For 2 jaw surgery, 3 to 4 weeks is recommended to be off work or school. For one jaw surgery, 2 weeks is possible. Soft diet needs to continue for a total of 6 weeks after which time a full recovery to normal diet and activities are expected.
Complete healing of the jaws can take between 9 and 12 months. As far as your appearance is concerned, any bruising that may occur will be gone after a few days. Swelling, however, takes longer to dissipate, but most will be gone after approximately two to three weeks.
Medicare may provide some coverage for jaw surgery if the surgery is considered medically necessary. However, the coverage provided by Medicare may be limited to hospital admissions and surgery, and may not cover all of the costs associated with teeth alignment and straightening.
It is not unusual for you to experience aching and discomfort in the muscles and jaw joints for 4 to 6 weeks following surgery. Dr. Stefanuto or Dr. Fisher should be informed if the discomfort appears to increase, not decrease, over time.
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.
Your jaws will be wired together approximately six to eight weeks. This is the time it takes for the bones to heal in a good, strong union. During the time your jaws are wired together, you will find eating, talking and other daily activities somewhat difficult.
To help you plan ahead, here's a quick snapshot of a typical road to recovery: 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.
If only an upper or lower jaw requires surgery, your surgery will typically last between 1.5 to 2 hours. If both upper and lower jaws need orthognathic surgery then the procedure will take between 3 and 4 hours to perform.
Jaw surgery is a major surgery that can disrupt your life for several weeks and months. You owe it to yourself to understand how jaw surgery will affect your life. You also should understand what you can expect from your jaw surgery.
Your jaw may be held together with elastics. After a few days, these may be loosened, or you may be advised by your orthodontist that they can be taken off during mealtimes. You will need to eat a soft diet which needs very little chewing for at least six weeks after the surgery.
A single jaw surgery (upper or lower jaw) could cost up to $6000 to $10000. If a patient requires two jaw surgeries (bi-maxillary surgery), the cost could increase to $10000- $17000 including the maxillofacial surgeon fee, and anesthetist fee.
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.
More complex surgeries such as a jaw reconstruction or TMJ surgery will cost more, potentially in the $20,000 to $40,000 range, depending on what you need. Speak to your oral surgeon about expected costs, and with your insurance provider to see how much they will cover.
You will be completely numb on the jaw that was operated on, so there is not a great amount of pain. However, the swelling starts up immediately and there is some jaw stiffness to be anticipated. There is some soreness from the breathing tube that the anesthetist places and this soreness will also subside with time.
In most cases, the jaw and face have completed growth around 15 to 18 years of age. Most children require about 6 to 12 months of orthodontic treatment before surgery to properly align the teeth as well as an additional 612 months of orthodontic treatment after surgery to finalize the bite.
The corrective jaw surgery can have adverse side effects like numbness, loss of hearing, extreme pain, and increased drooling. Moreover, corrective jaw surgery is ten times more expensive than non-surgical treatments for correcting malocclusions.
The day of surgery
You'll meet with an anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist. This is to discuss the medicine (general anesthesia) that will be used to keep you asleep and free of pain during surgery. Once you're under anesthesia, the surgery will take place.
Since surgery produces soreness in the muscles and bones of the jaw, as well as the lips, nose and other areas of the face, some difficulty can be encountered in performing such tasks as eating, drinking, and cleaning your teeth.
Following oral surgery rest and plenty of sleep are crucial for proper healing. Resting gives your body the opportunity to repair itself properly. This is why you are recommended to limit activities following a surgical procedure.
After oral surgery, you may have a challenging time falling asleep. While this is normal, you should be aware that there are things you can do that will help keep the swelling down-and, in turn, speed your recovery and assist you in sleeping comfortably.
Jaw Surgery Benefits
The benefits from a proper jaw alignment include a balanced facial appearance, improved sleep, breathing, eating, and speech improvement. Secondary psychological benefits to note include a cosmetic revision and a boost of self-confidence. Jaw surgery also corrects what many call a gummy smile.
You may also experience some joint noises on the right and left hand side. Your joints need to get accustomed to their new position. It may be difficult to speak after the surgery, or to be clearly understood. This will improve with time.