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. OK, thank you. I’ll try not to think about it. I know that everything is growing and I guess I just have to wait! this whole process is certainly a lot about patience..

  2. hi Graham

    Yes, “double jaw surgery” obviously is very different for everybody. Do you know if it’s dependent on how much they move the jaw in mm? Because they only moved my lower jaw 4mm forward, and my upper jaw 4 mm upward.

    It’s your decision if you want to remove the hardwear. not the surgeon. And I truly recommend that to everyone, cause you never know what can happen.

    I wonder about something else -I know I just had my surgery. But -when I try smiling it hurts obviously -but only on the right side. And it feels like it’s this sudden sharp pain, like I hit a special nerve or something. I wonder if this is normal and how long does it take for it to not hurt when you smile or laugh? (any experiences on this)

    • Wilma, try not to worry about any pain or appearance-relate things until at least three months have passed by. Chances are the pain you’re experiencing is due to swelling and scar tissue, and it’s perfectly normal for these things to show up more on one side of your face than the other during recovery.

  3. I know I had one of the best surgeons in US to do my surgery. But still -I find it so strange. It seems like everything I’ve read (here and elsewhere) people can’t talk or eat and are numb -all these things for so long. I thought that this was the case, but I was totally wrong. I had double jaw surgery. Woke up with only two elastics (I have lingual braces), no splinth, I could talk immediatly, I drank from a cup immediately, I even had soup and jello the first evening at the hospital and I wasn’t numb anywhere! After I got back home, the not being numbed was not that great though, cause I had a lot of pain in the beginning. It’s better now, it’s only been 10 days, and my surgeon said I can try eat soft foods. I already brush my teeth both outside and inside. What I think is uncomfortable and scary is that I can feel some of the screws they placed, under my lower teeth and under my nose. I def. want to take out all this hardwear when I’m fully healed. I’m also quite swollen still, I really hope it won’t last more than a couple of weeks, but It seems almost impossible to predict as everyone even have so different time-lines.

    Anyway, I guess I have been very lucky with where I had my surgery. And I feel for everyones recovery. I just wanted to add for those who has NOT had surgery yet – it seems like this type of surgery has advanced a lot!!

    I read your post Hollie -why don’t you just take the hardwear out? In Europe they usually do that when it has healed. And it’s very easy, they can do it in their office. I had a genioplasty before my jaw surgery cause the surgoen wanted to just “cover up” my bite. (which it did, but didn’t help for all my pain with the bite). I took the plate/screws out a year later.

    • Wilma, the recovery really depends on the actual surgery. “Double jaw surgery” is a blanket term—some people require splints because their upper palette needs to be expanded, while others do not. I’m happy to hear that you’re experiencing a much more relaxing recovery than some of us, though!

      Also, I know that my surgeon told me he only removes the hardware from patients if they have an allergic reaction or experience chronic pain as a result, but the case may be different for you. All the best!

  4. I had my surgery April 1 2013, osteotomy maxifacial le forte, swelling is going down, had bloody noses first couple of days dripping out, now day 6 having more blood coming out. Is this normal? I heard popping noise then nose started to bleed, but stopped right away.

    • Marissa, it’s normal for your nose to bleed for a few weeks following surgery. Make sure to keep it as clean as possible, but do not blow your nose because you don’t want to break the blood clots that have formed. Your nose will return to normal in a few weeks’ time. =)

  5. Hi Graham 🙂

    I had double jaw surgery August 2011. I had a very noticeable underbite and made me very self conscious about my looks!! Two days after I had surgery I had an x-ray to make sure everything was in line and in the x-ray the doctors saw that the bottom left metal plate fixed to by jaw had snapped so had to go back into surgery to have it fixed. Once my mouth had been opened up again the surgeons were shocked to find that all of the metal plates were in perfect condition. It turns out that there was just a shadow on the x-ray picture. I was in hospital for a little over a week in the intensive care unit as I have severe asthma and being put under general anaesthetic is very dangerous for me. To my delight I recovered considerable quickly considering I ended up having two operations!!

    The only problem I seem to have is blowing my nose!! It is so painful to blow my nose because of the metal springs under each nostril!! Blowing my nose makes the springs vibrate which causes quite a lot of pain!! The surgery has also made my nose a completely different shape to what it was before!! Before surgery I had a bumpy wonky hook nose very much like Professor Snapes from Harry Potter!! I now have a straight narrow nose with a little upturn and wider at the nostrils Which I was delighted by as I hated my nose!! But the narrowness of it combined with the metal springs makes it very hard to blow my nose!! And I now absolutely dread getting even the slightest cold as it becomes so painful!!

