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.

Want to connect with other jaw heroes?

Recovering from jaw surgery can be lonely. That's why many of us hang out in a Facebook group where we support each other leading up to surgery and during recovery. There are hundreds of people from all over the world chatting right now and it's free to join.

Join the Facebook group

(example of a recent conversation)

1738 Comments

  1. Hi! I am currently on day 39 of my very long journey… feels good to be “normal” again! I’m not sure of the medical terms for my surgery but I had my chin and lower jaw set back as well as widening my top jaw and pulling it forward. The doctors prepare you for surgery but nobody tells you the mental impact it takes on you & your care giver. I wish I would have found this websites chat line during the first few days of recovery because you feel extremely lonely for a while… I shut out all my friends for almost 3 weeks! DONT DO THAT!! you need moral support & your friends will not laugh at you!

    • Amen Chenelle! Despite feeling like you don’t want to face the outside world, seeing friends as soon as you’re able is immensely valuable. Glad to hear you’re already into your second month of recovery, woohoo!

  2. Hi Graham, your story is truly amazing, I am about to have my surgery hopefully end of September, really excited about that ! I can wait to meet the new me 🙂

    • Aria, glad to hear you have a date set! Best of luck preparing for the surgery and we’re here for you during recovery. Make sure you join the chat group for ongoing support during those first few weeks. 😊

  3. Graham, I just want to thank you so much for sharing your story. All I seem to find are horror stories. I had several teeth pulled when I was younger, braces for impacted teeth for over a year when I was 16. I’ve known about this surgery since I was 7 or 9 years old but I am now 23 with a 3 year old and finally About to have my surgury. This is my second round of braces, surgery will be september 1st, 2016 1 year and 2 month after getting my braces put on for the 2nd time and I dont Think I would have followed threw with the surgery if i did not find your post. It will be a double jaw surgery. I go on the 12th of August for my pre surgury work up. I am glad to see your updates and that all is going well. I hope it continues the same.
    Molly

    • Molly, I’m very happy to hear you found some encouragement in my ramblings! If you haven’t already, I encourage you to join the chat group (signup form above the comments) and meet some of the people in there. Support during the first few weeks of recovery can be immensely helpful. 😊

  4. Now I wonder if my nose is too big. It widened with surgery but my surgeon said my new nose was cute. He even said before surgery it would be cute.. I hope he means it!

    • Jenny, remember that swelling can do bizarre things to a person’s face and make you look lopsided and disproportionate. As swelling decreases, your nose will likely look different than it does during recovery. Hang in there! 😊

  5. 8 weeks post op now. Able to chew as of 7 1/2 weeks. (could of been earlier but I was on vacation so I wasn’t able to get “approval”) and getting braces off in less than a week!

    • To add to this, I also still have numbness on the left side of my chin. I also have 2 teeth that the gum is receding… My dentist told me it’s from the surgeon moving my jaw, but the surgeon says it’s cause I brushed too hard… Also, I had super bad staining from the prescribed mouth wash, I’ve been able to lighten the stains quite a bit from using Crest 3D White Toothpaste and Mouthwash – but will be having professional cleaning/whitening done when my braces are removed next week.

      • Kira, what great news that you’ll be free of braces soon! I had to deal with receding gums as well (and still am, really) and I found that switching to an electric toothbrush with a pressure sensor really helped. It’s nice because if you are pressing hard, a little light flashes to remind you to be gentle. Starting to floss daily helped as well because the reduced amount of bacteria allowed my gums to stop receding so quickly.

        Some dentists may recommend “gum grafting” (periodontal surgery) as well, but I’ve heard this is both expensive and painful, so I would try flossing and using an electric toothbrush before going down that road. 😊

        • Hiya. I had my double jaw surgery 4 weeks ago, 6th July and I still can’t feel my chin at all or my lower lip. Getting a bit worried as when I drink, (still on fluids) I can’t feel it running down my face so walking round with veg soup stains on me until I look in the mirror. I was told my lip might be numb but not my chin. It feels as hard as a rock. On a positive note I had surgery for sleep apnea which has worked, no cpap since surgery and my diabetes reading are in single figures in the normal range at 6mmol.. 19 years on insulin-with readings at 16mmol, I haven’t had to take any insulin at all!!! my health is better but not sure I want to be dribbling food everywhere I go…

          • Patricia, I think it’s fairly normal for your chin to be numb during recovery. There is a large nerve that is often bruised during surgery and that affects both your lower lip and chin. Given that you are 4 weeks into recovery, it’s still very likely that your feeling will return, so try not to worry about it at this point. 😊

        • Yes my dentist did recommend getting a graft done for my gums. If I do floss and use an electric toothbrush, will the gums eventually grow back on their own? I am just worried about long term and if they could potentially recede so much that they fall out or something.

