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.

Want to connect with other jaw heroes?

Recovering from jaw surgery can be lonely. That's why many of us hang out in a Facebook group where we support each other leading up to surgery and during recovery. There are hundreds of people from all over the world chatting right now and it's free to join.

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1739 Comments

  1. justpartofthecrowd

    January 4, 2013 at 12:36 pm

    Hi,

    Even though I’ve had a slightly different surgery ( emergency broken jaw ) reading through the comments on this site has been helpful.

    I’ve had surgery for 2 breaks of my lower jaw, and it’s now 7 days after surgery. The biggest problem I have is that the numbness of the lip and chin went away quickly on the right hand side of the mouth, but not the left… So now when I talk or attempt smile, my mouth is completely offsided, to the point where scare myself in the mirror…

    wondering whether anyone reading this blog had this experience? I know the break was worse on one side of the jaw than the other…

    • Ralph, your speech and smile will be back in order once the rest of your numbness goes away (obviously). My lack of feeling was fairly consistent, so I can’t relate to your case, but I assure you that it will go away. I don’t think there’s anything you can do to help speed up the process, though. Much of your feeling should return over the next two weeks, so you shouldn’t have to deal with it for too much longer.

  2. Phew, what a ride. I’m on day 17 and just had my second follow-up appointment. I must say I’m quite happy that I can open my mouth and got my elastic bands. But what I’m most excited about is that my splint is removed! I feel extremely lucky! My surgeon says I’m better off without the splint. But even though it’s off and I got the ok to eat soft foods, it’s really really frustrating. It’s so hard to try to chew and you can only open your mouth so much. But hey, at least it’s a drastic improvement from previous weeks. Oh yeah, and brushing your teeth is definitely a bonus. How was it for you Graham when you were able to eat soft foods? Was it hard at first? My surgeon says after about a week I should be able to chew soft foods fairly well but I just can’t wait! I still feel like I’m on a liquid diet :/

    • Steven, you’re so lucky that you’re already splint-free! I found it quite strenuous to eat soft foods at first, but the strength in your jaw comes back quickly. Start with pasta and soup and you’ll quickly graduate to other foods from there. Enjoy your rediscovered fresh breath!

  3. Quick update on the October 5 Issue #2 I posted about: Just had surgery this morning to correct a deviated septum that was exacerbated by the jaw surgery and caused me trouble breathing. The surgery was unpleasant, but recovery is clearly going to be SO MUCH faster and easier than the jaw surgery recovery. Glad to have it over with, and despite the blood and snot I can already breathe through my right nostril better than I have been able to for months! Yay.

    Should know more about Issue #1 after I get my braces off in May. But at least I can use a straw now.

    • Jamie, I’m happy to hear that you can breathe again! Followup surgeries are never fun, but at least they are making your life a little more pleasant each time. Have a very merry Christmas!

  4. Hi Graham! I just had my double jaw surgery on December 11th for my over bite. It’s been a week and I feel like I’m recovering quickly. The first few days were definitely the worst. I had a lot of trouble breathing, but I took hot showers and the blood came out from there. I also use Saline Nasal Mist. Now my nose is completely cleared. I also have no pain what so ever. I get tingling in my chin but that’s all. My swelling has went down a lot but now I have bruises on my neck. When do those go away? Also I have a lot of trouble sleeping at night. Is there anything that can help with that? One more question. Did anyone find that their hair was falling out? I have really long hair and everytime I run my fingers through it, I get a hand full of hair. I’m scared I’m going to lose my hair. Thanks 🙂 this blog makes me a lot more positive about the process.

    • Hi Krystyna! Welcome to week two of your recovery.

      I, personally, did not experience any bruising, but others have told me that it usually last for 2–4 weeks, depending on your skin. It will go away fairly soon, though.

      As for sleeping, there’s honestly no quick fix for this. Heat packs will help relax your face, but at the end of the day, you may have difficulty sleeping for another week or so. You should be resting through the night without any issues by the third week, though!

