You may need to take at least 2–3 weeks off work/school for your surgery. Most patients feel fairly good after about 2 weeks of recovery, but because of the dietary changes, it may be as long as 6 weeks before you have most of your energy back.
Patients can typically return to work or school approximately 2 weeks after corrective jaw surgery. Some patients will be able to return sooner in particular if only one jaw requires correction.
For the first 3-4 days following surgery please limit your activity. It is important that you not confine yourself to bed.
Initial jaw healing typically takes about six weeks after surgery, but complete healing can take up to 12 weeks. After initial jaw healing — at about six weeks — your orthodontist finishes aligning your teeth with braces. The entire orthodontic process, including surgery and braces, may take several years.
RETURNING TO WORK OR SCHOOL The usual recovery after jaw surgery is about 2 weeks. This may be either shorter or longer in certain cases. You may return to work or school as soon as you feel able after your surgery.
You will progress to a soft food or soft-chew diet around after 2 months of recovery (give or take a week). You must avoid anything crunchy or hard to chew, as it can damage your jaw and disrupt the healing process. If you find it uncomfortable to chew, remain on a no-chew diet for another week.
Swelling: You can expect swelling to be the worst in the first week after oral surgery. It's usually most noticeable from three to five days after surgery, then it gradually lessens. Bruising: Bruising often accompanies swelling, and it dissipates as the swelling subsides.
After 2 weeks you can commence a non-chew food diet. The rule of thumb is to eat food that you can easily squish between your fingers and anything that does not make any noise(ie hard or crunchy foods). Examples include: mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, fish and over-boiled/soft pastas cut into small pieces etc.
Corrective Jaw Surgery Risks
Risks include infection, bleeding or the need for further surgery to improve or adjust a result. While patients frequently feel numbness or tingling in various areas of their face and mouth after surgery, the sensation usually goes away as the swelling subsides.
We recommend that you do not try and chew hard or tough food, for example hard toast, crusty bread, tough meats, raw vegetables, hard fruit, toffees or chewy sweets, for 6-8 weeks after your operation. This is to make sure the jaw bones heal together well.
After Jawbone Surgery
Therefore, after your surgery, try to avoid strenuous activities. Bending, driving, or lifting may dislodge the clot and cause you to bleed. So, gradually progress the intensity of your movement, limiting how you talk, eat and drink for the first day after your oral surgery.
You may begin brushing your teeth the day after your surgery. Initially, you may want to avoid toothpaste, and simply use a toothbrush and warm water. Brush after each meal, and stay on the teeth and surrounding gums and avoid the incision sites.
Jaw surgery is a major surgery that can disrupt your life for several weeks and months.
Since the jaw is the primary foundation for your facial muscles, jaw surgery can improve the appearance of your face. For instance, moving the jaw backward or forward can change the contour, placement, and shape of your chin, nose, teeth, lips, mouth, and face. Jaw surgery can improve a gummy smile.
Following your surgery and throughout the post-operative recovery period, especially if your jaw is wired shut, you could lose as much as 10 percent of your body weight.
Jaw surgery is usually not painful.
This misconception makes the whole procedure seem utterly invasive and is supported by thousands of photos of bruised and swollen people after undergoing orthognathic surgery, so it may be difficult to believe that very few patients report actual pain.
If an upper jaw surgery is performed, you will need to be on sinus precautions. This entails not blowing your nose for 2 weeks. Try not to sneeze for 2 weeks. If you do sneeze, do it with your mouth open to equalize the pressure between your mouth and the sinus.
Benefits of Corrective Jaw Surgery
While treatment, which may include surgery and orthodontic treatment, may take several years to complete, your results will last a lifetime.
We recommend fish, white rice, bananas, mangoes, white bread, pureed fruits and vegetables, canned chicken, avocado, cottage cheese, soft beans, and meatloaf. During the next two weeks you can gradually introduce normal foods and chewing.
Though you need to drink 2-3 liters of fluids every day, avoid drinking through a straw. You don't want to disturb your wound, which can cause bleeding. Avoid drinking coffee and soda the first 24-48 hours after your procedure, and refrain from drinking alcohol to accelerate your recovery.
Post Jaw Surgery Diet
It is easiest to start on a liquid diet for the first few days, followed by soft foods, then add soft textures over time. Water, fruit juices, milkshakes, smoothies, yogurt, creamy soups or broths, and liquid nutritional supplements are a good start.
2- After some days or weeks since your surgery: “I don't look like me!” as swelling subsides and the results of the surgery are more and more visible, you might start feeling like your face is not your own; that's completely normal after a major surgery such as orthognathic surgery, but keep in mind that it's only you ...
After an oral procedure, you're likely to experience pain and swelling in your face and neck. Additionally, you may experience bruising and a sore throat, leading to disrupted sleep.
Pain and swelling are not uncommon after jaw surgery, and the severity coincides with the extensiveness of your surgical procedure. Minor pain is often well managed with over the counter pain medications. However, we will prescribe you stronger pain medication should your pain be more severe.