How long after jaw surgery can you eat normally?
Weeks 6-8 and after: Slowly resume a normal diet.
After 6-8 weeks, you can progress to more normal chewing, but advance slowly and cautiously (really hard foods should be avoided for another 1-2 months, including pizza, apples, raw carrots, nuts, etc.). At this point if it hurts to chew, it's too hard.
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.
6 Weeks Post Surgery
At this stage in the healing process, you may attempt chewing soft foods such as chicken, fish and hamburger in small amounts. It is important to avoid putting too much force on the bones, which are still healing.
Close the lips together and swallow. If you have difficulties with this then try doing it in front of the bathroom mirror over the sink. You will find this gets easier the more times you drink. (3) You should be drinking a fair amount of fluid after jaw surgery.
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.
Scrambled eggs, or scrambled eggs with grated cheese, may be combined with milk and blended to the desired consistently. Spaghetti with meat sauce, macaroni and cheese, chili con carne, etc. may be pureed following the instructions for meat.
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 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 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.
Eating and drinking can be painful after jaw surgery. Chewing regular food is harder because of the wires, metal plates or elastics in your mouth. Chewing food after surgery can be painful and slow down your healing. After surgery, it is very important to eat and drink enough to help you heal.
When can I sneeze after jaw surgery?
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.
- Drink your meals.
- Add easy-to-chew foods.
- Keep pain under control.
- Take care of your lips.
- Give yourself the recovery time you need.
Take It Easy and Rest
Driving, bending, or lifting may dislodge the blood clots causing bleeding. Thus we recommend that you gradually progress the intensity of your movement. As much as possible, limit how you talk, eat and drink for the first day after your oral surgery.
Blowing of the nose: Do not blow your nose or sneeze with your mouth closed for at least 1 week following upper jaw surgery. This can cause air to be forced into your cheeks and lower eyelids with immediate severe swelling. A nasal spray will be provided to help decongest the nasal passages.
Head Elevation Will Help You Heal
You should sleep with your head elevated above your heart the first three days after your oral surgery. If your oral surgeons left gauze pads inside your mouth to help reduce bleeding, you might need to set your alarm every two hours at night.
Your nasal passages will also be swollen resulting in congestion and difficulty breathing through your nose. Over-the-counter decongestants, expectorants and nasal sprays will help. A steam humidifier placed next to you at all times will also make you feel better.
If you're like me and don't have braces, they'll put some temporary metal screws in your jaws that you can feel (if anyone would like pictures, please email me!) but they are taken out pretty painlessly a few weeks after.
You must anticipate a large degree of swelling over your cheek area as well as down into your neck. The swelling is maximal at Day 4 and will slowly subside after 2 weeks. There is still about 10 to 20% of swelling that can maintain up to 2 months after surgery.
Numbness, facial swelling and soreness can make eating and drinking a difficult task at first. No straws, spitting, smoking, or carbonated beverages for 3 weeks after surgery. No abrasive foods such as popcorn, chips, seeds or nuts.
If you sleep on the same side as your surgical wounds, you can also be faced with problems. The pressure on your surgical wounds can add to your discomfort. All of these issues can affect how well you can heal as well as lengthen your recovery time and increase your risk of complications.
What happens if you vomit with your jaw wired shut?
If you do vomit, try not to panic. There is enough space between your teeth for the vomit to pass through. The nurse may help you lean forward and use suctioning equipment to get the vomit out of your mouth. You will be on intravenous (IV) fluids to keep you hydrated until it is safe for you to have a liquid diet.
Any time missed in wearing your elastics will only make your treatment take longer, so remember these things: You are responsible for placing the elastics on your braces between appointments. Make sure to wear them as instructed. Remove them only when brushing your teeth, gums and braces after meals.
During the procedure
Your surgeon makes cuts in the jawbones and moves them into the correct position. Once your jaw movement is completed, tiny bone plates, screws, wires and rubber bands may be used to secure the bones into their new position.
Your jaw surgery may be on either your upper or lower jaw (single jaw osteotomy), or both jaws (bimaxillary osteotomy). You are likely to be in hospital for 2 – 4 days, depending on your progress and how quickly you recover from the operation.
Orthognathic Surgery to Rectify an Overbite Attempts
Besides changing, that foundation has many following structural effects on surrounding areas. The change in facial features may be dramatic depending on how far backward or forwards your jaw is moved to the extent that your look has changed exclusively.