    I wonder if you or anyone else has encountered this problem??

    Oh and by the way I’m from England!!

    • Hi Hollie,

      I can’t believe the doctors put you under twice when there wasn’t an actual issue the second time. That seems like a really dangerous mistake to make. I’m glad you’re not bitter about it and realize it’s behind you now.

      I’ve met others who had to have their septum fixed after surgery because they never healed properly, but never anyone who was having difficulty breathing due to the new shape of their nose. If you haven’t adjusted to it’s new shape or size yet, chances are you should give your surgeon a call to ask them about the springs. I don’t have any springs in my face, so I cannot relate, unfortunately. Perhaps your surgeon has received similar feedback from a previous patient and they can offer some wisdom.

      Also, I just returned from England a few weeks ago. What delicious beer you have there!

  6. Hey Graham, thanks for your answer. I m lucky to still have a couple of months to prepare for the recovery.

    Terry, I wish you all the best with the surgery and recovery!

  7. M, I was going to be alone two days after getting out of the hospital because my hubbie has to go up north for work. My mom volunteered to come to BC from Nova Scotia and I am really glad that she is coming to be with me.

  8. Hi Graham,

    Thanks for sharing your experience. I am going to have the double jaw surgery in a couple of months. I d like to ask a question. I live far away from home, all by myself. Do you think that a person can go through the post operation by himself alone?

    Thanks for your time.

    • M, while it’s certainly possible to recover with no help, I would advise against it for the first two weeks for two reasons. First, it will be emotionally stressful for you to be alone during the initial weeks of blended food and lack of energy. And second, it’s far more responsible to have another adult nearby in case you choke on something, react to a certain type of medicine, or the like. =)

  9. Thanks Graham! Maybe it’s a mom thing to worry so much, but after the poor kid went through so much I want the result to be perfect. He also had a big deviation of the septum and his nose was really crooked (sideways). Originally the surgeon said he would fix his nose at the same time but as the scope of work became more apparent, he said it could be done in the future. My son was in surgery for 7 hours with a breathing tube in his nose so with the swelling and all they only did a little on the nose. His nose is about 30% straighter now and also little bit wider. I see other people have said their noses were wider afterwards too. Anyhow, thanks for being here for everyone!

  10. Hey Graham, I was wondering how long it took you gain your 21 pounds back since your surgery?

    • Jake, I regained the weight I lost within about four weeks of eating solid food and lifting weights again. So, for me, I was back to my pre-surgery weight by week 11.

  11. Hi – I just found this site. Graham, I’m relieved by your response to Marissa. My son had double jaw surgery on Feb 1st. When he went for his first post-op orthodontic appt. six weeks later the TMJ specialist that he was seeing that day was appalled that my son hadn’t been told to exercise his jaw by stretching. He said that it could heal unable to fully open. My son started doing the exercises that day. It’s been a couple of weeks since then and he still can’t open enough to bite into a sandwich or hamburger, for instance. I’m really worried. Has anyone been through this?

    • Berni, I can vouch for being able to achieve full movement of your jaw even if you start exercising it at the six-week mark. I didn’t start eating or chewing gum until seven weeks post-op and I regained my entire range of motion. Simply have your son chew gum all day long, whistle for a few minutes per day (to break up the scar tissue), and attempt to eat regular meals (with the exception of foods like steak and nuts). All will be well in the end! =)

  12. Hey Graham,

    Sounds like a great trip!

    I’m indeed doing better. My surgeon explained what a dynamic process this is, and not to get caught up in the day-to-day shifts in where teeth are/aren’t touching, numbness levels, and so on.

    Went back to the orthodontist earlier this week, and he seems very confident that with the aid of rubber bands, my molars will eventually come together, and adjustments to the top front teeth will help the incisors not “bang” together so much. My overbite was so big, it’s just a very weird feeling to have them touch at all. I’m actually down to only TWO rubber bands now – oh, the sheer freedom!!!

