Recovery Timeline

Following is a brief timeline of important events regarding recovery from double jaw surgery. If you only had a single jaw operated on, your recovery will be much quicker than this.

Keep in mind that every person recovers at a different pace, and also that every surgeon has their own agenda during the recovery process. This is simply the sequence of important events that took place during my personal recovery.

Day 0 (Surgery)

  • You’ll be eating/drinking through a syringe
  • You’ll be unable to sleep very much
  • You may be freezing all night long due to the ice packs wrapped around your face
  • You’ll feel extremely weak
  • You won’t be able to talk
  • You will drool constantly (but you’ll have the suction tube in the hospital to take care of that)
  • Lots of blood will be churning up inside your nose, mouth and throat
  • Your jaw will randomly spasm (and it will be painful)

Day 1

  • Swelling will begin

Day 3

  • Swelling will peak
  • Your bowels will start working again around this time

Day 5

  • Feeling will begin to return to parts of your face
  • Swelling will start to decrease

Day 7 (1 week)

  • You’ll be able to move your mouth a bit easier, so your talking will become more understandable
  • At your 1-week appointment, you’ll be able to brush your teeth, both inside and out (and it will feel amazing)

Day 10

  • Drooling won’t be as rampant any longer
  • You’ll regain slight control over your lips

Day 14 (2 weeks)

  • Most of the swelling will be gone
  • You’ll be able to start drinking from a cup (although it may be messy at first)
  • You can probably remove a few of the elastics clamping your teeth together, so talking will become infinitely more simple
  • Sleeping through the night should no longer be a problem

Day 15

  • Your elastics will start snapping daily, due to your rapid increase in speaking

Day 18

  • Your breath will become bearable again, due to the fact that you’ve been eating different foods and brushing more often

Day 21 (3 weeks)

  • Your energy will start to come back. Take advantage of it! Go for walks and take your bike out for a spin.

Day 22

  • You’ll be receiving substantial feeling back in your upper lip and cheeks. Your nose, lower lip and chin, however, will remain completely numb.

Day 28 (4 weeks)

  • Talking will hardly be an issue any longer. If you have a splint/bite plate in, you’ll sound ridiculous, but people will be able to understand you.
  • Your desire to be social and spend time with people will return in full force. Make sure you take advantage of it, and remember that your friends are not judging you.

Day 29

  • Feeling will begin to return to your lower lip and chin. That feeling will come in the form of pins and needles, but you’ll appreciate it regardless. If no feeling has returned to these parts yet, don’t worry. Surgeons say that it make take up to 90 days for feeling to begin coming back.

Day 31 (1 month)

  • If your elastics are off, you’ll be able to speak quite well by now
  • You won’t drool or spill any longer while eating

Day 32

  • You’ll have most of your normal energy back by now
  • You’ll begin to feel like you’re ready to take life on again. Be warned though: you’re not quite there yet. Give it another month before you go crazy.

Day 38

  • More patches of feeling will return to your chin and lower lip
  • You should no longer have to wear elastics during the day

Day 42 (6 weeks)

  • You should be able to drink through a straw quite easily by now

Day 45

  • Most of your stitches should have dissolved by now

Day 49 (7 weeks)

  • If you had a splint in, it should definitely be removed by now
  • Be prepared to readjust back into the world of orthodontics

Day 56 (8 weeks)

  • You should be able to eat with a small spoon or fork again
  • Licking your lips should be no problem at this point

Day 58

  • You’ll most likely be allowed to blow your nose again. Be gentle, though, because you don’t want to pop a blood vessel.

Day 70 (10 weeks)

  • If you haven’t been able to eat solid food yet, start now. Even if the task of eating involves mashing soft food up against the roof of your mouth, do it anyway. You’ll never gain your strength back on liquid alone.

Day 84 (12 weeks)

  • You should enjoy the freedom of eating just about anything you want by now
  • Consider practising whistling in order to break up the scar tissue that’s sure to be keeping your upper lip from enjoying its full range of motion

Day 90 (3 months)

  • Your three months have finally come to an end! Enjoy eating, breathing and smiling to their full effect.
  • Changes will be fairly slow from this point forward. The results you find yourself with at the 6-month mark will most likely be the results you’ll live with for the rest of your life.

