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. Hey guys, Hey Beth, I just read your comment as well and I had the exact same concern, my surgery was on Monday the may 26th. Everything was going smooth, by day 3 I was drinking normally and was getting fluids. Yesterday my mother made me laugh a lot and I was speaking the whole day, like an idiot I also drove somewhere, everything seemed fine during the day, and when I woke up this morning the swelling got worse again. This was so frustrating because I thought everything was going smooth, and I have my University graduation in 10 days!!!!! any advice from anyone please!, I am freaking out here and it is nice to speak with people who are going through the same thing as me!!! thank you!!!! 🙂

    • Raj, as I just mentioned to Beth, smiling and laughing are okay if they don’t cause you any pain, however they will increase your swelling the following day. Talking will also lead to increased swelling the next day, at least for the first 2 months of recovery. If your graduation is in 10 days, I would recommend you try to avoid excessive talking, smiling, and laughing for the 2 days before your event. The swelling is always temporary, but it can be quite noticeable early in the recovery period.

  2. Hi, I contacted you a few months ago looking for advice and reassurance. Well, I had the surgery done on Wednesday and everything went according to plan (apart from staying in hospital for two extra nights due to not drinking). But I’m fine now, I’m drinking water and milk, getting used to my meds, walking around. What I’m worried about is smiling/laughing. I’ve been doing a lot of that since coming home. Should I keep doing what I’m doing or should I NOT laugh? Obviously I don’t want to damage anything in there and I don’t want to cause myself pain when the drugs wear off. Also, did you have problems with your ears? Mine don’t hurt, per say. They just ached and popped, like when you’re on an aeroplane. Just exchanging notes 😉

    • Beth, if you’re able to smile and laugh without issue, then feel free. I recommend letting your pain be your guide. The reason I couldn’t smile or laugh was because it caused my lips to crack, which was quite painful. As for my ears, I never experienced any issues with them, but many people have mentioned their ears popping during the first few weeks of recovery, so this is perfectly normal. Congratulations on having the surgery and already being well on your way to recovery! =)

  3. Graham,
    My response above was very emotional sorry about that. I was having a really bad day that day. I wanted to ask you how long does the burning sensation last? Monday does mark 6 weeks after surgery. My whole bottom lip are chin are full of it and is sensitivity of teeth normal?

    • Kerry, having your nerves reawaken can certainly be a frustrating experience. The burning sensation should not last for more than a couple weeks after it begins. Try to remember that it’s a good thing because it means your feeling is returning. As for sensitivity of teeth, this is normal due to not being able to eat and drink regular foods and will go away as your diet returns to normal. All in all, these annoyances will come to pass soon, so try to focus on the positives and you’ll be back to a regular lifestyle soon. =)

  4. today is the second day from my surgery, I was wondering how come I didn’t have any splint in my mouth? I’m also able to use straw and eat soft food already? I have the double jaw surgery and I seems to have progress sooner?

    • Laci, consider yourself lucky for being off to such a quick recovery! The purpose of the splint is the keep your upper jaw expanded if the surgeon had to widen it. The fact that you don’t have one in means you didn’t need your upper jaw expanded enough to warrant it. There’s nothing to worry about. =)

  5. Hi Graham! Thanks so much for not only tracking your recovery but also checking these comments frequently. 🙂

    I had surgery around 2 weeks ago, and I’m feeling basically back to normal now. My lower jaw was moved back and my upper jaw was expanded and moved forwards. I actually never received a splint, but I do have bands that I can remove/put back in to eat. I’ve been reading about a lot of people having nerve spasms and whatnot but I’ve actually had none of them. While I’m not sad to be missing out on the pain, I’m just concerned about my nerves. I’m just hoping they heal properly. I’m definitely not freaking out by this point or anything, since I’m still early on in my recovery.