          • Kira, as far as I understand, gums generally don’t grow back, but if you’re able to brush gently and keep the areas around them clean, they can stop receding. Following surgery, I felt nerve pain around my gums whenever I drank cold fluids, but once I started flossing and using an electric toothbrush, my gums became healthier and the pain stopped. They are still receded, but they don’t appear to be getting any worse at the moment.

            Another thing you can try is to brush a few nights each week with Colgate PreviDent Gel. It requires a prescription in most countries, so you may need your dentist’s help to buy a few tubes of it, but it contains flouride and really helped with strengthening my gums. 😊

  6. Hi there again. Update as its been 4 weeks since double jaw surgery. I’m Feeling a wee bit better. Had 8 screws taken out of my jaws yesterday, blinking painful and one was very difficult to get out so face is battered and bruised again. Spoken to surgeon about having a double stitch in my nose to bring it back to pre op which he’s doing at 3 month.. I really do hope so.!!I’m having braces fitted on the 9th August And have been told they should be on for around 18 months! From what I’ve read most people have them on before surgery. Was just wondering if this has happened to anyone else?

    • Hi Patricia, I am nearly 6 months post and I am so unhappy with how my nose is much wider. What is this double stitch? From what research I have done I thought the only thing that can be done is to cut a piece out of each nostrils to make it narrow. This terrifies me as I don’t want to change my nose any worse and it’s already be so traumatic getting used to the chafe already. I’d be interested to know how you get on. Thanks

      • Hi there Nini. I totally understand I really do. I’m s month in. Saw my surgeon yesterday. I told how down and low I feel about my nose. It’s spread wider and Nostrils wider to, that’s all I look at when I look at myself. He said he could do something in six months time which your now at but seeing me at 3 months as I told him I can’t return to work unless it’s fixed. A double stitch is a procedure where they insert a stitch just under the nose and then pulls the sides in to what ever width you want
        Where do you live?

        • Hi Patrica, thanks for replying, I live in Ireland. I had upper jaw surgery to correct a gummy smile. I was never told my nose world change and I am so upset about it. I felt the exact same as you after surgery, my surgeon kept telling me to be patient and it would get better. Although it has gotten slightly better, I still hate it. It’s worse when I smile. So I feel like I’ve traded one problem for another and i still hate to smile and dont like how I look. I wish I never did this surgery. I also still can barely breath through my nose, one side barely at all. So I feel like I’m mouth breathing worse than before. It’s very frustrating. I don’t see my surgeon for another 2 months as he is very busy. I will ask him what can be done although I’m very nervous to touch my face again. I would love to know how you get on when you get your nose fixed. In the mean time hang in there. It does get better after a few months

          • I wanted to ask you, what’s the problem with breathing through one side of your nose.. Was it like that before surgery ?

  7. I shattered my lower jaw in a mountain biking accident and they put in a titanium plate in my lower jaw. My recovery had been much faster than the schedule described above.I’m already eating semi sold foods(no chewing), the swelling is gone, my energy is back and there is no pain. In fact,I never took a single pain killer since I left the hospital. I think the difference maybe because I had single jaw surgery.I still have some numbness in my chin and lower lip but it’s nothing major. I feel like I went thru a major dental procedure(like an implant) and not a surgery. The first week was bad but after about 5 days,I was feeling pretty normal.

    • Sigmundfreud, lower jaw surgery offers a much quicker recovery, so you’re lucky that you were able to stop there. Upper jaw surgery often requires reshaping a person’s nose and upper palette, both of which result in large amounts of swelling and the requirement of a splint to keep everything in place. I’m happy to hear you’ve recovered so quickly and hope you’re able to get back into biking soon — it’s a nice time of year for that!

