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.
July 14, 2014 at 12:27 am
My surgery is coming up tomorrow(today). About 11 hrs from now. Just wanted to say your site helped alot man. I appreciate all of it and how you’ve kept up with responding with people all this time.
July 14, 2014 at 3:09 pm
Mike, I’m glad you found my ramblings encouraging. You are having your surgery right at this exact moment (cool!) so I wish you all the best. =)
July 7, 2014 at 7:00 am
Good Morning Folks. I had lower jaw surgery the first week of June, so 5 weeks ago today.
In my situation (God, you guys will hate me), I was off to town the fourth day after surgery by myself. Now, it wasn’t a big shopping excursion, just a run to Walmart for Special K shakes, but I was really starting to feel myself again.
I had aboslutely no pain with my surgery, nor did I have pain afterwards. The only thing that’s daunting is the swelling. It’s just irritating and tiresome.
Anyhow, kicking at it. Had a great surgeon, and to my understanding, that was the significant factor.
Good LUCK to everyone that’s going that route. I’m already extremely happy wit the results, and I can’t wait to get the whole ortho process done.
July 14, 2014 at 3:03 pm
Lynda, that’s great to hear that your recovery was pain-free and quick! Stay positive and enjoy your new smile!
July 6, 2014 at 3:21 pm
Graham,
I’m almost 8 weeks into recovery from my surgery, and I had a question regarding physical activity. When you had yours, what was a go and was a no? I know you mentioned going to the gym. I am more of an action sports guy, skateboarding and rock climbing and the likes. I also play a good bit of ultimate. I was just wondering what you were told to do pertaining more physically intense activities. I want to play it safe, but I still want to do the things that I love as well. Thanks for your help!
Daniel
July 14, 2014 at 2:51 pm
Daniel, you should be able to play non-contact sports as desired at this point in your recovery. Just be careful not to get hit in the face with anything. I took a Frisbee to the jaw at about 6 weeks post-op and it caused quite a bit of swelling. =)
July 4, 2014 at 5:44 pm
Hi Graham,
How are you? You have heard from me before. I have had constant burning for the past month and 2 weeks. I get the tingling and deep throbs but those go away. My recovery is different than most but wanted to let you know my surgeon is treating this pain with a low dose of elavel. Apparently, I’m not the only one who has experienced a painful recovery of this sort. I do have feeling everywhere which is great and the burning will stop once the healing is complete. I also wanted to let everyone know that if you get really bad nerve pain in your healing process that there are medications that can ease your healing process until it eases itself. Grant, your blog is great and you help so many and am glad your recovery is over!
July 14, 2014 at 2:07 pm
Kerry, thanks for the pain medication tips. It seems like luck of the draw when it comes to post-op pain in this recovery journey. The pain is gone by the time feeling returns for some, but for those whose feeling returns more quickly, there is still lingering pain. I hope you’re feeling better now!
June 24, 2014 at 11:12 pm
Thanks! And yes, I have been meeting with my oral serguon for the last year or so to make sure I’m done growing. (Which I am) But thank you for the advise! It’s extremely helpful. Thanks for everything!.
-Kayla
June 24, 2014 at 8:58 am
I am 16 and just finished my sophomore year of high school. Last Tuesday I underwent double jaw surgery at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. At first, the doctors were planning for a LeFort 1 advancement of my upper jaw. Although, due to my severe underbite and having bi-lateral cleft lip and cleft palate, they ruled it too risky to stretch the nerves and cut blood supply. They ultimately decided to move my lower jaw back to compromise. The operation lasted eight hours, twice the usual length. I wasn’t too nervous beforehand, since I’ve had 19 other surgeries I am a veteran to the operating room 🙂 I have little memory of waking up. I do remember throwing up quite a lot of blood, but the nurses provide a suction tube to help the vomit come out. During the surgery I lost almost a liter of blood, so hopefully your doctor talks to you about the chance of having a blood transfusion. I was able to go home the next day. I had discomfort with constantly drooling and trouble breathing the first couple of days. The drooling has lessened with my swelling going down. Now I only wear two rubber bands after one week and can breathe, swallow/drink, and communicate a lot easier. Day by day the pain is becoming more manageable. I’m having trouble keeping up with consuming enough calories everyday, but the less pain meds I take, the more appetite I have. There is honestly nothing to be afraid of! If you have trust in your doctors then you will have a wonderful outcome. Don’t worry about looks because I currently look like a chipmunk on steroids 🙂 This is a very brave, but totally worth it surgery!