    • May, I think the spasms are more evident for people who have a splint in place because their mouths are under more pressure as a result. At this point in your recovery, I would appreciate the lack of spasms (and it sounds like you are) and keep pressing onward. You should regain a noticeable amount of feeling by the end of your first month, but it may come in one large spurt, or it may come gradually. Let me know how you’re doing in another couple of weeks! =)

  6. Hi Graham.
    I’m so glad you are feeling better! I had double jaw surgery and he expanded the roof of my mouthalmost six weeks ago I still feel like hell. The dentist says I have gorgeous smile and I’m healing nicely but am miserable. I still have to take meds. Tylenol nothing to heavy my stomach can’t handle it. I’m dealing with nerves regenerating and that awful burning and having to wear wax all over my bottom braces. I’m nauseated really bad and I don’t desire to eat. Last night I only consumed 1300 calories. I deal with General anxiety disorder and depression and this is scaring me. I get the splint out June 10. My teeth are painful…..I’m so far into the surgery that I should feel better but my nausea is horrible and I still have a high pain level but it’s a different pain it feels like rug burn all over my chin. Everyone is telling me I’m going to feel better but I’m doubting them and I cry a lot. I need to hear from someone who is in my shoes. Yes I do have antinausea pills and take them

  7. Hey Graham!

    I just got double jaw surgery, with an expansion on my top jaw on May 15th. Tomorrow will be the two week mark, and I just got my bands taking off at my appointment today. The surgeon cleared me to start eating soft foods, but it hurts to open my mouth enough to really chew well.

    With that said, I have a couple questions. How long does it take to get the range of motion up? The surgeon suggested mashed potatoes and scrambled eggs, but how long until I can comfortably and effectively chew those foods?

    I was also wondering what were some of your first soft foods you tried to eat when you were cleared to eat soft foods. I’m getting really frustrated and discouraged trying to eat simple things, even though I knew my range of motion would be limited.

    Thanks for all your helpful comments and commitment to this blog! I read through a lot of it, and your loyalty to the people who have questions is unbelievable! Keep it up, you’re doing a really great thing for people like us!

    – Daniel

    • Hi Daniel,

      1. It will likely take between 2–3 weeks to regain your range of motion and increase the strength in your jaw enough to chew somewhat comfortably. However, since you’re eating soft foods much earlier in your recovery than I was, that timeframe may be different for you.

      2. When I was finally allowed to eat soft foods again, I started out with pasta, small steamed vegetables (ie. peas and corn), and soups. Hopefully those things are enough to keep your diet somewhat interesting for a few weeks.

      Sounds like you’re recovering quite quickly, so have fun learning to chew again and make sure you avoid foods like steak, nuts, and hard vegetables until some of your strength has returned. =)

  8. I just had upper and lower jaw surgery as well as a genioplasty on May 13th. Coming up on the two week mark! A lot of my swelling as come down already. First day in the hospital I was sipping broth from a spoon…so needless to say Id say my surgeon did a fantastic job! I can feel my lower jaw but cannot feel the lower part of my eyes down to my upper lip. I know everyone is different but when does feeling in those areas start to return?

    • Katie, how lucky are you that you were able to use a spoon right from the first day?! Feeling should begin returning to the upper part of your face by the end of the first month, so you can expect those nerves to wake up at any point. =)

  9. he said it will go away but im not sure about that

  10. i had my double jaw surgery oct 2013 and ever since then when i try to eat my left side pops, cracks and its painful is there anyway to fix this

    • Devin, at 7 months post-op, you should certainly not be experiencing any type of pain anymore. I would recommend you give your surgeon a call and go in for a follow-up x-ray to make sure everything is in place.

  11. Hi, today marks one week post op for me. I had upper jaw surgery. I have a question, when I lift my lip where the incision is there is like some white gum tissue is that normal? I cant see the actual cut and Im not in any pain. I have been taking my antibiotic and been rinsing wirh the prescribed mouthwash daily.

    • Bri, if there is no pain in that area, I wouldn’t worry about it. Most surface infections come stocked with pain, so the tissue you see will likely go away in the coming weeks.

  12. This blog has been such a lifesaver for me as I recover from double jaw surgery. I’m at Day 27 although it has felt like a lifetime already. I’m eating soft foods but the splint–Oh Graham it sucks so bad! My upper lip is protruding out because of it and it makes eating such a chore. From what I can tell from your blog, things really improved rapidly for you once the splint was removed (i.e., swelling, movement, etc.). I’ve getting mine removed at 7 weeks and just hoping I look a little more normal by that point. Thoughts?

