Jaw Surgery Recovery: what is the postoperative period like and when will I be able to lead a normal life?
The Spanish Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (SECOM) estimates that 10% of the population needs to undergo orthognathic surgery.
Despite this, the same entity states that many people do not do so despite their dentofacial deformities that affect chewing, breathing and facial aesthetics.
This happens due to several factors, mainly the lack of knowledge about this type of intervention, which is not very well known among the general public.
On the other hand, there is the fact of never having seen an orthodontist or a maxillofacial surgeon, i.e. the professionals in charge of orthognathic surgery treatments.
And finally, fear or apprehension about this surgical procedure, which is known to have a complicated postoperative period, also plays an important role.
Advances in orthognathic surgery
Despite the high number of patients who decide not to undergo maxillofacial surgery, this type of technique continues to advance.
Thus, in the last decade the field of orthognathic surgery has evolved significantly and there are even clinics that have specialist doctors, such as ours.
Among other advances, digital planning of the intervention makes it more predictable and prevents complications during the operation.
In addition, the anesthetic techniques used and the bone-cutting instruments used to correct imbalances between the maxilla and mandible are also more modern.
However, as is logical, many of the patients who come to our office for surgery are not familiar with the aforementioned advances.
And, therefore, they have the same doubts they had a few years ago, despite the fact that there is no need to fear the postoperative period.
Main doubts before surgery
Many patients have frequent doubts, not only about the intervention itself, but also about the recovery time.
“When will I be able to return to normal life?”, “Will it hurt?” , “What will I be able to eat after the operation?” or “How long will I have to be on sick leave?” are some of the most repeated.
The fact of resolving all these questions before entering the operating room makes patients face the intervention with greater confidence and less worry.
You will be interested in ” Orthognathic surgery: the treatment step by step
Dr. Alberto Wintergerst
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ORTHOGNATHIC SURGERY SPECIALIST
What is the postoperative period after orthognathic surgery like?
Before beginning to detail what the jaw surgery recovery is like, it is important to point out that in order for it to be as good as possible, it is essential to plan well in advance and to have an intervention without complications.
This will increase the chances of a normal recovery.
Nowadays, surgery is much less invasive than a few years ago and the convalescence is therefore shorter.
The intervention lasts between 2 and 4 hours, depending on the severity of each case, and hospitalization lasts up to 48 hours.
Therefore, during the first hours following the operation, the patient will remain in the hospital and will be cared for by the medical staff.
After discharge, the postoperative period continues for approximately 4 more weeks and, during this time, it is essential that the patient listens to the specialist.
It is necessary to have clear indications provided by the surgeon about the postoperative care to be carried out.
The interruption of the usual routine lasts a month, but the benefits of having undergone orthognathic surgery last a lifetime.
First week
The first few days after surgery are always the most complicated for the patient.
During this period it is necessary to considerably modify the daily routine.
To ensure that the bony structures of the face settle, it is necessary to place elastic fixations in the mouth.
Some examples of how the normal life of the operated person varies are:
In the first 15 days the elastic fixations worn by the patient do not allow the mouth to be opened.
The food must be liquid (soups, creams, shakes) and does not require any type of jaw movement, so you have to eat straws or syringes.
It is advisable to sleep sitting up.
There may be complications when breathing normally.
Talking is not possible.
Two weeks after
Two weeks after the operation we can already say that the patient begins to experience an improvement.
The patient can remove the fixations and elastics at mealtimes and can open his mouth again.
Since mobility is progressively recovered, it is possible to incorporate new foods into the diet.
Some of the foods that can be eaten at this stage would be the following: fish, French omelet, cooked ham, sliced bread, creams or purées, white rice, etc.
Maxillofacial surgery recovery
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RECOVERY AFTER MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY
One month after
By the fourth week a noticeable improvement is usually noted and the patient gradually begins to recover his or her normal life.
They usually continue with a limitation of opening and some inflammation of the soft tissues.
As a general rule, we can say that although the recovery time varies depending on each person, the patient can lead a normal life about a month after surgery.
For example, the soft diet should be extended until a month or a month and a half after the intervention.
After two months, the person will be able to return to his or her normal diet.
That is to say, he/she will be able to include the ingestion of meat.
Consult your doctor
As all surgeries and patients are different, we recommend that you consult with your maxillofacial surgeon regarding postoperative care, diet, time off work or sports.
How long can the time off work last?
As far as returning to work is concerned, sick leave usually lasts about 4 weeks.
However, this period depends a lot on the type of work the patient performs.
That is to say, a person who works in an office sitting at a computer will require less time off work.
A person who performs physical work, is exposed to certain risks (as a policeman, for example) or is in front of the public and needs to talk constantly will have a longer sick leave.
It is normal that the first 3 weeks the patient is very weak due to the more liquid and soft food that has been taken.
When can I return to sports after surgery?
The general recommendation is not to do sports until 2 months after orthognathic surgery.
In addition, they should be activities without much impact and without risk of facial trauma, such as boxing.
The ideal is to start a moderate sport, such as gentle jogging, walking or yoga.
For contact sports, it is best to wait 3 months.
Since, at first glance, this seems like a long wait, we recommend that you consult with the maxillofacial surgeon who performed your surgery on this point.
Each maxillofacial surgery, patient and sport practiced are different, so the best thing to do is to talk to him/her about your specific case and follow his/her instructions.
Sports after orthognathic surgery
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WOMEN DOING YOGA
Is the postoperative period painful?
From all the details we have explained throughout this article, it seems easy to deduce that the jaw surgery recovery is uncomfortable and painful.
However, patients do not usually describe pain, although they do have shortness of breath the first few weeks when lying down.
This is due to the swelling and the fixations, which can generate a certain sensation of distress until they can be removed for a few hours after the third week.
But, as we have said, as surprising as it may be and contrary to what may seem, the patients who have undergone surgery report that they do not feel pain.
First of all, it should be pointed out that the operation itself does not hurt, since the patient is given general anesthesia.
Once the orthognathic surgery has been completed -and the anesthesia has worn off- the patient must take the analgesic medication prescribed by the surgeon.
Although pain is not a characteristic feature in people who have recently undergone surgery, they do experience swelling and bruising on the face.
These signs on the face are very visible during the first few days, but the swelling begins to subside after a week.
ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SURGERY
Why is orthognathic surgery worthwhile?
Leaving aside the aspect of pain during the recovery time, the truth is that we cannot ignore the discomfort that the intervention generates for the patient during the first few days.
It is a fact that the operated person spends a month of his or her life in which he or she cannot lead a completely normal life.
However, if we think of the benefits that the operation generates in the medium and long term, this period is not so long.
While the interruption of the daily routine lasts for a month, the results last for the rest of your life.
On the one hand, orthognathic surgery is a great improvement in performing basic functions such as chewing and breathing.
On the other hand, this type of intervention has a great impact on the aesthetics of the face, as it provides greater facial harmony to people who are unhappy with their face.
If after reading this article you have more questions about the Jaw Surgery Recovery of this type of maxillofacial surgery, we encourage you to contact us and ask us all your questions.
If you need further information on the details we have given you in this article, we encourage you to contact us.
You can do so through this contact page.
You will be interested in » What is the postoperative period like and when will I be able to lead a normal life?
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