Recovery Tips

Following is a summary of the most important things I learned during my recovery from double jaw surgery.

  • Drink lots of prune juice and water. Your toilet time will be far from enjoyable for the first couple of weeks because you’re likely to be severely dehydrated. The prune juice will provide your body with the fiber it needs to work those bowels properly, but fiber is useless without water because it won’t dissolve in your body. I recommend a bare minimum of 1 L of water per day. Drink 2 L per day as soon as you can.
  • Before you attempt to pull any dead skin off of your lips, be absolutely certain that it’s not a stitch. I learned this the hard way.
  • Start using medicated lip balm immediately following your return to your own home. If you don’t, you’ll end up with flaps of dead skin that are half an inch in diameter, and I promise you they won’t feel good when they catch on your braces.
  • Apply heat to your face 3-4 times per day for the first 5-6 weeks to help with the swelling. The heat will also help you fall asleep.
  • Begin each day at a decent time. If you sleep most of the day, you won’t be able to sleep at night, and you’ll hate yourself for it. Get out of bed, shower, eat some breakfast and brush your teeth and you’ll enjoy each day a lot more. (This is good advice for any day of your life, but it especially applies when you’re on the verge of depression from having jaw surgery.)
  • Go to bed on time. Yawning will cause you quite a bit of pain, so prevent it by getting the right amount of sleep during the proper hours.
  • As soon as you’re able to talk clearly enough for friends and family to understand you, call people and be social. Go outside and enjoy nature. Whatever you do, ensure you don’t fall into a trap of loneliness and self-pity.
  • Start drinking from a cup as soon as you’re physically able to. Your upwards trek back to having full energy begins the day you can throw your syringes in the garbage.
  • Eat solid food as soon as your surgeon gives you the go-ahead. It’ll be a slow, tedious and frustrating process, but you need to go through with it in order to build your jaw muscles back up and learn how to chew properly once again.
  • It may take some time to get used to your new smile and your newly structured face. Don’t be ashamed of yourself. You don’t look funny at all. You’re simply not used to looking like you’re supposed to.
  • And lastly, don’t worry about your looks, bite or facial feeling for at least 6 months. You may have an open bite, but you’ll wake up one morning and your teeth will have migrated back together. You may be completely numb, but feeling will return almost overnight.

If you have any questions about the recovery process, or perhaps have other pointers to share with upcoming jaw surgery patients, feel free to jot them down in the comments.

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1303 Comments

  1. I’m at exactly 2 months now. I’m hearing worried about nerve damage. I had both jaws operated on. My top gums are completely numb but not the roof of my mouth. My right chin and lip is still numb but it definitely feels better than a month ago.

    I had a problem about 2 weeks ago where I could not shift my jaw to the left. After my surgeon grabbed my lower jaw and moved it for me (ouch!) I felt more comfortable moving it on my own lol. My advice is to exercise your jaw daily so it does not get stiff. Huge improvement.

    I’m glad to here others have recovered from the numbing after years. Gives me hope haha. Good luck y’all!

  2. Charlie,

    I didn’t have any jaw pain before surgery so I can’t speak to that. I rarely had a slight pop if I opened my mouth really wide. I remember that being worse when I was younger. Anyway, I can’t yet open my mouth as wide as I used to, but I doubt I’ll have any problems with clicking.

    I think sometimes a surgeon will have to sever a nerve depending on what they need to do, then just repair it as best they can and hope it heals. My surgeon told me he wouldn’t know for sure until he began the surgery, and that there was a risk of losing feeling in my bottom lip. I actually didn’t realize there was a risk of losing feeling in other places too, he didn’t mention that.

    I’m glad this process is going relatively quickly for me, but I’ve been getting consultations, trying to figure out insurance, and figuring out how to pay for this for 9 years, so I guess when you look at it that way it hasn’t been all that fast 🙂 You’re luckly to have the opportunity to do it so young!

  3. I just had double jaw surgery yesterday, and came home this morning. I’m taking very few pain meds because they may me want to throw up — hope that the pain doesn’t get worse as the numbness goes away. But I’m eating lots and walking around well. The swelling sucks, my stuffy nose sucks. I’m hoping to feel like things are getting easier by Tuesday. Seems far away for now…

    Thanks for maintaing this site — it’s fun to read about your and other’s experiences.

    • Jamie, I’m happy to hear you’re eating well and moving around. That stuffy nose will prove to be quite frustrating for the next month or so, but I promise you that it does go away (and it’s a blissful day when it does). Stay strong, my friend!

  4. Abby;

    Wow 7 months with braces is pretty short, most people I’ve seen have had their braces on for around 1.5 years. I don’t really know what will be the case for me, I just hope its short, I’m warming to the idea of the surgery everyday to fix my teeth and jaw pains. Wondering if you had any jaw pains before the surgery and were they fixed afterwards? With my underbite, sometimes when I eat soft food I can feel my jaw make a crackling sound ?? And after that it clicks when I open it pretty wide.