    • Sonali, I also had my splint in for 7 weeks, and I can assure you that life gets much better as soon as it’s removed. You’ll be able to start eating soft foods right away, your speech will improve, and you’ll start smiling again. You’re over halfway there, so just hang in there for a few more weeks and you’ll be in much higher spirits! =)

  13. Hey Graham,

    So i am just over three weeks post-op now (i had double jaw surgery to correct my underbite).

    Most of the swelling has gone down, and my surgeon has seen me twice and is very happy with my recovery (so far).

    In the past 24 hours I have had severe pain on the left side of my face and when comparing the pain site to my x-ray, it is right where the bone was cut and where the plate/screws are.

    Do you think this is just normal healing pain, or could it be something else? I’ve heard it is very rare for anything to come loose or get infected but I know it is a risk.

    Thanks for all your help -from pre to post-op 🙂

    • Jemima, I personally did not fall into a great deal of pain beyond the three-week mark, so if the pain has continued for more than a day, you may want to give your surgeon a call. As far as I’m aware, chronic pain should not be surfacing this far into recovery. If you decide to call your surgeon, I’d be interested to hear what they say. =)

  14. Harry Trotter

    May 10, 2014 at 4:11 pm

    I was wondering when you can get the surgery? I have a asymmetrical jaw and am almost 15, and would like to have it corrected at 16. Is this possible? Thanks:)

    • Harry, that decision must be made by your surgeon. You generally need to have braces before having the surgery so they can move your teeth around to make room for the surgeon to work. If you’d like to have the operation as soon as possible, book a consultation with an oral surgeon in your area. The initial consultation should be free and will just be a quick inspection of your jaw followed by a discussion. =)

  15. Had top jaw surgery to bring my jaw forward quite a fair bit and close to post 4 months surgery im happy as ever but just have the distractors poking into my cheeks since the surgery is a pain!!

    looking forward to my second surgery to remove my distractors and move the bottom jaw forward

    only pain i felt was when moving my jaw 1mm a day other than that no pain at all

  16. Carol Jackson

    May 5, 2014 at 5:07 pm

    Thank you so much Graham ! I will post an update in a few days.

  17. Carol Jackson

    May 1, 2014 at 8:25 pm

    I am having double jaw surgery on Tue May 6. I am 42 years old and truthfully scared to death. I love talking and food and hate any type of pain. I have read every single post on here and want to thank you so much for your ongoing conversations and knowledge. It has certainly helped me be more aware of what may or may not happen. Most of all, I need NOT to panic.

    • Carol, I wish you all the best with surgery tomorrow. I’m confident everything will go well for you. Just remember, this will all be a memory in a few short months. =)

  18. Hey Boss, damn what a great blog! Um, well, I got my jaw broken in two places a week ago in an MMA fight. I got caught with my hands down and ate a kick to the face. Jaw broken in two places. I had surgery and they put a plate in my chin and wired my jaw shut. The first question I have is how long will I be in fairly accute pain? It’s been 6 days and my jaw still hurts pretty bad.

    • Demian, most of your pain should go away by the end of your second week of recovery. You’ll still experience some discomfort when you yawn or laugh for a few weeks after that, but the chronic part of the pain should be long gone.

  19. going through orthognathic surgery in a couple of weeks for over bite . read through the starting part and felt so intimidated . im a 22 year old working in amazon , so i don’t think ill be able to afford that much time off from work . hope the healing process goes a lot faster . great information though graham . thanks

  20. Thank you SO much I’m in day 3 of my recovery. My breathe stink, any suggestions on how to keep my mouth clean.

    • Dee, keeping your mouth clean is quite difficult during these initial weeks, but I recommend swishing warm salt water around 2–3 times each day to prevent infections and get rid of some of the bacteria. As for fresh breath, there’s not much you can do about that until you’re able to brush your teeth, which should be possible by the 2-week mark at the very latest. In other words, use salt water to maintain hygiene for now and start brushing gentle as soon as your surgeon gives you the go-ahead! =)

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