  8. hi I’m glad i found all these experiences. I am now on the journey. i have seen the orthodontist who said i’ll need the surgery since braces alone won’t fix my underbite (though mild in my opinion). so the next step is to take molds, x-rays and pictures for the surgeon to review and start the process. My research brought me to this website, which i find interesting but the experiences of recovery are a bit daunting yet exciting…

    • Joanna, welcome to the family! You’re in the right place as far as finding support and personal experiences related to this surgery. Feel free to post questions in the comments and join the chat group if you prefer quicker responses. 😊

  9. Hi All, hoping someone can advise on a query.
    I hit the 12 week mark tomorrow after double jaw surgery in May. My recovery has been going well, there was some infection or swelling. but it got under control quite quickly. Mostly back on full diet and braces are set to come off 12th August.

    The only area with significant numbness is my lower lip and chin (right side), and at the layman’s risk of self-diagnosing, that specific area seems consistent with some possible damage/bruising to the inferior alveolar nerve – risks which were pre-discussed prior to my surgery or removal of my wisdom teeth. As was the possibility of a potential 18 months recovery time for feeling to return, if at all in some less common cases.

    I’ve been getting some new sensations in at area. There is no real discomfort in the area when talking or eating, or when pressure is placed on it. However if the area is tapped lightly, or when brushing my teeth, there is a sharp buzzing/shock feeling beneath the skin, similar to that of a very sensitive tooth.

    Not sure if this is a normal part of the course at the 3 month mark. I’m under no illusions that the numbness can take some months yet to (hopefully) fully recover, but just wanted to know if these additional sensations were standard too. Any thoughts welcome. Thanks

    • Ferg, what you are describing in terms of both timeline and feeling sounds very similar to what I experienced. My lower lip and chin (specifically on the left side) has permanent numbness, but I can honestly say it does not negatively impact my life in any way. If feeling does not return, your brain quickly adjusts to that situation and you’ll begin to only notice it when shaving or talking about how part of your lip is numb.

      That being said, I’ve met people who had feeling return all of a sudden at up to 6 months after surgery, so there is certainly still hope for these final areas. An estimate of 18 months is quite long, in my opinion, so I would look forward to the 6-month mark instead. I’ve heard of rare cases where someone’s nerves will miraculously heal even a full 2 years after the surgery, but I’ve never met anyone who personally experienced this.

      Kudos to being well-educated on the situation and I hope your nerves are still able to recover! 😊

  10. I have one more question regarding work. When exactly is a good time to head back to work? on average I was thinking 3 weeks but seem to early to me I don’t know?Thanks

    • Luke, if you need to speak throughout the day at your job, I recommend taking 5 weeks off. If you do not need to speak at work (eg. you’re a programmer), 3 weeks should be sufficient.

      Personally, I returned to work as a programmer after 2 weeks, but found I did not have enough energy to make it through the day. I was feeling better after 3 weeks and no longer noticed a lack of mental stamina after 4 weeks. 😊

  11. Hello! I am 10 days post op… Double jaw surgery and genioplasty. I can drink from a cup, eat soft food with a spoon, and talk almost properly. However, my face looks really ugly… I look like the guy in the movie Elephant Man… Is this normal? My chin looks bigger than before, and my face longer. The idea was to create a little bit of chin, but make the face shorter. One side of my face looks swollen, whereas the the other side looks kind of sceletical… I cannot find ME in the mirror… Gosh!!!

    • Loulla, as frustrating as your appearance may be right now, I assure you this is perfectly normal at this point in the recovery. Your face will be quite distorted and disproportionate during recovery due to the extreme swelling. I encourage you to try not to judge your appearance until at least 3 months have passed. Even small amounts of swelling can push your nose to the side, puff out your chin, or make your lips look out of place. Hang in there and remember that this is only temporary. Good luck! 😊

  12. I had double jaw surgery in November 2014 and still have limited opening of my jaw. I can only put 2 fingers sideways. It’s been over a year and a half! I just started going to the chiropractor to try and help with this. Any tips on how to help with this? I physically can’t make it open any wider

    • Maranda, sorry to hear that your jaw still isn’t opening fully. That is surely very frustrating and should not be the case so long after the surgery.

      As far as I’ve heard from others, this is usually the result of the muscles in your jaw needing to be stretched with special daily exercises, but since I did not experience this, I’m not sure what those exercises are. Have you called your surgeon’s office and asked them how they’ve solved this frustration for other patients?

  13. Wow. Kind of cool to read my old posts.
    I am at five months since my first surgery and 4.5 since second.
    Still have issues.. I hate my smile. My top teeth barely show.. Was told to give it twelve months..
    Numb in my gums, nose, lip, right side of my face.. Still hurts to yawn. I am in physical therapy for my jaw since I can’t open wide..