      I haven’t met anyone who has lost hair as a result of the surgery yet. Are you stressed out about your recovery, by chance? I’ve heard stress can have odd effects on the body, such as hair loss, random sickness, and so on. Maybe try going for a walk, listening to music you enjoy, or busying yourself with books and television to take your mind off of the moment-to-moment recovery and see if that helps. =)

  5. Wow, this is an amazing site. I just had double jaw surgery as well as chin surgery on November 22nd, 2012. Today is the 3 week mark. As everyone else is saying, the first two weeks were horrendous! But everyday is getting a little bit better. I’m still eating with pureed food and not chewing at all. I can’t wait till I can start eating soft food, I thought it’d be at the two week mark but apparently not.
    It’s really nice to read so many thoughts from others who know whats it feels like to go through this. It definitely helps me keep going since sometimes I feel like the numbness and swelling is never going to go away.
    Thanks for all the info!

    • Elizabeth, being confined to a liquid diet is incredibly frustrating, isn’t it? Just know that many of us have been through this same battle and it does get better. Looking forward to you arriving at the other side of it! =)

  6. Graham

    As a parent of a three-day out upper and lower, splint, rubber bands, etc. young woman, this blog has been such a help. I hope I can get my daughter to read it and know that she has a lot of company — who knew — certainly not I. I am now more encouraged and taking to heart everyone’s experiences and hope this will help me help my daughter through some rough times.

    Thanks Graham and everyone who has and will comment.

    • Claudia, I hope your daughter is managing to find something to smile about each day during this initial part of her recovery. Send her my warmest wishes!

  7. I had posted a few comments earlier this summer, back when I thought that I’d be having surgery in August. Unfortunately, when I went to donate blood on my own behalf (I did ultimately need to receive my own blood during my double jaw/ septoplasty last week), my iron was very low. That threw me into a side- story whirlwind of fun, including 5 weeks of iron IV treatments administered in a room at the hematologist/ oncologist office. (I keep remembering the faces of the chemo patients I spent time with there, and that makes me glad I’m alive an on the recovery road!). Next, just to be sure, I was subjected to a colonoscopy, endoscopy, and biopsy – nope, no gastric issues. More tests, more bloodwork, and finally I was able to donate blood and schedule surgery again.

    I’m 31 and have been waiting to have this since I was 16, so after all the unexpected delays this fal, I couldn’t really and truly believe that surgery would actually happen – the numbness, tingling, and aching in my face assure me that it did. Oh yeah, and the drool. 🙂

    Anyway, now that the first 9 days of recovery are complete, I finally have the focus to leave a comment. I already have read this blog forward and backward, but now I check each morning to see what Graham’s words of wisdom might be for the day ahead. Invaluable!!! :). Thanks so much for your humorous, thorough log of your recovery, and for sharing it with us!!

    My jaw is completely wired shut right now, but I cannot wait to eat, smile, and talk normally again in the near future! :):)

    Time for some more food dreams – I’ve been eating quite a lot in my dreams lately, for some odd reason….;)

    • Hi Rachel!

      I can’t help but smile when I hear stories like your own. It’s usually a very rocky path towards having the surgery performed and it sounds like you encountered nearly every obstacle possible.

      I’m happy to hear that the operation itself is now behind you and you’re on your way to a brand new smile! I wish you all the best over the next few months and pray that you find the energy and drive to get through it with no issues. =)

  8. Well I have my surgery date scheduled for Feb.22/13. My husband has to go back up north for work 5 days after surgery and then I will be home alone with two dogs. I’m just wondering if I should fly my mom out west ( she lives in Nova Scitia) or if I would be ok on y own?

