you look like now because you’ll absolutely love your new look after surgery 😀 Just think of this….. your bite/teeth have to get worse before they get better!
I can’t be sure that you won’t have your braces on for a longer period of time but perhaps your bottom teeth needed to be moved quicker than your top teeth so they did that purposely? Only guessing but either way, the time that you have your braces on will fly by! x
January 29, 2016 at 7:35 am
Hey, I guess I’m one of the youngsters on this lol ( I’m only 17), I’m on 2weeks and 2 days since my surgery on Jan 13. My face swelling has gone down quite a bit, except for my top lip, it still seems really swollen. I don’t want to go back to school until my lips are a little less noticeable! How long did it take for your lips to go down?!
January 29, 2016 at 7:50 am
Hi Karime my daughter is 16 and she had the surgery 5 weeks ago. Her upper lip is still a bit swollen but I think that is really common. It is supposed to take up to 6 months for the swelling to completely dissipate. She has gotten used to the residual swelling knowing it will eventually go away. I know that’s not what you want to hear 😔.
February 2, 2016 at 1:00 pm
Swollen will be there for a while depending on person; what you can do though is what I was suggested, try heat patch around mouth a few times a day and to take vitamin B12 and Arnica wich promotes healing.
February 2, 2016 at 3:20 pm
graham please reply, cause I see you had your upper lip swollen too.
February 5, 2016 at 10:11 pm
Hi Karime! You can take a look at my daily mugshots to see the state of my lip on each day, but I believe my upper lip was noticeably swollen until about the 6-week mark. Hopefully your classmates can muster up the maturity to understand that you just had a really intense surgery. I know it’s tough to head out into public being so swollen, but remember that this is only temporary and you will be back to norman soon! 😉
January 28, 2016 at 10:50 am
Hey guys I’m 3rd day post op. Before the surgery I was so excited but now not so much 😳. I’m very swollen and can barley eat anything. And I’m really worried about how I’m gonna look. My fave looks so small. Also when did ur swelling start to go down?
January 28, 2016 at 6:54 pm
Hi Donna! Welcome to the club of jaw surgery lol The 1st week it’s the hardest so just hang in there the swelling peak is around the 3-5 days after surgery, try applying ice on every day and sleep elevated to help with the swelling! Drink plenty of water so you don’t get dehydrated also you could try apple juice… I’m 7 weeks post op of double surgery and my swelling went down around the 3rd week I still have some puffiness on the left side but is very minimal… Just hang in there your appearance will change slightly but for what I hear you will see the full results of your face In 6 months… I still feel weird about my appearance but I’m going to continue to be patient and see what I look like in 3 months and 6 months 😁
January 25, 2016 at 11:34 pm
*sigh* hi everybody! I’ve posted before but now my surgery is getting closer and closer and I’m getting more and more nervous. My name is Bee by the way ☺. My surgery is February 8th and I’m beyond scared. I am 22 years old and I’m in college and I started school last week and I’m very concerned on how long it will take before I am able to go back. I’m only taking one class but it’s human anatomy and it’s a lecture and a lab class so it’s like 3 hours long. My MAIN concern right now i think is how much time before i can go back to school? It’s only one class but it’s costing me a little over $200 so I’m scared I’ll be dropped from it if I miss so many classes. I’m also concerned about the swelling, may seem silly but I don’t want to look like a chipmunk lol I’m just scared of how I’ll look and how long I’ll look that way after surgery… is there anything I can do to minimize the swelling faster?
Oh also kissing, sex? How long before I can kiss how long before I can have sex (sorry if it’s TMI I went through a ton of these post and no one has asked or explained 😞 I’m just nervous super super nervous mostly, as shallow as it sounds, about my looks postopt…
January 26, 2016 at 8:42 am
hey girl! i got my double jaw surgery 3 weeks ago and Im 21..so I can relate to a lot of your questions. obviously, my experience might be different from what yours will be or what others have but here we go:
I only took 4 days off school and I was fine (Im taking 20 credits). I couldve gone back to school after 3 days but I added another day just to be sure. I was walking a little slower but it wasn’t bad. I didnt have any problems concentrating or falling asleep in class (maybe stop taking Percocet so you don’t get sleepy and just stick to ibuprofen for pain killers) the weird thing about jaw surgery is i was never actually in pain. half your face is pretty much numb so you wont feel anything pain-wise.