    • Jenny, I really do hope most of your feeling returns. I haven’t met anyone who was left with permanent numbness in their nose or on the side of their face as I don’t think these areas are affected by the nerve that is moved during surgery, so hopefully this means your feeling will return in the coming months.

      It sounds like you’ve had a tough experience, especially with multiple surgeries. I’ll be praying that your body heals.

    • Hi Jenny I’m much the same. Had surgery 6th July and can’t feel right side of face from under the eye to chin. I think my upper jaw has been brought to far forward so on other op looks likely. I’m terribly worried as it bad now and what with another op soon I can’t imagine it’s going to look / feel better. Also have a crooked smile, teeth don’t show and can’t open month wider than one finger. Speech is also bad as can’t talk properly

  14. Hi guys. Just outta hospital after having double jaw surgery. There were complications, not quite sure yet what they were, but spent 7 hours on the operation table instead of the usual 4/5 hours. My face looks like princess Fiona/ marge Simpson with the swelling . I had this op for sleep apnea and looks like it has worked which is fantastic but I am concerned about my nose at the moment. Surgeon told me it would widen and tip up slightly but right now I’m scared as I look awful. I also thought my looks would improve and not get worse. I know it early days but feeling ugly.

    • Trish, welcome to your recovery! Just think… from this point onward, every day is one day closer to putting this entire experience in your past, woohoo! As frustrating as this may be to hear, try not to judge your appearance until the full three months of recovery are behind you. Swelling will distort your face and make everything look quite asymmetric and crooked and your appearance may change on a daily basis for the first few weeks. I promise you will feel much more confident about your appearance once your swelling goes away. Hang in there! 😊

    • I am having double jaw surgery October 26 – makes me feel better to know you can see a difference w the sleeping as its for my airway :(- scared after all the posts but know it’s the right thing to do

      • Hey Stacy, just to say I’m 12 weeks post op from upper jaw and from my experience it takes a little while to appreciate breathing better due to your nose clearing out the guk from surgery (blood and mucus etc) but afterwards its definitely better. My husband said I haven’t snored since so that’s a bonus too! 🙂

        • Well I am more worried about my nose at this point… may sound shallow but I already have a large nose and do not need it to get bigger because of jaw surgery:( I am a property manager and deal with the public daily , worried about how long I need to take off from work.. But apparently my airway is almost closed and the Cpap would help with sleep but not a fix.. certainly do not want to die in my sleep but the double jaw surgery results sound very scary… Glad you are doing good!

          • Hi Stacey. The surgery was a complete success as far as sleep apnea. I saw my surgeon yesterday as I was really upset re nose widening but I’m having a double stitch put in which will bring it all back to normal. I also work with the public as a make up artist would you believe so very conscious regarding my appearance. I would speak to your surgeon pre op and may be he could do the stitch with the surgery.
            Just a thought.

  15. Hi, I currently have braces now and a pretty obvious over bite. My orthodontist said we will wait and see how much rubberband works then go from there. My only concern is that, I also believe I have TMJ. Tmj is your jaw shifting to one side and your jaw actually popping. I’m just curious if they can fix everything in one surgery or will I have to have multiple? Thanks!!

    • Bryanna, surgeons generally try to solve these problems together in a single surgery. Since the surgery is quite invasive, I believe follow-up surgeries are avoided whenever possible. However, your surgeon will have to make the final call on this, so it’s best to go for a consultation and get a professional opinion on the matter. Good luck!

    • I just had double jaw surgery done for my under bite and I also thought I had TMJ. After talking to my orthodontist, surgeon, and dentist about it, they concluded that I did not have TMJ. I was confused because my jaw would pop pretty much every time I talked/opened my mouth, and it was intense and loud. But, my orthodontist said that sometimes that happens when your jaws arent aligned. He said that once I got my surgery, and my jaw was in the right place, it would most likely go away, and it did! I wouldn’t worry too much about it. If your orthodontist can fix your bite with bands, it will most likely help and/or fix your problem. If you get surgery, I am 99.9% sure it will be fixed after. Good luck!

    • Hey! I had double jaw surgery, and jaw joint surgery, 6 days ago. Yes, they can do all the sugery at once. (: I have TMJ as well, and they worked on it all at once.

  16. Hey there! I am 2 weeks post op from double jaw surgery. I am going to college mid August and I am planning on going through recruitment for a sorority. In order to do that, I need to be able to smile, have energy, and talk normal. I am quite anxious about it because I am afraid I will not be healed enough to be able to do this. I will start recruitment on my 70th day post op. Is anyone this far out yet and can anyone tell me if I am going to be okay/ready by that time? Thank you!

