Recovery From Corrective Jaw Surgery

Most patients return home in one to two days after the procedure.
Significant swelling develops in the first 24 to 36 hours and gradually diminishes over seven to 10 days. It usually resolves completely in two weeks.
Pain is usually fairly minor and readily managed with Tylenol #3 or Vicodin.
Antibiotics are prescribed for 10 days.
A liquid diet is recommended for two to four weeks. Patients may then advance to a very soft diet (mashed potatoes, soft pastas, etc.) up to six weeks and then gradually return to a regular diet from the sixth to 10th week.
Oral rinses are recommended every one to two hours for the first two weeks.
In most patients, the jaws do not require wiring, therefore allowing normal mouth opening, which gradually increases after two weeks and returns to normal by the sixth week.
Numbness over the upper and lower lips and chin diminishes gradually and returns to a normal sensation usually within six months.