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1740 Comments

  1. Wow what a great blog. Ive been reading this ever since i had surgery last Thursday (June 7) reading this always brings my spirits up:) I had upper jaw surgery only so I don’t even want to imagine how Miserable I would have been had I had both.
    The thing that is killing me the absolute most is not being able to eat! My meals consist of juice, milk, soup, oatmeal and some fruits (all in a blender and then again through a siv or else it won’t go through my teeth) and of course with a syringe:(
    I cannot wait to be able to eat again. I had two appointments so far, both all he did was looked for an infection and gave me my
    Next appointment date. I have an appointment this Monday so Heres hoping I get some elastics off… *sigh*
    The swelling is also quite frustrating since its pretty much right up to my eye sockets!:/
    For pain I don’t have much. I only take the pain meds half the time, and I cannot wait until I’m done taking liquid calcium (yuck)
    Cannot wait to be able to speak as well as right now everything’s pen and paper or text. LOL some of my mumbling can be made out but not much.
    I was so frustrated the one night I started crying. Bad idea because then I almost couldn’t breathe with my Mouth shut and nose stuffy!
    Oh I need a time machine scheduled for months ahead:'(

  2. Just had my surgery and I went really well. Still VERY swollen and numb but I can already tell its going to look good. Anybody know when I might get the splints?

  3. Tara, the surgery is most certainly more taxing if you have children to raise and a job to attend to. Hopefully your energy returns within the next few weeks.

    “Take care. Be gentle.” That’s a beautiful way to sign off, and one that I can agree with. Good luck during your final month of recovery!

  4. I am at 8 weeks post op and am recovering slowly but surely. I still tire quite easily, though, and am surprised (and disappointe)by that. I can do a half day of work before I need to rest/nap/crash.

    Thank you for the extensive timeline! My teeth feel sore when I try to chew food (even rice) but I will start pushing myself more within the next couple of weeks.

    I am not at a point where I would recommend the procedure to anyone yet – maybe in another 2 months? 6 months? A year? It’s been really draining for me but I’m a mom and 44 years old. If I’d had it done 20 years ago when I was told I needed it, maybe it would have been a much easier experience. I know I’m not alone in being 40-something and having this done, though!

    Good luck to everyone. Take care. Be gentle.

    😀
    Tara

  5. Hehe, the splint definitely represents on of the most frustrating experiences of my life to date.

    Remember, though: This, too, shall pass. (And when it does, you’ll be smiling approximately 30 hours per day!)

  6. Thoughts on splints: they are from the devil.

    Right now, I cannot even fathom how I’m going to endure another 6 weeks with these on. It feels like I have gigantic pieces of steak stuck between every teeth. It’s not painful, just really really really uncomfortable and frustrating.

    GAHHHHHHH

  7. Hi Julia,

    You shouldn’t be in too much pain following surgery due to the lack of feeling altogether. This is a good thing.

    What you should expect is frustration. You won’t be able to eat solid food or speak for a few weeks, so make sure you have a good TV series to watch and ensure you go for walks outside every single day.

    It’s primarily a waiting game, and your sharpest blade will be keeping busy.

    Good luck!

  8. I’m 16 and I’m having jaw surgery on both the upper and lower mandible in a few days, I was just wondering what I would feel right after surgery because I’m kindve scared about the pain and how uncomfortable it will be. I have cleft lip and palate so I’m used to surgeries, but this one will be my most serious one and hopefully my last one.
    Thanks!

  9. Got back from my first post-op follow up today! When I look at myself in the mirror, my bite looks crooked, but the x-rays today showed that my bite, is indeed, now aligned. This reassures me. I guess after all the swelling is gone and the splint comes off, the last bit of fine tuning will be done with some more orthodontics.

    Right now, it just feels like a waiting game…I’m watching Food Network to vicariously satisfy my hunger…I’m not sure why I’m doing that to myself even as my mouth starts to water and drool.

  10. Hey Lydia,

    I had my braces on for 6 months following surgery. They recommend a year, but I was leaving the country so I had them removed early.

    Cheers!

  11. Hi Debbie,

    I, like you, was on a liquid diet for 6 — 8 weeks. It’s the extreme, for sure, but it’s not unheard of.

    Your feeling will return but it may take between 2 and 3 months. It’s frustratingly slow, but that’s all part of the recovery.

    As for the frequency of visits with your surgeon, waiting the full three months does indeed seem spacious. I saw my surgeon at the 1-week, 2-week, 1-month, 2-month, and 3-month marks. Mind you, the only useful one of those appointments was when he removed my splint at the 2-month mark.