June 25, 2014 at 8:30 am
Jenna, thanks so much for sharing your story. It sounds like you had a fairly intense surgery, but are somehow doing amazingly well on the other side of it! Stay happy and enjoy your new smile. =)
June 23, 2014 at 11:54 pm
Hello Graham,
My name is Kayla and I am 15. I am having this same procedure for my severe overbite. Reading your journey has been extremely helpful on calming my nerves. I am overwhelmed with people telling me how terrible it’s going to be to manage the pain. My dentists assistant told me, (in her exact words) “Hun, your going to feel like an 17-wheeler ran your face over, not to sugar-coat anything but I’m being honest”. Um, so being my age I am TERRIFIED! That’s not my only concern though. I am starting school in August and I don’t want to start another school year with a huge face. (My freshman year I was swollen from my wisdom teeth being removed 3 days prior. It was a girls worst nightmare.) so how long does swelling usually take to go away? Any words of advice would be fantastic even if it’s not what I want to hear. I am aware I will not wake up feeling great but in kinda hoping the “18-wheeler” stuff was out of proportions. Please help,
-Kayla
June 24, 2014 at 8:03 am
Hi Kayla,
Swelling generally takes 2–3 months to get to a point where it’s no longer noticeable. If you’re resuming school in late August, it would be best to have the surgery no later than the end of June to ensure most of your swelling is gone and your ability to speak clearer has returned.
Regarding pain, your nerves are actually numb during the worst part of it, so people usually don’t feel too much pain. By the time your nerves wake up, most of the pain should be gone. The recovery is more of a frustrating experience than a painful once.
I’m frankly a little surprised that your orthodontist is recommending the surgery considering you’re only 15 years old. Some people’s jaws are still growing at that age. Have you had an oral surgeon take a look and make a recommendation?
June 19, 2014 at 3:06 pm
Thanks! I will definitely keep checking in here before and after I get my face/mouth fixed up. You have a great website and I am impressed with your dedication to people on the site.
June 18, 2014 at 12:33 pm
Hi,
I have been a major orthodontic nightmare most of my life. I had a giant overbite as a kid. I started in braces at age 7. I was told I would need surgery at age 18. When I got to that age, my overbite had closed somewhat. My dad, who is a dentist, decided I didn’t need it, so it was never done.
Now I am 37 and have had terrible TMJ for about 25 years. I have lost movement to the right side almost completely and my jaw locks and pops a lot. My right meniscus is trashed.
My new dentist- dad has retired and I moved far away- has tried to treat the TMJ without success. She is sending me for a consult. I have it scheduled for Sept 30, 2014. That is the soonest I could even get in for the consult. Of course my dad is totally against it and wants me to see yet another TMJ specialist. (I’ve already seen 2 in my lifetime and none of the treatments help for long or at all).
I’m totally open to the surgery now. My mom is on board with me and now hindsight says she should have pushed him to let me do the surgery on the overbite as a teen. I may not have ended up with the horrible TMJ that I have now.
I work in the medical field and am self employed. The time off from work is a little daunting. Finding coverage is nearly impossible, but I’ll just have to make it work.
Glad to hear your stories. I just wish I didn’t have to wait 3.5months for an appointment just for the consult. I’m anxious to know more about what I will have to do. I know I need lower jaw AND TMJ repair for sure.
June 19, 2014 at 10:21 am
Lana, your story sounds frustrating, for sure, but know that you are not alone. I’ve met several others who were led to revisit the idea of jaw surgery later in life, went through with the operation, and emerged from the experience with positive results. Feel free to reach out when you do go in for surgery—I’d love to follow along with your journey. =)
June 17, 2014 at 2:12 pm
Hi Graham, I had jaw surgery last Tuesday, according to the surgeons it went great no blood what so ever. But hours after I had waken up from the surgery my nose bled uncontrollably. Apparently some blood vessels in my cheeks had popped and etc. (Thought it was strange as I had literally no swelling). I was rushed in to surgery the next day to treat it. I was kept a sleep a whole day, then woken up, when I woke up I had a foul smelling breath. I also had a plug and a tube up my nose (to keep airways clear I’m guessing). Anyway, since the second surgery I’ve had nothing but horrible smelling red, green discharge from my nose! I thought the smell was my breath, but when I’d brushed my teeth, smell was still there, as well as an insane amount of discharge coming out still. It’s been 6 days now and I’m still having this disgusting smelling red discharge. Surgeon said it was normal, but it’s so unbearable! it’s getting worse every time I drink water too, I can taste it now! It’s putting me off food! Please help!