    • Terry, you should be alright on your own after 5 days. You’ll be frustrated (and potentially lonely), but if you find some good television shows to watch and take those trusty dogs for a walk a few times each day, I think you’ll make it through just fine. =)

  9. Hey Graham I’ve got another question. Have you had any problems with any relapse of your jaw? My surgeon usually puts in slightly less tight bands in at my next appointment. I’ve had such big movements of my jaw during surgery, my underbite was huge (like a whole centimeter or more further out than the top jaw). He said the more he moves the jaw, the bigger chance of relapse. I oped to just be banded tightly shut for 6 weeks instead of gradually loosened throught those 6 weeks out of fear of relapse. Now, after just over a week, I’m wondering if I’m just being paranoid or if my being banded tight for 6 weeks versus the usual protocol after BSSO and LeForte 1 will even make a difference. I don’t wanna have to go through this surgery again lol

    • Ricky, I was warned about relapse of my jaw as well, but it didn’t turn out to be an issue for me. The human body will want to revert to its natural state following any operation, so doctors and surgeons must be careful not to perform surgeries which are too extreme. I was banded 24/7 for 9 months following surgery (including the 3-month recovery period). If you wear your bands accordingly, you shouldn’t have any problem with relapse.

  10. I am so glad I found your blog. This blog is seriously relieving me of any worries I might encounter on my surgery. My surgery is in 6 days and I’m trying to figure out everything I can before I go in. Is there any other suggestions you might recommend for people going into and the first few struggling days after?

    • Steven, glad to have you on board! My only suggestions are to make sure you’ve got a healthy supply of Ensure and smoothie ingredients for those first few days post-op. Don’t fret about the operation, though. You’ll emerge on the other side with a smile on your face. =)

  11. I had no idea there was a community of people out there going through this same surgery. Good work Graham. I’m 7 days out post opp. Feel great. I’ve actually been able to go totally drug free. I didn’t want to deal with the constipation, head aches, and inability to do for myself. I’ve been lucky enough to be fairly pain free. there has been some discomfort for sure but nothing that cant be tempered with some ice.

    • Justin, we’re glad you found us! Also happy to hear you’re already a week out. If you’re finding the recovery easy already, the rest of this trip will be no trouble at all for you.

      p.s. I checked out your art portfolio—nice work!

  12. Thank you for the reply Graham, you have no clue how encouraging this whole website has been to me. I go to the surgeon in two days, hopefully he may give some good news. He didn’t wire me shut but the bands are so tight I cannot open my mouth AT ALL, my teeth are basically locked together. Since my bite was so bad the surgeon was afraid my jaw would relapse back to an underbite because of the pressure from all the swelling so he made my bands super tight while my swelling goes down and the bones heal. Once again, thank you so much and I’ll definitely post a finishe product once this is all over with.

  13. Hi Graham,

    I really enjoy your blog! Thank you so much for posting your journey.

    I’m a Canadian university student as well and I’m getting a double jaw surgery in May. Unfortunately, I have four classes take in the summer session (May-August). From your experience, at what time post-surgery is it possible to go to classes and study? After the 2nd or 3rd week?

    • Christina, I felt capable of studying (or, more appropriately, focusing) after about 2.5 weeks. However, I couldn’t speak clearly until approximately 5 weeks had passed by. You’ll probably be unable to go to class for the first 2–3 weeks, though, so if you think you can play major catchup after that, you should be okay.

  14. Hi Graham, I’ve been reading your blog since my surgery and its been a big encouragement. I’m day 4 post op after double jaw for and underbite and I have zero numbness anywhere. I can feel everything from my cheeks, nose, lips, inside my mouth and out, my chin, neck, everything. Apparently I got lucky on the nerve damage aspect. The only bad thing is my face feels like its about to pop with all the swelling. How did you force all the ensure down during this time? I feel so weak cuz I’m a skinny guy as it is. I’ve been trying to force 1000 calories and 1000 mL of water a day like you did and I’m still alive, just miserable.

    • Ricky, that’s pretty amazing that you already have all of your feeling back. You must have an incredibly talented surgeon (or incredibly robust nerves, haha).

