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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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. Well I found out today that the surgeon is moving my surgery date from Feb.22nd to May 17th and I am now having double jaw surgery instead of just the lower jaw. I’m disappointed I have to wait but I’m sure it will all work out…just more time to be anxious!

  2. Hey Graham,
    Just an update, I’m on day 11 post op. alls goin well! A lot of the swelling has gone! And feeling is coming back slowly in my chin and lips. I ended up having double jaw surgery, deviated septum and sliding genioplasty. Saw orthodontist yesterday, told me to expect to be on full liquid diet for another 4-6 weeks. I better start gettin creative with my recipes!
    Again, thank you for your updates and I cannot believe you were able to do this so consistently throughout your surgery!
    Teresa.

    • Teresa, glad to hear you’re recovering so quickly! I can’t believe you’re noticing such a huge decrease in swelling before even two weeks have passed by. Stay happy and enjoy the advances each day brings. =)

  3. No problem Terry…I have already undergone the surgery. I had it on Dec 21st. I am about 4 and a halfs week into my recovery. Like you, my orthodonist also had to widen my palate but the surgeon ended up breaking it in 3 places to widen it more, along with breaking my lower jaw to move it back so I would no longer have an underbite.

  4. Thanks Jamie. I met with the surgeon this morning. He does want to do the upper jaw now as the right side is 3mm lower then the left. I’m hoping to keep the same date, as my schedule at work has been set and my mom has plane tickets booked to come stay with me. The surgeon is not sure as the date as he is doing someone else’s jaw that day also and he is not sure of the OR times. If he still has to widen the palate it may be a few more months if the orthodontist has to move my teeth in order for the surgeon to be able to cut the upper bone. Jamie have you got a date set yet for your surgery?

  5. Terry,

    The same exact thing happened to me. I was supposed to have surgery back in August but both my surgeon and ortho decided to hold off and do both at a later date. Honestly, if they say you need to do both, just do it. This process has not been delightful by any means but in the grand scheme of things, all of this has to be worth it.

  6. Surgery date is set for Feb.22nd for lower jaw surgery. I was suppose to have an assisted orthodontic procedure done in the surgeons office tomorrow to widen my palate by 2mm. It was cancelled after my surgeon and orthodontist decided that not only does the upper jaw have to be widened but also turned. Has this happened to anyone else? I am meeting the surgeon tomorrow and I have a feeling that he might have to break the upper jaw now too!

  7. Wow! This is an amazing and extremely helpful timeline Graham. Thanks for much for keeping in touch with us who have yet to have surgery. I’ll be going in for double jaw surgery next month and I honestly can’t wait. The only thing I’m concerned about is not being able to lift weights at the gym for a long while. According to my surgeon, I’ll need a green light from him before I get back into my weekly workout routine. I’m pretty much ready for everything else that’s going to happen, but being away from the gym and not being able to continue to build muscle just frightens me.

    • Michelle, I’m a gym nut like yourself (although, by the looks of your YouTube channel, to a lesser extent, haha), and I was able to return to the gym after approximately 5 weeks. You’ll lose a little bit of muscle, but you’ll be able to build it back quickly as long as your disciplined. Good luck with the surgery next month!

  8. Mike – I saw my orthodontist today and he said everything is fine. He said a lot of things shift and that one side of your mouth is stronger than the other. Try using a straw by putting it between your teeth and sucking it that way; also try whisling and smiling even though you might look like a Who from The Grinch. 🙂 Good luck…I am confident that what you are facing is 100% normal. I am the most impatient person known to man and this process seems like it’s taking FOREVER (it’s only been 4 weeks!)

  9. Hi graham

    I have some questions i need to ask:
    1- will airplane pressure increase swelling?
    2- is it normal if swelling is decreased then increased again?
    3- is there any type of food\drink could increase the swelling?
    4- why is the numb feeling goes and get back?
    5- why there is a burn feeling on my tongue ?

    Please answer them if possible, im in day 5 but those questions made me confused cause none spoke about them and my doc did not mention them.