    I’m in the UK so I will probably be placed on waiting lists for the treatment, so it could be several months or even perhaps a full year or more until I get the bracework started, going to be a long process of maybe 3-4 yearswhich is making me feel slightly upset really . Along with having no set career path at the moment (I have to apply to university to start for September next year they may not accept me, and with this worry I’ve started to get seriously stressed , which i read up on Google may be causing my crackling sounded jaw >_<

    Hopefully you get feeling back. Does the feeling and nerves really just depend on the surgeon doing it ? Ie hoping they dont cut any nerves ? In my area, there are only 2 major hospitals for this so hopefully they're experienced enough but it depnds on each person I guess. And did you find other facial features changed as a result of the surgery?

  5. Charlie,

    I had my braces on for 7 months before my teeth were ready for surgery. I still have them on now, with elastics, but I hope to get them off soon because everything fits and looks perfect to me.

    They operated on both upper and lower jaw. I had numbness around my chin for only two days before feeling came back 100%. After 5 weeks I had all feeling back around my right cheek, right upper lip, and near the tip of my nose. Now it’s just my gums.

    Elayne, your post definitely made me hopeful that the feeling will come back eventually!

  6. Hi everyone,
    I had my surgery May 10,2012. It was phase 2 of 2. Just reading other comments about numbness and a “thick” feeling. I can say the same. The roof of my mouth is numb and I cannot feel my upper gums or teeth.
    Last year July16,2011,when I had phase 1 of my surgeries done, They removed my tonsils,reconstructed my pallet,tightened my tongue and moved my hyoid bone. My chin and bottom jaw,gums and teeth were numb. Now over a year later I am still just getting feeling back. Doctors have told me sometimes it never comes back. I hope I’m not that rare case! I have been told it can take up to and then some better part of a year before you feel completely normal again. I’m still waiting… I have noticed a significant change in the way I look. I’m still getting used to it. I know in the long run it’s all worth it, regardless of the feelings I have with my “new face”. For those going into or deciding; good luck and you are not alone!!

    • Elayne, I have a high school teacher back home who underwent this surgery many years ago and he said he finally regained all of his feeling back a full two years later. Nerves are interesting little things, they are! I hope your’s reawaken and you receive full feeling back. =)

  7. Did you have only your top jaw moved ? I’ve read loads of things like if you had your top jaw moved your nose/cheeks may change and become numb, bottom then its the lip/chin.

    How long did you have to wear braces for ? I’m yet to start the process, and I’m just worried that it drags along throughout university where it’ll probably keep me back. I just hate how my teeth/jaw have turned out to be.

  8. Charlie,

    I too am interested in hearing from others about nerve damage. I’m four months post-op and my top gums are completely numb. Better than my lips or my chin, but I’ve got a weird sensation in the area that I can only describe as a feeling of “thickness” that I’m nearly always aware of and it kind of bothers me a bit. I hope it improves.

    But surgery did take care of my bite issues and I am really happy with my teeth, they look absolutely perfect.

  9. Hey, found your website after looking up at this and I’m 18 right now and I’ve been told I need to get it done. I’m the only one in my whole family to need this, which I think is due to me regretfully not wearing my retainers for my top set of teeth properly when I was 11/12 which probably caused it to happen I dont really know.

    I’ve yet to start the treatment, it’ll take probably 3-4 years being on waiting lists etc and I’ve not started braces, the main thing I worry about is the nerve loss, the risk is said to be low but most people on the internet seem to get it ._.

    A question I have is that right now, when I eat normal soft foods I can feel my jaw making sounds and it often clicks when I move it left/right. Did having the surgery sort out any of your jaw issues ? I’m really afraid of doing the surgery, I mainly want to do it for nice looking teeth and no jaw issues. And if I choose not to do the surgery, are there any risks that can arise due to having an underbite in the future ?

  10. I wanted to update ya’ll on what the surgeons finally discovered….
    Apparently, its my Masseter Muscles that are refusing to stretch. I am on muscle relaxers ( to help me want to even try to do P.T.), Ibuprofen for day time swelling, and of course my lovely tongue depressors to stretch my jaw. I have found some good exercise techniques online, as well. I go back in Thursday to get fitted for some kind of appliance that will allow me better stretching during P.T. If the muscle relaxers arent helping much, they will be using Botox to relax the muscle.
    Other than not being able to open my mouth very wide, all has healed well and looks amazing!
    Its just this one last hurdle I need to get thru…then my braces come off!!! Getting those off is certainly motivation to keep doing the painful stretches tho!!!
    They arent really sure why my muscles are staying so stubborn, but whatever ya’ll do…. stretch those bad boys the moment you are cleared to do so!! Eating like this is embarrassing and frustrating, to say the least!

