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.
January 11, 2011 at 9:36 pm
Graham,
Did you have more swelling after your first post-op appointment? My surgeon changed out the bands and I attempted a short conversation and have been slightly more swollen since then. Thanks 🙂
January 9, 2011 at 5:59 pm
I had my splint out after 7 weeks and I was able to chew again about a week after that.
I think a general rule is that you should still eat soft foods for a week or two following the removal of your splint. After that, all is fair.
January 9, 2011 at 5:56 pm
Hey Graham,
I was wondering when you were allowed to chew again ?
January 9, 2011 at 5:51 pm
Ah, the joys of TMJ… I hope this operation fixes that all for you. Good luck on the 26th!
January 9, 2011 at 5:11 pm
Thanks for the inside information! I am having TMJ surgery and upper jaw surgery (LeFort II) on Jan 26th. I am very nervous, but relieved at the same time. Glad to know what to expect from someone who has gone through similar procedures. Makes me feel a little better.
December 21, 2010 at 5:20 pm
No worries, madame! Good luck with the surgery.
December 21, 2010 at 1:10 pm
Thank you, i was going to have the surgery in April, but changed to June but i think i’m going to see if April is still available as i read your time line and i read another person’s blog, my trip i have in july i should keep my April date, to enjoy. Thank you, your blgo has been very helpful
December 17, 2010 at 2:38 am
Sabrina, I was in the same situation as you are. Like Graham said the first week is like hell. I couldn’t sleep for 3days, everything I intake was thru a syringe. If your unable to sleep, you might want to let your surgeon know, he’ll probably prescribe some ambien. I had my surgery on Nov 1st, it felt like it’s been only 3 weeks. There’s still numbness/swelling on my cheeks, chin and lips, but it’s slowly going away. We’ll make it thru! GL!
December 5, 2010 at 2:20 pm
Sabrina, the first few weeks are definitely uncomfortable, but you’re still alive and doing well, even if it doesn’t feel like it. The only big issue would be if you got an infection, but that usually doesn’t happen.
Don’t make any judgements until after at least 2 weeks have passed. The first two weeks are utter hell–it gets better after that. 🙂
December 5, 2010 at 1:18 pm
Hi,
I just had double jaw surgery on Dec. 1st and I hate it. I can breathe, can’t sleep and of course can’t eat. How do one person go through so much pain?
The hospital refused to keep me longer than 2 days as I should be feeling better. They also said I should drink lots of water and I ask myself how???? I choke when i try. How am I supposed to live?
October 16, 2010 at 10:09 pm
I think you are right on not being used to a normal bite.
I think everyone has different issues regarding the healing process. I have the issue of not being able to open my mouth bigger than a thumb nuckle. And I have crowns on my front teeth( they were knocked out as a small child on bicycle accident) they now need to be replaced after braces off. They no longer fit my new bite. That may be one reason I feel they stick out too far. The surgeon put i’n bone grafts i’n upper gum during the jaw surgery which are trying to heal as well.
My top lip is big… My surgeon told me a couple visits later after surgery that as he was sewing my top lip back up, he built it up with tissue so that when I continue to get smaller on the lip and face area, that the lip wouldn’t totally shrink too small. I guess maybe because I’m a thin person and you notice changes more easily on a smaller face. Who knows…..
Anyways, my mom and I both think you look great after your surgery! I can’t wait until the day I feel the same of myself! 🙂
October 14, 2010 at 7:48 pm
I initially thought my lower jaw was moved back quite a long way as well, but over time I got used to it. I think we’re just so used to having underbites that a regular bite looks odd to us.
Give it another month or two. While I’m not sure if your face shifts too much as time goes on, I think you’ll accept the way you look and grow to be proud of your new face.
October 14, 2010 at 7:42 pm
Graham,
Thank you for the reply. I just discovered today at my physical therapy session that the reason I can’t open my mouth beyond 16 is because of the muscle on the left side that was stretched during surgery and it needs to grow on its own to the new stretched position. (If that makes sense):)
anyways, I need to be able to open at 40 is what the surgeon said. So, I am frustrated and just hope that my muscle will be able to stretch eventually so I can open bigger.
I have a quick question: Did you notice changes on the face after 2 to 3 months? I hear that you do up to 6 months to a year. Did you ever feel that your lower jaw was moved back too far? I felt mine was at first but I think I may be starting to get used to the new position.
October 13, 2010 at 10:20 pm
Hey Jolynn,
The only reason I was able to appear like I had it together was because I realized that the pain, discomfort and annoyance were all temporary and would be gone before the year was out. Just remember that in a few months, you’ll be back to normal and this will all seem like it flew by. Life is like that.
I was a little concerned with my appearance at first as well, but you’ll get used to it. It’s just different. I thought I had buck teeth at first, but now I love my smile! (I’ll like it even more when my braces come off.)
Also, as far as breaking up the scar tissue in your face, I practiced whistling quite often to break it up. Other than that, I just ate normally and let time take it’s course. There are still a few tight areas around my nose and lips, but I hardly notice them anymore.
Keep on taking care of yourself!
October 13, 2010 at 12:32 pm
Graham,
btw, during the past 2 months of my suffering, at the end of the day when I would almost be in tears and anxiety with questions of doubt in my head, I would always rely on Grahams encouragement and information to calm me! Thank you for that! You have to be the strongest person alive to have been able to post before, during and after this HUGE trial.
jolynn
October 13, 2010 at 12:26 pm
Hi Graham,
I am replying back to Godchilds email this am. I am her daughter, Jolynn
I am eating soft foods as of 2 weeks ago. I am now in pysical therapy to try and break up scar tissue to open my mouth
did you have problems with opening up greater than a thumb nuckle width?
I also have concerns on how I look now after. My Dr. moved my bottom jaw back more than he moved the top. He had to build up the top lip in order to prevent it from shrinking after its all said and done. ughh, I am not completely happy with my looks yet, It has been 2 months. Do you believe I still have some hope? LOL…I just still get very discouraged even though I am sooooo enjoying eating again! That part is heaven.
October 12, 2010 at 11:28 pm
Hi Godchild,
Mobility will come back quickly once she starts eating solid food again. The act of chewing builds the muscles back quite rapidly.
Is she eating solids yet?
October 12, 2010 at 10:07 pm
Graham,
My daughter got the double jaw surgery 8 weeks ago. She can still open her mouth the width of her thumb knuckle. Did you have any problems with that? She is doing the exercises, but it seems she’s not making progress as far as range-of-motion is concerned.
Any advice?
Your article has been of GREAT help to us, by the way! Thanks for taking the time to post it!
August 20, 2010 at 1:12 pm
Hey Jon,
The transition from having your splint removed to being able to eat almost anything will be around 2-3 weeks.
You’ll be amazed at how quickly the strength in your jaw returns when you start chewing again though!
August 20, 2010 at 12:35 pm
Hey Graham! Thanks again for the great read on your site. Myself, much like a lot of your readers had double jaw surgery with the additional chin job. I’m currently at Week 4 and 2 days. From your knowledge, when the splint is removed (for me it will be week 6) should you be able to eat anything that you wish?! Or will it be a slow transition to regular food once again?! I am dying to eat some solids!
Thanks again and any insight would be greatly appreciated!
-Jon