June 18, 2014 at 10:15 am
Sasha, while I cannot relate to intense bleeding in your nose, I would imagine a foul smelling discharge would be hinting at an infection. You may want to see your surgeon for a checkup to ensure there is no infection in your nose and that everything is healing up appropriately.
June 13, 2014 at 1:58 am
Hi again Graham,
Had my first surgery today to remove my baby tooth and expose the adult impacted eye tooth, they cut open the gum to show the impacted tooth and attached a bracket and chained it the the palatial arch in my mouth. They then put putty in the hole to seal it, I guess so infection and food don’t get in. Man oh man I forgot how anaesthesia affects me, sick after I woke up and restless like crazy for about 7 hours. Lip and nose are numb, eating is hard as, all food got stuck between my wire and roof of my mouth last night (before surgery) so I’m just eating custard and yogurt. Made me think how much of a struggle my jaw surgery will be in 15 months 🙁
June 14, 2014 at 10:54 am
Jacinta, the effects of anaesthesia can be frustrating, for sure. Try to remember that these recoveries will be temporary, but the results will benefit you for the rest of your life. You’ll get through it and I think you’ll be happy you did. =)
June 9, 2014 at 6:24 pm
P.S.
When did you (or anyone) go back to work after their surgery?
June 10, 2014 at 8:34 am
Courtney, I returned to my job as a programmer after 2 weeks, but I’d recommend a full 4 weeks if you’re required to speak at work.
June 9, 2014 at 6:20 pm
On August 25 of this year I will be undergoing orthgnathic (sp??) and genioplasty surgery to correct my overbite and chin. I was told my jaw did not fully develop as a child and that it is unfortunately hereditary. I am 26 years old so this has been a long time coming for me. Due to the cost of braces and surgery (without an health coverage from work) it has been quite a lot of saving for me!
It took me a full 2 years to completely decide upon going through with braces and surgery. It is the surgery that scares me. I am excited for the final result though! As a down side during this day and age where everything is about what you look like it seems that by other comments I def will end up having a hard time dealing with my appearance afterwards.. Guess I will be avoiding mirrors!!!! Hahaha
My doctor had warned me during previous visits that I won’t have full feeling of my face until about a year after, is this true?
I read on another jaw surgery blog site that kissing after is difficult. I suppose not having full feeling of your face will do that and I don’t plan to start kissing my boyfriend the minute after either, however, their posts said they would keep biting their significant others’ lip. Basically having to relearn how to kiss all over again… This is like… mind boggling to me!
I haven’t heard my doctor mention anything about a splint but I know I will be wired shut. I am not sure what the splint does but reading “when he takes it out” makes me sort of queezy. I am one of those people when they are doing any sort of surgery on TV (on their stomach for example) I will hold my stomach and look away. Sort of like my stomach hurts too.
My last appointment I had with the surgeon he told me it will be a 4 hour surgery. How long was yours?
He also said that it wouldnt be a terrible recovery but a tough one. I love food. I do not know how I will be able to not eat/chew food for a couple weeks.
Does any one have any tips on gaining weight before surgery? I am about 110 lbs and I am struggling gaining anything. Every time I see the surgeon everyone in the office tells me to focus on gaining weight… I eat the worse foods possible I don’t even exercise so I do not see why I am failing at weight gain.
I apologize for the incessant rambling but I feel I have 1 million questions and I can’t get them out fast enough!
Graham, you look great and it really gives me hope for myself and look forward to smiling (with teeth) in photos and really being able to enjoy life.
June 10, 2014 at 8:31 am
Hi Courtney,
You sound quite worried about this operation, so the first step to a successful, enjoyable recovery is to enter with a positive attitude. You will recover and you will be smiling after and you will be back to a regular lifestyle within 3–4 months. There’s no doubt about that.
To answer your questions:
1) You will regain most of your feeling within the first 2 months. Following that, your remaining nerves may take up to 6 months to wake up (ie. recover from the bruising). The feeling you have at the 6-month mark is generally what you’ll have for the rest of your life. I have a few small permanent numb patches in my lower lip and chin, but I don’t even notice them unless someone is asking about them.