    I’m 7 weeks out now, and don’t quite have clearance to chew yet, but I’ve been eating potatoes, scrambled eggs, soups that have not gone through the blender, etc. Oddly enough, fish has worked really well, since it’s usually so soft and flaky. Doesn’t require much effort.

    Thanks for the encouragement!

    P.S. This might be the best part – orthodontist says I should be out of braces in 4-6 months. I’ll still have implants to go through after that, but sooo excited to get my braces off!

  13. Hey, Graham. I had lower jaw surgery and genioplasty done on the 14th of march,a week tomorrow. Im recovering really well and I’m able to drink from a cup. only my bottom lip and chin are still numb. your website has been a big help, all your tips and hints and other peoples experiences too. Just wanted to say a big thank you all your hard work. :0)

    • Thanks for your kind words, Rachael! And congratulations on already being a week in. One more week and life will begin to get a lot easier for you. =)

  14. Somebody help 🙁 I am three weeks and three days post- surgery and I still have quite a bit of swelling! It doesn’t seem to be going away. I have been using moist heat and drinking tons of water and taking arnica Montana (homeopathic) and getting rest and eating healthy foods…I am so frustrated I don’t know what else to do. My oral surgeon just keeps telling me how surprised he is that the swelling has not subsided more and how it is usually mostly gone after the 2nd week. To make things worse, I have giant canker sores on the inside I my lip that won’t go away because these surgical hooks are digging into the inside of my lips and because i keep biting myself because I can’t feel my face! 🙁 I have tried so hard to stay positive but I’m really at a breaking point here. If anybody is out there that has any words of advice or has had a similar experience in this..please help. 🙁

    • Hi Jessica!

      First off, I wouldn’t worry about your swelling just yet. The only reason swelling would stick around indefinitely would be from repeated impact, and since you’re in a healthy state of recovery, it will dissipate eventually. I was still incredibly swollen at the three-week mark, so you’re not the only one. (Heck, I was still quite swollen at the two-month mark!) Just keep doing what you’re doing and it will begin to go away very soon.

      As for your canker sores, go to your local pharmacy and ask if they sell little packets of wax. They usually have the product for people with braces. You simple break off small chunks of wax and stick them to the parts of your mouth that are being cut of braces, wires, and the like. They work wonderfully and you’ll find them very soothing.

      Don’t lose hope. You’re nearly at the point where things will begin to look up more and more each day, so hang in there, find that wax, and stay alive! =)

  15. Hi Theresa,

    thank you so much for your reply!!! Is 7 weeks the norm for getting into softer foods? How do you feel since you have had the procedure? Congrats on moving past the liquid diet……my god i love food and have no idea how im going to make it through lol.

  16. Hi Nicole,
    I also had double jaw surgery, septoplasty and genioplasty. I’m 5’9″ and was 143lbs going into surgery, now 7 weeks later I’m 126lbs. I’m back on solid foods now. So I should start to gain a few back!
    Good luck with your surgery!

  17. I just love this website!!! My double jaw and genioplasty surgery is scheduled for april 2nd!! I am curious to know what kind of weight people are losing after this procedure? I’m approx 135 pounds…..what kind of weight loss should i be expecting?

  18. Hey Graham, just wanted to ask at which point did you manage to open your mouth fully? It’s about 4.5 weeks after my surgery, about 1.5 weeks ago I was allowed to start practising opening my mouth. Just saw my surgeon on Monday and she said most of her patients were able to open their mouths by about 3cm by that point in time while there I was stuck with 1.5cm. Is it normal to be this slow? Any tips on how to get my mouth to fully open up faster? It’s really painful every time I have to do those jaw exercises but I don’t seem to be improving at the same time 🙁

    • Marissa, I couldn’t fully open my mouth until nearly three months post-op, so you have nothing to worry about. The only exercise I did to help with my jaw movement was chewing gum. Most of your flexibility will return once you’re eating regular food once again.

  19. Well here we are got my pre op on Thursday and 07:30am here in England I shall be in hospital getting ready to go down to theatre and all I am thinking is SHHHHHHHHITTTTTT !! Sorry for the language but ahhhhh in full panic mode !!

  20. Thanks, Lea-Anne! I do hope that I’m worrying needlessly, and by all accounts, recovering from jaw surgery and working toward a healthy bite is a long, slow process. Definitely trying to stay positive (and busy, so I don’t dwell on things too much), but it’s just scarier than I expected! Good luck to you on your journey!

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