  11. I totally agree with Donna!! Thank you Graham for ALL of your great advice and your infinite patience with all of us. 🙂

  12. You are a wonderful person. Not only have you created a place to ease the minds of many who are contemplating or are going through this type of surgery, you have continued to respond to your readers! I really think that is way awesome and very impressive! Thank you!

    • Cheers to your compliments, Donna and Juana! I honestly enjoy “meeting” everyone on this journey, and it’s even more worthwhile when I get to meet people in person while traveling. It’s a small world, after all.

  13. **Brisemont***

  14. Phew! Im glad im not all alone in this! LOL! I had the procedure today, it is called “Briesmont”…. they knocked me out completely and separated my jaw about 20mm’s. The anesthesia was probably the worst part of it all. I feel fine and im up and walking. I dont notice a huge difference yet, but im a little swollen at this stage. I do have to maintain my physical therapy for the next week or two. I hope this is the answer to it all, cuz i really want to eat a cheeseburger like a human again!!!

  15. Ok, so I am 5 weeks post op, eating regular food, slowly and feeling pretty good all around. My biggest issue is that when my upper jaw was moved forward the natural bump that is usually behind the tongue on the roof of my mouth is now sitting on the very back of my tongue and triggering my gag reflex.
    Has anyone else had this issue? Will it go away, or will I feel like dry heaving forever?

    • Jenn, I’ve never heard of anyone’s gag reflex being perpetually triggered by the new shape of their mouth. My guess is that you’ll grow used to the new position of your tongue and the reflex will adjust accordingly.

      To gain some reassurance, you can call your surgeon and ask if they’ve heard of anyone else having this issue. Let me know what you find out. =)

  16. Hi I no people may have asked this but whats it like just after surgery because am having surgery 8th october 2012 on both jaws i no about feeling or being sick and have nosebleeds and the numbness and that it will probly be painful just wondered if there is anything eles I should prepare for

    • Hi Daniel,

      Life is a little frustrating for the first couple of weeks following surgery, but I promise you’ll survive. You won’t be able to eat solid food or speak, so make sure you have thin soups, Ensure, and a blender handy. I also recommend finding a good TV series to keep yourself entertained for the first week.

      You’ll do great, and life becomes a lot easier after the initial two weeks. Good luck in a few months!

  17. Hi Bree, I had my surgery on May 10,2012. My face and neck area is still a little swollen. I am also experiencing strange sensations.My drs. told me at least a yr before everything is back to normal.I have numbness on my upper and lower teeth and I can’t feel the roof of my mouth. I can’t even bend down and look under the bed without feeling like my head is going to explode.I also have developed a lisp.I go for physio and am trying acupuncture to try and open my mouth wider.I can’t yawn comfortably. I am able to chew but after a few hrs of talking and regular meals my jaw is very sore. chips and crackers or crunchy food are totally out of the question for me. Rest assured someone else I’m sure is going through similar feelings. Hang in there…:)

  18. I go in on Thursday to have my mouth cranked open ( as mentioned above). Has anyone experienced extreme pressure in the upper jaw? I am at 4 months post op, and i still can not chew anything! My mouth doesnt bother me too much until I eat…even bread! I cant talk very well, because its so tight in there and my tongue has very little room to move around. I enunciate everything with a lisp. Hopefully the procedure on Thursday will fix this all…. but why am i still suffering numbness and pressure after 4 months? It feels as if my upper jaw is going to cave in. I will update after I heal- in case anyone else has to go thru it. My surgeons seem baffled as to why I am having this issue. I have yet to meet anyone having such problems at this stage. Anyone??????

  19. Its been 30 days post op and I was up and running perfectly normal after 15 days or so. I was able to eat rice, pasta, lasagne and even soft meat and chicken by around then aswell. Swelling has almost gone, I’d say about 25% left. Started working out again at home without weights but still good enough to get myself physically active again. Ive been speaking very well, and chewing well too. I have to say I don’t think my recovery is normal and I’m probably 3 weeks ahead of schedule, but who wouldn’t want a recovery as fast as this. I had to share this because I’m just really happy that the difficult part of the first week has passed and to see myself at this point very early on to be so thankfully healthy and fit is hopefully a motivational lift for all those people out there undergoing this surgery or recovering from it at the moment that the end product is definitely worth it. Stay positive and strong and remember to eat well. Drink alot of milk aswell as that will grow your jaw bones quicker and stronger.
    Force yourselves to get back to the normal you as soon as you can, that’s the only way you’ll recover quickly.
    Best of luck to you all. 🙂

    • You are super lucky, Husain! Eating well and maintaining high calcium intake definitely play a large role in how fast you recover. I’m glad you’re back to being active so early. Stay strong!

  20. Hi Susan,
    With Graham’s blog you will see that you were well prepared and you will be just fine. I had my double jaw surgery last Tuesday.
    Good luck
    Binta

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