    My guessings are:
    1-swelling increased cause i was trying to talk too much…
    2- tongue burn cause m using Rinsidin 10 times aday in order to chill the pain abit.

    Im really tired, sometimes i say it is better if i havent done it..

    I miss my food, sleeping, playing, gym, sport
    And everything of course without any pain.

    • Hi Bader.

      1) I would advise against flying for the first month at least. I imagine the increased pressure will be slightly painful and may increase your swelling temporarily.

      2) Variable swelling is completely normal. Your swelling will increase the more you talk and chew in a given day.

      3) No specific type of food or drink should affect your swelling.

      4) I’m not sure why your lack of feeling jumps around. It’s likely related to the swelling going up and down.

      5) Your tongue is likely a bit raw from the surgery. This will go away over the next week or two.

      All the best with the next few weeks of recovery!

  10. How long after double jaw surgery will i be able to return to the gym to commence weight training?

    • Nicole, you should probably take 6–8 weeks off of weight training to be perfectly safe. Let your energy be your guide, though. Start lighter and work your way back to the level you lifted at before surgery.

  11. Hi guys 🙂 just read the recovery timeline and its nice to know what I’m in for. I’m due double jaw surgery in a few months and wasn’t quite sure how long the total recovery would take. I’m quite nervous and excited. I’ve always hated my profile and my bite and il be overjoyed when I get the surgery 🙂 thank you to everyone who has commented on this and gave me an insight into the recovery. It’s nice to know I’m not alone 🙂

    Kirsty

    • Kirsty, good luck with your surgery in a few months! I know you’ll appreciate your new bite and smile when all is said and done! =)

  12. Hi. I had surgery on December 27 and had a splint and my mouth wired for 3 and a half weeks. This morning the surgeon removed the wires and splint and put 4 – 5 elastic bands from the front teeth over to the right side. He said that I could eat soft foods. I tried to eat macaroni and cheese and while I was eating every one of the bands snapped off. He didn’t give me spares or tell me what to do if they snapped off. Has anyone else ever had this problem.

    Also, I have a similar problem to Jamie who had an issue with her lips not touching. This really worries me because I surf and I need to be able to close my mouth. Right now my lips can’t close. Jamie, if you are still reading posts, can you tell me if you can close your mouth yet? My doctor didn’t say anything about lip exercises.

    • Mike, if your bands snap off, you can simply replace them yourself. Your surgeon or orthodontist should provide you with heaps of extras in case this happens. Just give them a call and ask for a few packs of elastics, along with a quick tutorial showing you how to put them in yourself.

      As for your lips not touching, give them another month or so for the swelling to go down. Once the swelling dissipates, you should be able to close your mouth with no trouble. =)

  13. Made it to Day 41. It’s been a loooooong ride but I’m so glad I’m starting to learn to chew. I’ve been eating French Fries, Chocolate, Popcorn, etc. It feels so great. But I do have a concern though. My gums and teeth feel entirely stiff. It feels so awkward to try to chew. Did that happen to you, Graham? How long did it take for all the feeling in the gums to come back?

    • Steven, it’s perfectly normal for your gums and teeth to feel stiff and slightly numb at your stage of recovery. Give yourself another month and chewing should feel much more natural.

  14. Graham, I find it unbelievable that you are still replying and helping people out so long after your own surgery. I just wanted to thank you for all your hard work and for your amazing attitude throughout the years. I have one more week until my surgery and all the effort you’ve put in here has really put my mind at ease about many things.

    Cheers, mate!

  15. Thanks for the reply Graham, great job again on this site. Very informative.

  16. Graham, thanks for your comments. This is such a great site.

    Unfortunately for my case, I’ve been rescheduled for another surgery, this time in London. I don’t want to crap on the Portugese health system, because there are bad surgeons everywhere… in this case, the London based surgeon took a number of scans of my jaw and said that
    a) he was upset at looking at the results
    b) the surgeon in Portugal did not use wires to put my bite together before securing the titanium plates. He said that the surgeon would have put the jaw together simply while holding it in his hands.

    So I am going to have to have the surgery again. I guess the plus is that I will be in familiar surroundings, with a lot more friends around, so recovery will be better from this point of view.

