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.
May 6, 2011 at 5:51 am
As for me, after I had the surgery done two weeks ago….I can breathe so much better now through my nose. Before surgery I just simply couldn’t get enough air in thru my nose and breathed thru my mouth 99.9%of the time. Now the nasal passage seems to be fine. The first few days after surgery I felt a little retricted just because of a lot of swelling I guess. But as each day passes, I can notice small changes in my face for the better.
May 6, 2011 at 3:31 am
Hello im geting upper jw surgery next year to fix my open bite and i am SOOOO SCAREDDD 🙁 I Mean ive had my tonsils taken out, ive been put to sleep to get my two back teeth taken out (which were BLACK AND HAD BIG HOLES IN THEM erghhh), ive had 3 fillings and 2 more teeth taken out. that me and the hospital, we go way back! But im so scared about this surgery….I no first few days gonna be hell and im so scared about not being able to breath properly…Ive never been able to breath through ma nose properly and always had to use my mouth so i hope my jaws wont be wired shut i think i will have to discuss that with my surgeon….anyways im really freaking out and scared and just need moral support please 🙁 all my family have been supportive and said they will love me no matter what i look like lol but i just need some support from people who have been through this 🙁 by the way i am staying in the hospital for 5 days…is that normal?! Thank u in advance
May 5, 2011 at 8:17 am
I know what you mean. We live in a world where we want instant gratification.
Congratulations to both of you for quitting smoking. That’s a great habit to kick! Make sure you don’t fall back on it. Life is a lot cleaner when you’re free from the grasp of smoking (not to mention all the money you’ll save).
Scottie, I bet you’re pretty pumped for your new smile coming up here!
Brande, you’ll be able to speak after 6 weeks, but it won’t be perfect. I think you’ll be alright, though. 😀
May 4, 2011 at 11:54 pm
One of my nurses said something today that was funny at first, but it then kinda made sense. I’m sure its not true for everyone, but in general I see her point…..she said woman seem to adapt better to the surgery because they understand that there are baby steps involved in recovery and that when it comes to a man and the same surgery..well,..we want results right now,lmao. maybe she was just refering to me,lol. Ive had this underbite for many years, having the surgery, I have no doubt will change my life….a change in the way I can bite or chew, but mainly a change in the way I see myself when I look in the mirror or how I percieve how others see me..a change for the better I’m sure.
May 4, 2011 at 11:43 pm
Yes Scottie that is great you haven’t smoked! Keep up the hard work! I quit 5 months ago and go in for my surgery in 6 weeks.
May 4, 2011 at 11:37 pm
Just came home today from hospital…I drink from a cup now and eat very soft foods such as mashed potatoes, pudding, etc….one difference is that for my surgery I never had my mouth wired or banded shut…i had all my teeth removed prior to surgery since they were in very bad condition. so, my next step after healing at least 10 weeks is to get molded for dentures. I am 39 yrs old. so, just because of my age, that may affect my recovery some…not to mention i was a very very heavy smoker before surgery. haven’t touched a cig since,lol….yay me.
May 4, 2011 at 10:57 pm
I really love your blog. I’m about 6 weeks until my surgery. I’m really nervous but all the info is helping to quash my fears. I work in law enforcement/detentions so my big concern is not being able to speak forcibly or yell when necessary. I plan on taking off 6 weeks from work, but reading the comments about not speaking clearly makes me still a bit nervous.
May 4, 2011 at 10:40 pm
Wow, you’ve had a bumpy ride, Scott. Vomiting was one of my fears, but you’re living proof that you can get past it.
I guess the positive side of this is that, despite all of your setbacks, your jaw is still healing, so you’ll probably recover at roughly the same rate. You just have a bit more excitement during these first few weeks.
I hope everything starts taking a turn for the best for ya! Any ideas when you get to head back home? And are you drinking from a cup yet or are you still on syringes?
May 4, 2011 at 9:47 pm
I had upper and lower jaw surgery on April 19,2011. Ive had a couple setbacks since surgery and just need a lil moral support from others who know what I’m going through. Had a reaction to anesthesia and ended up in ICU, fought the beginnings of pneumonia, got home for a couple days ,then; kept vomiting up anything I tried to eat(drink rather,lol). I was put in the hospital 5 more days for treatment of a restriction in my colon due to(according to the doctors) from stresses of surgery. So far an overnight stay in the hospital for jaw surgery has kept me in the hospital for ten days so far….geesh,lol…just my luck.