After the surgery, my lips were hugeeee. I did not know they could get that big haha! But the 4 days were enough to get my lips almost normal. the rest of my face was still swollen and barely anyone could recognize me (im very small so having a fat face made me unrecognizable) it’s gonna take a while for swelling to go down. im week 3 and i still have a lot. based on what ive read, most of the swelling goes down by week 6 but there will be residual swelling… whatever you look like at 6 months is your final face. i was a little worried too about how i looked. i still am but im just trying to be positive and tell myself that this is only temporary.
as for the kissing and sex haha! my bottom lip is still numb so it’s weird to kiss my boyfriend.. mostly just pecks (still cant open my mouth too big) and i dont see why you cant have sex. just take it slow and be gentle.
hope this helps!
January 26, 2016 at 8:50 am
Hi bee 😁 to answer your question about the sweeling everyone is different I’m going on my 7 week post of of double surgery and my swelling went down around the 3 week period, right now is gone only on my left side is still some areas that are puffy… Oh by the way I’m 35 yrs so since your younger you might recover faster 😁 I recommend you apply ice for the first days and sleep with your head elevated… I slept with my head elevated for 2weeks and right now I still sleep with 2 pillows but not as elevated as before! That help me.., as for kissing and sex 😝 I kiss my husband but is not the same since your numb hopefully in time if the numbing goes away it be back to normal. About sex 😊 let me tell you is also weird lol I got a little dizzy at first you will know when the right time is … It took me 6 weeks 😭 oh FYI also no one has mention but your menstrual cycle changes! Good luck on your surgery 😉
January 26, 2016 at 8:59 am
How does your menstrual cycle change?? I have to come off the pill to do the surgery.
January 26, 2016 at 9:06 am
Hi Roseanne 😁 when I went on my surgery on the 9 th of dec I was on my period and just last week I stared my period so I took longer to get it and my OS told me that some women don’t get there periods what so ever in till they recover but I did it just was very late lol so I guess every women would be different!
January 26, 2016 at 9:10 am
Wow, thanks that’s good to know bcuz I would’ve freaked if I was late.
January 20, 2017 at 8:40 pm
Got my period 4 days post op
January 28, 2016 at 4:03 am
Bee, thanks for asking the hard, yet oh-so-common, questions! I don’t know why I didn’t think of adding the kissing and sex timelines to this page — they are actually some of the most common questions I receive in person. Judging by the conversation spurred by your comment, it’s clearly an important topic. I’ll be sure to add it to this page very soon! 😄
October 3, 2016 at 8:47 pm
I’m 12 days post-op. I’m just now getting rid of the “this was the worst mistake of my life feeling” days 3-5 were the absolute worst for me and I completely regretted the surgery but now that the swelling is going down I’m much happier. I only have 2 elastics that I can take out when I eat. I can chew yet but I swallow Mac and cheese whole. I’m feeling ready to have sex again but my boyfriend is very reluctant because he doesn’t want to hurt me and this is hard for me. I’d say it’s all when you’re ready. I still get tired in the afternoon and don’t sleep at night. But everyone is different. My main concern for appearance is my nose getting bigger because my jaw wasn’t moved forward 4 mm. As far as I can tell I don’t think it’s wider but the swelling is still too much for me to tell. It turns up slightly now but I think it’s cute.
January 25, 2016 at 8:31 pm
Hey Graham,
I’m 21 years old and I’m scheduled for double jaw surgery in April. Ive been enjoying reading through your blogs so far very informative and quite funny at times. But I must say I’m absolutely terified of doing such a major surgery 😢. I’m also lactose intolerant so you could imagine I’m studying what will I be able to eat. Any tips on what made you not worry so much about how you’re going to feel or be after such a surgery??