    • I am 5 weeks post op. I had double jaw surgery, they moved my top down and forward and my bottom back. I was fine at 3 weeks, still swollen but I went out with my line sisters (I am in a sorority as well, alpha kappa alpha sorority incorporated) at 4 weeks I was even better and this week I am totally fine so 70 days you will be more than fine ! Lol don’t worry

    • I’m 43 days post op and I’m still in a splint. My lower lip is still very numb so I’m still having trouble drooling, eating and sipping drinks. I can’t sip through a straw yet either. Solid foods have. Been impossible to get down because my lips and cheeks are still numb. I’m still on a liquid diet and eating and drinking through a syringe. I think I’m healing slower than most people. You’ll probably heal much faster. Good luck!

    • Hi! Just wanted to say that its been roughly 90 days since my surgery in April. I am also going to college mid august and I planned my surgery to be early enough for me to be prepared. Everyone is different in their healing process, obviously, but I would not worry! I can and have been able to smile and speak normally for almost over a month. Good luck!

  17. ok guys so i had my surgery febuary9th and i have the go to guide for the first 2 weeks lol

    ok so the first night you should sleep through that because of the anestesia

    the next day in the hospital is by far the hardest, they are pumping fluids into you so you will have to go to the bathroom all the time, when you get up almost everytime you would droul blood and saliva, that and a nose bleed because they cut through your sinus. you will have a soar through and they are going to beg you to drink, this will hurt, however ask for warm water and lemon it helps it go down easier, YOU HAVE TO WALK AROUND POST SURGERY, YOUR JAW IS BROKEN NOT YOUR LEGS.

    I went home the following night after surgery and it was hard to sleep because i was sleeping all day, but i recommend showering a hot shower where you could droul and not be annoyed by it, it just makes you feel better, i recommend 2 a day but ,ake sure you moisturize.

    BUY ALOT OF SYRINGES TO PUT YOUR JUICES, ENSURE, OR PROTEIN SHAKES IN, YOU DONT WANT TO GO THROUGH TRYING TO DRINK FROM A CUP ON DAY 2

    BUY A JAW BRA**** AND ICE PACKS, USE THIS ALOT SO BY 3 WEEKS SWELLING SHOULD BE 60% GONE

    DRINK WATERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!
    i didnt drink enough water and was constapated for like 6 days, the worst feeling, you will be grumpy and in so much pain this is the most important thing

    SLEEP WITH YOUR HEAD ELEVATED THE FIRST 3 WEEKS

    IF YOU WANT TO BLEND YOUR RICE, CHICKEN OR ANY THING LIKE THAT, GET HOT WATER AND CHICKEN BROTH AND BLEND IT UP, IT TASTE JUST LIKE THE FOOD EXCEPT LIQUID

    DO NOT TOUCH STICHES IN MOUTH

    DO NOT PLAY WITH BOTTOM LIP,
    there are stiches in your bottom and top lip and playing with it will prolongue healing time

    THE MORE YOU WALK AROUND POST SURGERY THE MORE SWELLING GOES DOWN
    take your time though

    FIND GOOD SHOWS TO WATCH
    i recommend prison break, the 100, quantico ect.

    • These are all great tips, Robert — thanks for sharing them! 😊

    • I agree with everything Robert mentioned EXCEPT the HOT shower! Hot showers actually tend to flare up the swelling and prolong the recovery. Swelling is the MOST important part you want to have control over because it is what prevents you from eating,drinking,talking, and sleeping. Head elevation is important and make you have MORE than one ice pack so you can rotate them when the other gets warm. I am now 4days post op and my swelling has gone down at least 35%…. Trust me your recovery will be so much easier when you have taken control of the swelling. Also DO NOT mess with your stiches because you will bleed and you will bleed a lot, if this happens swish salt water immediately. Think positive and get lots of rest, before u know it you’ll be fine.

      • One of those things… I found that HOT showers helped moisturize and open my sinuses when the swelling was the worst, helping me breathe much better! I am 10 days post dbl jaw with genioplasty 64 years old.

    • Everyone keeps saying buy syringes .. what kind and where ??