May 3, 2011 at 2:11 pm
Wow, sounds like you’ve had quite the dental adventure, Erin! None of this stuff is fun, is it?
You’ll have to see how you feel when the wedding approaches. At 3 weeks, you might still have difficulty speaking and that sort of thing, but your surgery sounds different from my own, so it’s hard to say.
Best of luck in August!
May 3, 2011 at 10:20 am
he also said it would be 3 weeks liquid diet, but im a vegetarian so it shouldnt be too weird hopefully, and loosing weight would definitely be a bonus
May 3, 2011 at 10:18 am
Hi Graham, this is a great site i’ve been reading it all morning.
I have to go for open bite surgery at the beginning of August. its been along road so far with the orthodontist, started in grade three and im done first year of college now..still going for appointments haha. had braces for a long time to fix the open bite which didnt end up working at all, so i recently had invisalign to straighten my teeth again. he said since its an open bite my teeth are constantly shifting. couldnt have real braces because i have barely any roots left in my teeth. but i have to get braces on before surgery and not sure how long theyll be on afterwards. i bruise and swell really easy so im sure ill have a pumpkin face afterwards. from what i’ve read so far the tips for helping the healing process are to drink lots of water, ice the face, meds, and not to lie down all day because then your face stays swollen longer? ive been invited to a wedding that i really want to go to but its just over 3 weeks after surgery so im not sure if thats gonna work. anyways, sorry for such a long post just wanted to say reading all this helped even though i havent had the surgery yet! 🙂
May 2, 2011 at 7:43 pm
That is so good to hear…remember that you are doing a good work here. Don’t ever underestimate the hope and courage you give to people who are going through this. It’s not easy and seeing your blog and updates has really been a boost for me. I know it will all pay off it’s just the going through it that’s so rough. Thanks for your work and know that it makes a difference.
May 2, 2011 at 12:22 pm
Thanks for the extra tips, Brian. The nose rinse sounds like a good investment. I remember that pressure being brutal.
You’re almost a week in already. The two-week mark is a huge milestone, my friend.
May 2, 2011 at 9:44 am
I can’t believe that as of 10 days or so ago…this blog is still going. I found it a welcome relief. I just had double jaw surgery 5 days ago and I wish I would have found this site beforehand. Bottom line for anyone reading this…the first 3-4 days are pure hell. Prepare for the absolute worst and if you get better results then great. You’ll be swollen, sore, can’t breathe, tired, frustrated, and have no appetite. I used plastic tubing on both sides of my mouth to help me breathe. Believe it or not it worked. Also, I got some Arm and Hammer Saline nose rinse…that stuff has been amazing for clearing the blood from my sinuses. That’s where a lot of the pressure comes from.
Anyway…Thanks Graham for sharing…this site it great.
April 17, 2011 at 9:19 pm
Hi Dana,
My swelling stuck around for about two and a half months. I looked like I had a chubby face the entire time. Three weeks is still really early on, so swelling is completely normal for you right now.
You’ll look different once the swelling is gone in a few months. 🙂
April 17, 2011 at 3:49 pm
Im still sorda swollen after 2 months and i only had my lower jaw done
April 17, 2011 at 2:34 pm
Hi,
So it’s been 3 weeks since my surgery. I’ve been eating(or trying to eat) normal soft foods so my diets fine. The main thing I’m worried about is the swelling. My lips are no longer swollen but my cheeks , nose, and sides of the face are still swollen and makes me look really different. For those who didn’t get much done, like me, how long will it take to look like your normal self? This swelling just looks like I gained weight haha it makes me look really weird..Does it take really long for the swelling to go down completely?
April 14, 2011 at 9:41 am
I’m very happy with my results, yes! I have a few minor gaps in my teeth, but that’s just because a couple of my teeth are small. I can thank genetics for that. 🙂
I also have a slightly open bite on one side, but it’s already closing, so I don’t imagine it will be an issue a few years from now. Your teeth naturally keep growing out until they meet resistance (in the form of your other teeth).
April 13, 2011 at 3:54 pm
Thanks Graham! You are a trooper and I’m amazed at how positive you are and your sense of humor is fantastic! Are you completely happy with the results? Anything you wish were different?