    Even though this is a double jaw surgery site, and mine was an emergency lower mandible, the amount of comments on this site was one my most useful reads during this time.

    • Ralph, that makes me sad that you must undergo the operation a second time. I do hope that everything is rebuilt as it should be this time around. I guess that, when it comes to surgeries as invasive as this, perhaps cutting corners cost-wise doesn’t always work out for the best. Stay strong and good luck on round two!

  17. Hey Graham, doing research for my upcoming surgery I stumbled on your site, thanks so much for all this great information it really has answered alot of my questions! I have my pre op tomorrow and my surgery scheduled for 1/14/13. I’ve taken 3 weeks off work (I’m a bartender) was hoping to be back by then. How realistic do you think this is in your experience? I’m also having double jaw surgery.
    Thanks,
    Teresa

    • Teresa, you’ll be able to do the essentials of your job within 3 weeks, but you’ll still have difficulty speaking with your customers. I would let your boss know that you might need one more week off depending on how quickly your speech recovers. I generally recommend a 4-week hiatus for people who are required to talk to customers in their jobs. Best of luck! =)

  18. Hi great forum … It’s awesome that your taking the time to help everyOne … I’m currently beginning my journey and the surgeon told me I need my upper jaw moving forward my lower jaw moving back and a segment removing from the left side of my lower jaw to correct it being too long…I’m 27 and reading all the comments it seems to take a long time to recover … Is it worth it? I get very bad headaches from poorly aligned bite so I have no idea what to do lol

    • Chris, I honestly recommend this surgery. The recovery takes a few months, yes, but you’re young and still have a lifetime ahead of you to enjoy the benefits. You’re really exchanging just a season of recovery for a lifetime of enjoyment, so I believe it is very worthwhile (and I think most others would agree). Continue with your consultations and see how you feel, but I think it’s the right choice if it’s going to cure your headaches and provide you with a more effective bite for years to come. =)

  19. Graham, Lucy, thanks for your comments. This is a great site for this information…

    As of today I can open my mouth wide enough to see inside the teeth, and the right hand side back teeth are about half centimetre apart! I remember when I woke up from the surgery and I was still under anaesthetic I said it doesn’t line up, but the nurses said “don’t worry, this is normal”. It’s now 9 days since surgery, and I’ve checked the post surgery x-rays and sure enough, one side of the jaw is lower than the other.

    I had the surgery in Portugal as they didn’t want me to fly, and am now back in London, and hopefully will see a maxillofacial specialist this week. I am hoping for some small miracle but can’t see how the shape of the bone would change given that I have titanium plates holding it together…

    • Ralph, I was also left with an open bite following my operation. I honestly wouldn’t worry about it because your teeth will naturally grow back together. Teeth grow until they meet opposition (ie. your other jaw), so they’ll come together naturally. My bite took quite a while to close, but I got used to it in mere months and it stopped bothering me. You’ll end up with a very usable bite, I promise!

  20. I had jaw surgery about 3 weeks ago now (but only on my top jaw) and I’ve also found that feeling came back much quicker on one side of my face than on the other, so it’s nothing to worry about! It’s all come back now, although my smile’s still a little bit lopsided – I can only assume this is because the muscles on one side got used to moving more, as the feeling came back quicker there, and they’re also still getting used to my jaw’s new position. Like you, I think I had more work done on one side than the other.

    Did anyone find that their teeth started drifting back to their original position after getting the elastics off? (My elastics were on my front teeth, if that’s relevant?) I’m not sure if I’m just being paranoid or if I should go back and ask for the elastics to be put back on!

    Graham, thank-you so much for this site! It’s been so nice to know that I’m not the only one going through all this!

    • Lucy, great to meet you! To answer your question, I personally wore my elastics until the day I had my braces removed and then I jumped straight into a retainer. I still wear my retainer nearly every night because I don’t want my teeth to drift.

      If it’s bothering you, I advise you to stop by your orthodontist’s office and simply ask. There is certainly a risk of your teeth drifting back to their old position if they’re not retained for long enough, so I’d ask the professionals. Good luck!

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