  18. I had my surgery a week and a half ago. I have been recovering very well in terms of swelling. The hospital was very pleased with how fast i am returning to normal. My only concern is that my bite is not right. The hospital agreed that my teeth/jaw are leaning to one side and this is creating a crossbite/gap on my left side which wasnt there before. Has anyone else had this and how do they fix it. They have given me some elastics to wear but nothing seems to be making a difference. I am going back to the hospital on Friday but im worried that they will leave me like this and juat make do. I dont want to have gone through all the surgery to be left half done.

    • Hi jade. I went through exactly the same thing. Firstly don’t sweat it too much. There will be a ton more movement over the next 6-8 weeks whilst your teeth settle, also your Ortho will do some finishing to get your bite right. Even if you end up with a slight cross bite (which I have). This really isn’t a big deal, and certainly not “half done”. Millions of people exist with a slight crossbite and dont even know it. No one can can tell, and I can guarentee you already look so much better post op. As long as your recovery and surgery went ok, don’t sweat a slight cross bite. Big love x

      • Thankyou Fergie for your feedback. I will remain patient and fingers crossed they will align better in the next coming weeks.

    • The same thing happened with me. As soon as I got out of surgery, I noticed that my teeth felt like a cross bite on the right side. I told my surgeon and he said don’t worry. He put rubber bands and they didn’t help… At my one week post op appointment, he asked if it still felt off and I said yes. He chose to not put any rubber bands on. But a few days later when I went to my orthodontist, he put rubber bands on me ASAP. I don’t know if I’m being paranoid, but he seemed really anxious and worried to get those on. He strictly told me to wear them as much as I possibly can. At first I was upset and mad that it felt off, but now I don’t really care. My bite was WAY worse and visually it looks fine. So a tiny cross bite doesn’t really phase me considering how my bite used to be.

  19. iam almost 3 months post op after a double jaw surgery and was very happy till 30-40days post op.i had started eating soft foods and slowly shifted to solid foods after 1 month.i was hapy that i recovered so fast that i could eat almost everything. After 40 days post op,i started noticing that my bite is getting worse day by day. My upper teeth is going backward . i had an appointment 10 days back with my surgeon and he also got shocked and said that the upper jaw is shaking and the plate inserted on my upper jaw might have broken that u might need a re operation and scolded me for eating solid foods and also said to come hospital and take a CTscan . i went to hospital with full fear of having a re operation again and met doctor .He said to take scan and come . Finally scan reports are arrived and he said,everything is absolutely fine,the screws, plates are there itslef whre they kept.Noting has changed. Then some rubber bands are placed inserted to pull my bite proper and within 4 hours my bite was is back to normal.Now what he said is he will keep a splint inside my mouth for 8 weeks and it will get corrected, i will go hospital tomorrow for splint . Any1 here have any experience like this?

    • Amal, that sounds like a very confusing experience. I suppose it good news that your bite is now being corrected without needing another surgery, but it’s unfortunate that you must wear a splint. 8 weeks is a really long time with a splint, so it might be possible that your surgeon will remove it sooner if they are pleased with the progress of your bite.

      Has anyone else had a splint put in after a month of recovery?

  20. I am almost 2 weeks post op and doing fine. I actually didn’t really have any issues past the 5th day. The 1st day was fine in the hospital, the 2nd day was tough having to adjust to home life and not constant nurse care, then the 3rd and 4th was very tough because of pain and the disgusting liquid painkillers and antibiotics. On the 4th day, my surgeon said I didn’t have to take my antibiotics anymore because they were making me sick… I also started taking 600mg of ibuprofen instead of my prescription as well that day. That instantly had me feeling better and it has been easy ever since. Within a week, I already had taken tiny pieces of solid food and managed to mash it with my tongue and swallow it. Now I eat soft solids everyday (although mostly liquids) and just mash it with my tongue no problem. At my one week appointment, everyone in the office was astonished at how quickly I had healed and how little swelling there was. The 3rd and 4th day was a lot of swelling, but not as much as I have seen online. My lips were fine and didn’t crack at all, although I did keep them very moisturized the entire time. All feeling has came back except the left side of my chin and about half the feeling on my bottom left lip and left under eye area. I could of gone back to work one week post op, I have had all my energy back and can drink from a straw and spoon with no problem. My jaw can only open about inch though. I also have not noticed any weight loss, although I have not actually weighed myself on a scale.

    • Kira, it’s great to hear that your recovery is going better than expected. If the first 2 weeks were easy for you, the rest of your recovery should be no problem either. Take care for now! 😊

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