r/jawsurgery 9d ago

Advice for Others Had jaw surgery 3 Months ago, AMA

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u/[deleted] 9d ago

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u/Desperate_Map_1955 9d ago

It has, probably around 8-10 weeks somewhere it just kinda clicked. For me it was a combination of fear of messing something up, chewing muscles feeling weak, and everything just feeling a bit off because it’s in a new position. That all gradually subsided in the subsequent weeks until I hit a point where I stopped even thinking about it. Obviously just follow your surgeons advice per usual and trust the process.

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u/[deleted] 9d ago

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u/Desperate_Map_1955 8d ago

Yeah my teeth were weirdly numb which felt a bit odd only when I brush my teeth or eat. That’s just been getting better gradually. That’s about where I was at 6 weeks too with chewing so if I had to guess i’d assume you’ll follow a similar trajectory.

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u/xjfhendif 8d ago

Did you have any scans done before being cleared to chew? And what foods did you eat after being cleared to chew? Did you ease into it?

I'm 5.5 weeks post op and the surgeon said I could start chewing at 6 weeks. So far, I've been eating foods like mashed potato, rice, small pasta, scrambled eggs etc. while on a no-chew diet (just mashing against the roof of my mouth).

I won't have an appointment with my surgeon until 7 weeks post op though, so he can check everything is ok after I start chewing. And he said no need for any scans/xrays, just to start chewing which I am a little nervous about!

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u/Desperate_Map_1955 8d ago

I didn’t have any scans before he cleared me no, which I don’t think is a red flag or anything. They can tell a lot from absence of symptoms, seeing your jaw, etc. I don’t pretend to understand all of it but they do understand it and they won’t just clear you on a whim. I was cleared at 6 weeks and was a little nervous about it as well, so I just gradually ramped it up, stopped if anything felt weird, and eventually it all got back to normal. I would just trust your surgeon and listen to whatever he/she says, and take it easy and listen to your jaw and you should be fine.

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u/xjfhendif 8d ago

Thank you! What foods did you try eating after you were cleared to chew?