      As for the swelling, I know exactly what you mean. The only wisdom I can share with you is to have patience. Eating and drinking were actually a chore for those first couple of weeks until the swelling began to dissipate. I wasn’t able to eat enough calories or drink enough water for about the first week because I was simply too exhausted. However, life will get easier for you very soon. Honestly, within a few more days, your swelling will start to decrease quite quickly and you’ll be able to drink fluids with no trouble at all.

      Patience, my friend! Patience, patience, patience! =)

  15. and also! applying ice and heat to your face everyday for 20 minutes 3 times a day makes a HUGE dfference, and if you are feeling up for it, try go for walks as this helps your circulation to work better, hence making the swelling going down fast! if you dont want anyone to see your mask like figure try going early in the morning, walks make you realise that everyday gets brighter and it puts your mind into a whole new perspective as well as helping the swelling go down dramatically!! Massaging the face also helps!!
    Thankyou again Graham and sorry to barge in with my information and tips just thought id share 🙂

    • Tayla, I’m so happy all my silly stories and random writing provided some comfort and encouragement for you! I found the most difficult part of the recovery was mental, not physical. It’s incredible what positive thinking can do, hey? =)

  16. Hi Graham 🙂

    I am a week post op from having double jaw surgery. My top jaw was broken into 4 parts as that was necessary to correct my bite. However, I had jaw surgery due to being born with a cleft lip and palate! I would really just like to say that your blog has kept me sane for this week and has provided me with so much useful information that has helped my recovery! For anyone reading this a few days post op and feeling absolutely miserable, Graham is absolutely right, things get 100% better, my first few days were horrible with a lack of sleep and lack of motivation to keep going as I have already had so many surgeries but all I can say it keep your chin up high and realise that you are not going to regret this when you have an amazing new smile! I had times during my recovery where I was very down and regretted everything but through the help of friends and family, it is possible to get through it. If you have a healthy and happy attitude, believe it or not, this mind set tricks your body into thinking that you are a fast healer! I am a week post op and most of my swelling has already gone down and I am getting my splint removed in 2 weeks! THANKYOU so much Graham 🙂 it was amazing that you took the time through everything to help people, your website honestly was my bible through all of this 🙂

    Tayla 🙂

  17. Hi Ashley….I wasn’t able to take codeine and my surgeon prescribed ‘Ketorolac”. Ask your doctor as this helped me. I took it every 6 hours 4 times a day. As far as what I ate and drank was Boost which I like better then Ensure. I ate a lot if scrambled eggs, I have a fruit and vegetable juicer so I used that alot plus I did a lot of different shakes. Yogurt was good too. I had my surgery back on Sept 14th and for the swelling I used a lot of ice packs. That really helped me out a lot. I just thought of another food that I ate was BBQ duck congee, oatmeal and lots of pasta. Anything soft. Be patient as everything gets better. The couple weeks was challenging plus I had an infection so that put me back an extra couple weeks. Think positive thoughts as things will work out for you. Good luck
    From Jamie L

  18. Hey I had my surgery on Monday November.26th. I am at a very uncomfortable point in my recovery. I am still very swollen but it seems to have drifted mainly to my mouth and throat. I can barely open my mouth which makes it hard to breath especially since you all know my nose is plugged. Since the surgery my jaw is clenched 24/7 which I assume is due to swelling but it causing bad headaches. Did anyone take anything for swelling or headaches besides codeine? Also what the heck did you guys eat? Ensure is what I am living off of but there’s no nutrients, it’s corn syrup! Juice for some reason burns my throat and tongue. Any ideas??

  19. @Royford
    I noticed you had the surgery the day before me. Has all your swelling gone? Whre do you think mot of the swelling still exists? Can yu feel your jaw and bottom lip? Any comments you’d like to add would be appreciative

  20. I was wondering when will all the swelling go down? I have returned to work this week and people say I look a bit swallen. Is this because they are not used to my new face? I had the surgery 40 days ago. Some people say my mouth looks smaller say say bigger. I’m confused 🙂

    • Tony, it usually takes the full three months for swelling to dissipate completely. It will be a gradual process for the next month and a half, so patience is key.

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