2) Learning to kiss again is not a huge undertaking and it will come back quickly, so there’s no need to fret about that. Also, what a fun skill to relearn, right?
3) My surgery took 5 hours, so the length of your operation sounds perfectly normal. It’ll feel like a 5-minute nap once you’re asleep.
4) As for gaining weight before the surgery, I’d recommend not eating bad foods. That’s never a good thing to do, regardless of what your goal is. If you’re eating a healthy amount and are not gaining weight, then your metabolism simply will not let you increase your weight, and that’s okay. As long as you’re not undereating, you’ll be fine. Since you sound quite skinny, you simply won’t lose as much weight post-op. Most patients only lose weight their bodies can actually healthily give up.
All in all, most of your anxiety stems from worrying about normal, expected parts of the operation. Try to be positive and know that we’re here to help out once you go in for the operation. =)
May 24, 2014 at 12:58 am
Hi there,
My sister is post-op day 8. She is doing well with regards to the surgery but having difficulties eating due to jaws wired shut and having the splint in. There’s very little space to take in a tip of a squeeze tube, tubing from a syringe… Any suggestions?
May 26, 2014 at 9:18 am
Sister, if the syringe isn’t working well for eating, I’m not sure what else to suggest. Have you tried pushing the tube alongside her teeth to the back of her mouth so she can suck soups and smoothies in behind her molars? That’s what I had to do for the first couple of weeks during recovery.
May 22, 2014 at 9:34 am
Hey,
Just saying thanks for the blog, read it a few times in the past months. But got my operation happening in the morning so just having another scan over the blog. My operation is upper + lower both sides with a angled cut on the right ramus to extend the length.
Kinda looking forward to seeing pictures of my self and seeing some kinda of monster 0.0′ apparently I’m the only one who thinks that way but we can be mean to ourselves.
Due to replacing a fused bone in my jaw when I was four with cartilage which didn’t grow to a similar size to the other side, it has led to a asymmetry and other issues.
Anyway thanks and might be back to report in when I’m feeling up to it…
May 23, 2014 at 7:24 am
Phillip, good luck with the surgery this morning! Get lots of rest for the first few days and try to go for walks around the hospital as soon as you’re able. Let me know how it goes!
May 20, 2014 at 2:15 pm
Hi,
This site is just what I needed. Everything else I have read has been negative or put the fears into me but seeing how many of you have gone through this and feel happy that you made the right choice is very encouraging.
I have just been given my double jaw operation date for March 5th 2015. The surgeon was hoping to get away with only doing one jaw but has decided I need both and so more orthodontic work is needed now.
My question is this:
I have been putting off getting married until this is all over and having originally been expecting the operation in October of this year, thought that late August 2015 would have been sufficient time to heal.
Now that it’s in March, would you suggest I’m better off postponing for another year or stick to the August?
I don’t want the wedding in Autumn here In the UK as it’s too cold.
Any advice appreciated.
May 21, 2014 at 9:57 am
Kate, I would recommend you continue on with your August wedding plans. Five months will be ample time to heal up completely and resume your regular lifestyle. You’ll be getting married with a new jaw, new smile, and new affinity for delicious food! =)
May 19, 2014 at 8:32 pm
So, Graham. I contacted you a year ago (i think)?
I was the 51 year old who thought about having the surgery and was unsure i should go thru with it. Well, now i’m 52 and have braces…started the ortho part of it last October.
The ortho said i am missing a joint on left my jaw and that could be why the other side grew out longer. One side of my jaw is 1/2″ higher than the other side?!
When my eyes are level, my chin lines up to the right of my philtrum. Anyway, will keep reading this as its very informative; and i won’t have the jaw surgery til sometime early next year…giving time for the braces to straighten the teeth/roots out. Hoping i like my new face eventually…and i really want to bite thru a pickle on a hamburger…can’t do that right now?!
May 20, 2014 at 9:26 am
Janet, I remember chatting with you! Happy to hear you’re now on the path to having the surgery as it sounds like it will help your bite a lot. You’re at a tough point in the journey because the end is quite literally years from now, but I assure you it will be well worth it. When all is said and done, you’ll smile as you look back and you can enjoy the benefits for many years to come!
May 18, 2014 at 12:44 am
Hi graham! Great blog you have put together. I am typing this up from my hospital bed right now 2 days after my double jaw surgery which I have gotten done in the UK. My top jaw was moved forward 6mm and bottom jaw backwards 2mm and some other adjustments for them to meet.