January 26, 2016 at 2:33 pm
Hi Roseanne, my daughter had this surgery 5 weeks ago. In terms of getting through it, we just kept focusing on the “finish line” (she’s a runner so made sense!) because compared to her long journey to get to the point of surgery (we have known she would need the surgery since she was 9) surgery and recovery would go quickly! She was really looking forward to the end result – normal chewing, breathing and speech plus much improved profile – that she was able to look ahead instead of focusing on the unpleasantness of the surgery and recovery. I know it sounds oversimplified but it seemed to work for her. I was nervous but she was not! The no dairy thing is hard but if you can have soy milk then you have some options. Dairy was a pretty big source of her calories initially but there’s a lot you can do with alternatives for yogurt and pudding and for smoothies you can use coconut water and hemp protein powder with fruits or veggies. Good luck 👍👍
February 1, 2016 at 1:04 am
I had this surgery 4 years ago when I was 16. Honestly I was soooo nervous but after my 9 hours surgery I came out and wasn’t in any pain. The first night in the hospital is annoying you won’t sleep due to them coming and checking on you every second haha BRING A NOTE PAD you won’t regret it. My best friend went with me and understood almost everything I said post op 3 days. Everyone said she was magic hahaha. You’re going to be eating out if a food syringe most likely, you’d think blended food would taste the same? Me too Lmao but it doesn’t the texture made me hate it. I mainly drank special K shakes (strawberry banana BOMB) ALOT of chicken broth that was probably my most favorite thing. I tried blended spaghetti os but I guess I’m picking. About a month or so in I got my wires off and I had a little movably so I ate a lot of Mac and cheese. How I made you feel a little better.
February 5, 2016 at 10:19 pm
Alyshiah, great call on the notepad recommendation — not being able to communicate is so frustrating at first. Plus… you can pass the time with drawing, tic-tac-toe, and so on! 😄
January 23, 2016 at 6:07 am
Hi Graham,
So I’m on day 7 (yay! ) and it’s really getting easier everyday. My swelling is going down too but it looks like I have an overbite? Is that normal?
January 24, 2016 at 10:55 am
Yusraa, it is perfectly normal to feel like you have an overbite for the first couple of months. Part of the reason for this is that you’re not used to seeing yourself without an underbite and part of the reason is that your swelling accentuates your upper lip. Try not to worry about your appearance this early in the recovery. 😊
January 22, 2016 at 11:55 pm
Thanks for the reply Graham!
So i went to my 1st week appointment & my surgeon says on my next app (Feb. 1st) I’ll get my rubber bands on and will be able to eat soft foods like pasta and rice? When did you start eating soft foods? My swelling is almost all gone and my surgeon is surprised i can move mouth so much. He says im one of the very few ppl where he didnt see any nerves during surgery. Im only numb on my chin and bottom lip, ive also noticed i have a small gap between my bottom 2 teeth which allows me to drink from bowls and cups (-: The spasms on my chin are so annoying tho.
January 24, 2016 at 10:53 am
Brenda, this is good news! I wasn’t able to start eating soft food until I had my splint removed at the 7-week mark, so you are well ahead of me in terms of recovery speed. It sounds like you will be back to a fairly normal lifestyle within the first month or so! 😄
January 22, 2016 at 1:32 pm
Hi Graham so I’m 6 weeks post op and my nose feels very tight!! Also it’s hard to smell things.. Is that normal??? Also I can’t open my mouth I’m doing open/close excercise but I still can’t get it to open 1 finger, any tips on how to get it to open more lol thank you for all of your tips and advice it has made my experience a lot better 😁
January 22, 2016 at 1:42 pm
Hi, just though I’d answer your Q with the nose, I had my op in November and my nose felt exactly the same till about mid/late December , even now it still feels a bit weird or swollen but the tightness does go and your smell starts to come back, I don’t no about you but when I could smell it always smelt really funky lol
January 21, 2016 at 2:15 pm
Hi Graham!
I just got my double jaw surgery last month. Im currently 2 weeks post op. I find that it’s easier to drink through a straw (especially since my bottom lip is still numb) but I don’t know if Im actually not allowed to use straws. I tried to google it but I got different results.. what do you think?
January 21, 2016 at 6:17 pm
Hi ML, the reason you’re encouraged to avoid straws for the first month is because using a straw creates suction in your mouth and sometimes that suction can pop your stitches out and re-open wounds. I recommend trying to drink from a glass without using a straw for a couple more weeks to give your mouth time to close all of the surgical wounds. However, if you choose to go ahead and use straws anyway, be sure to drink very slowly and certainly let your pain be your guide. Good luck!