    If you feel the need to see your surgeon more often, then by all means, book an appointment. Your recovery will run its course naturally, however, so you may not need to.

    Play it by feeling, as always. =)

  12. Thanks so much for this! I get my surgery July 20th!! I’ll be a senior next year in high school and was wondering how long you had braces on after the surgery! Thanks 🙂

  13. Hi Graham,

    Firstly I’d just like to say thank you for all the time and effort you have put in to keep the likes of myself informed on the trials and tribulations of double jaw surgery. I’ve found your updates very informative and really helpful. I’m day 19 post surgery and gradually feeling better. The worst things for me are the elastics and the numbness. I noticed some sensation returning to my cheeks after about 10 days but only a little and since then it doesn’t feel like it’s improving at all.

    When I met the surgeon one week post op, I was told I’d be on liquids only for at least another 6 to 8 weeks, not sure why some of us are liquid only for so long when others are eating soft food within a few weeks.

    Question – How often did you meet with your surgeon post op? I saw mine one week post op but at the end of the appointment he dsud he would see me in 3 months time. Does that sound normal? I met with my orthodontist last week and I’m going back again tomorrow, dreading what they might do as I’m still very tender.

    I had my lower jaw moved forward by 5mm on one side and 10 mm on the other side (not sure how that works) and my top jaw was lowered 3mm and the whole jaw rotated slightly. Most people don’t understand why I did it, they all said I looked fine before but I was very concious of my overbite and I had a lot of discomfort, not to mention the difficulty biting!

    Debbie from Scotland

  14. Hi Joe,

    I personally wouldn’t want to fly on the fourth day due to intense pressure in your face and a severe lack of energy, but if your surgeon said it’d be okay, than perhaps it will be. Make sure you’re prepared for some uncomfortable pressure during your flight, though. It won’t bring you to your knees or anything, but you’ll probably be a little frustrated during the flight.

    As for follow-up appointments, I only found the first two of them useful. During the first checkup at one week, my bands were removed for a few minutes so I could brush and floss. At the two-week checkup, I was given the go-ahead to start living life again using pain as my guide.

    I’d say you’re okay on both accounts, my friend. Let me know how the flight goes. I’m interested to see if my thoughts are at all accurate. =)

  15. Hi Crystal,

    That’s somewhat bizarre that you’re experiencing pain a full 8 weeks post-op. My only guess is that you’re reacting adversely to the titanium they used to bolt your bone back together.

    I would call your surgeon and be adamant that your pain is uncomfortable and ask to have an x-ray performed to ensure that your screws and plates are all where they should be.

    Good luck and I hope you get this taken care of as soon as you can so you can relax once again.

  16. Hi Graham,

    Do you think it would be okay to get on a plane after the 4th day? I’m in a weird situation where I have to fly out to Vancouver to get my surgery since I live up north where there aren’t any oral surgeons. I can’t spend too much time down in Vancouver, though, so I have to fly back up as soon as possible. My doctor said I should be okay since the flight is only about an hour long, but I guess I’m still a little wary.

    Also, since I live quite far from where my doctor is located, I won’t be able to get post-op follow ups as frequently as I’d like to. I have one scheduled 2 days after the surgery and then he intends to have me see my orthodontist for the next month until he comes up to where I live to do a follow up (but this will be about a month and half later). How often were your follow ups?

    Thanks!

  17. Hello everyone, I have read quite a bit of the blog. I have had upper and lower jaw done as well as chin. I am about 8 weeks into my recovery and I have not had one day that has been pain free. I don’t seem to be responding to any pain meds. I have all feeling back…or at least pins and needles, but I have a constant burning pain in my face. Can anyone else relate to this? I am losing hope here and getting very frustrated, besides exhausted.

  18. Hi Sara,

    It will take approximately three months for your bone to heal and another few months for your jaw movement to return to normal.

    I’ve never heard of anyone not waking up from this surgery, so you should be good to go!

  19. Hi Nick,

    I apologize for not getting back to your sooner. I totally missed your question!

    I’m not too sure when it’s safe to smoke again. You certainly want to avoid infectious substances at all costs, so I’d hold off for at least 5 – 6 weeks before having a cigarette.

    I’d play it safe and give your surgeon a call. Since I’m not a smoker myself, I can provide too much useful information in that regard.

  20. Went to the surgeon I’m going to use? Terrified. how long does he surgery last ? For a double top and bottom jaw? And no one has ever not woken up .. Right? I hate hospitals!!

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