All the staff here are saying how well I am recovering although I am starting to feel a fair amount of pain. Swelling is starting to take its toll on me but I am still able to eat with a small spoon and drink water with a straw.
One thing I don’t have is a splint in place I don’t know if the surgery is done slightly different in the uk. As far as I am aware the splint was only in place during the surgery.
My lips have been getting really dry but I’ve been doing my best to keep putting Vaseline on it. I have been up walking about but I am taking it easy. Was able to go for a shower by myself yesterday too!
Once again thanks for your dedication to this blog I will post again soon.
May 18, 2014 at 10:55 am
PJ, hello from Canada! I find it so cool that you can write straight from your hospital bed… welcome to the future, right? You should be on your way home soon, so remember to go outside for walks each day and try to keep yourself occupied with books and TV shows. Let me know how you’re doing when you get home. =)
May 17, 2014 at 6:17 pm
Wow! I just spent the last two days going through and reading your blog and all of the comments! Amazing dedication to say the least!!!
I have a huge journey ahead if me and this website has really been a great insight. Coming from Australia I don’t think I’ve ever heard of ensure though…
Bit of a backstory, my face is asymmetrical so my jaw is off centre and my teeth are on a slope as well. Went to the Orthodontist in Feb this year (2014) and he gave me an estimate for braces – $7450 to be exact, 24-36 months estimate in braces! And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! I still have my top left baby canine (or eye tooth) and the adult tooth is stuck up in my arch behind my front teeth. Before braces can be put on I need to have surgery to get my baby tooth removed and the adult eye tooth exposed and a bracket and chain attached to pull it down into the natural spot. Surgery for this is on 13th June, so not far away, I’m going through the private system so full coat including surgeon fee, anaesthetist and hospitals stay (only a few hours as it’s day surgery) is $2152!!! A few months after that they will FINALLY put my braces on, I estimate that within the next 12 months a date will be set for my ‘Bimaxillary Osteotomy’ surgey – surgeon fees alone have been quoted for $8,990!!! This does NOT include anethesist fees or the hospital fees for the few days I will be in their. I will most likely be going through the public system but with the same surgeon to avoid these fees. Let me just inform you I do have private health insurance but over hear that doesn’t mean your 100% covered, especially when 99% of surgeons charge way over the Medicare Recommended fee, which means you are out of pocket big time to cover that gap!!! Well that’s my spiel, it’s a huge and slow process but I’ve been waiting years for this! My biggest issues is how my face looks, silly I know, but in photos I always turn my face slightly to the side so you can’t see how out of line my chin in and I hate my smile and slanted teeth. Along with that I have to have physio on my jaw leading up to surgery as I have TMJ and the muscles in my jaw need to be in full proper working order before my jaw is set into the right place!!! Wish there was a blog like this by an Aussie, then I could relate to costs/foods a bit more. Thank you again for this invaluable website!
May 18, 2014 at 10:42 am
Jacinta,
Believe it or not, I had a similar surgery to expose one of my adult teeth when I was younger. They cut the gum away, glued a bracket onto the tooth, and slowly pulled it down. The joys of poor dental genetics, right?
It sounds like you have a good grasp on the journey you’re embarking on, so I wish you all the best on it. And who knows, maybe the surgery will be even easier in a couple of years when you go through with it!
May 15, 2014 at 4:58 am
Hello Graham,
I am 3wks in my recovery of lower and upper jaw surgery. And I can say it is one heck of a journey! I am ready to go back to work and starting eating bbqs! But I am hanging in there. Paitence is the key to success. I just wanted to know what I can for the swelling and numbness to go away faster and also how all the drooling to go away when Im trying to get a decent sleep. I have a splint on and it will be taken off in couple days so I am thinking as soon as the splint comes off I will start feeling a lot better. I am just ready to go back to my normal face. I appreciate for all your blogs and great information! Thank you very much.
May 15, 2014 at 9:21 am
Ranjani, you’re correct in thinking life will be much easier once your splint is removed—that should solve your drooling issue. As far as swelling goes, that’s primarily a game of patience, however you can place a heat pack on your face at night to aid in sleeping. I was able to sleep through the night at some point during my third week of recovery, which is exactly where you’re at, so a full night’s rest should be coming your way soon. Enjoy life without the splint soon! =)