Help/tips - experiences of jaw (oryhognatic) surgery

[biter]

Hi all.
My DS is having a big jaw surgery very soon (top and bottom). Having read about it, and talked to his surgeon it seems the aftermath and recovery is pretty brutal.

Does anyone have any experience, hints or tips to share please? I've read a couple blogs and know we need to be prepared with liquid diet etc, but anything people can people can share would be much appreciated.

And if you don't have jaw surgery experience with yourself or one of your adolescents any post surgery advice or guidance for other surgeries is most helpful and welcome. It's partly the emotional impact (on all of us that I'm worried about).

Yes I know I can Google it, but I trust MNers to be kindly helpful and honest. My poor boy, the thought of him suffering is just awful 😞

I had this at 15 and the recovery is long and brutal in the immediate aftermath. He will need to be prepared to wake with his jaw wired and there will be lots of pain relating to that. He should be given morphine for this. I was in hospital for about 5 days but we are talking 25 years ago now and it might have changed.

At home, he will not be able to open his mouth much and as the jaw isn't healed its best if he doesn't move it at all.
Teeth cleaning isn't possible, so he will also stink of corsydol and bad breath. He will need help to have a hairwash at first too.

Food wise, lots of build up drinks, soup and yummy chocolatey stuff to keep carlories up. This is the worst part as its up to six weeks of being wired together. My mother got fed up after 3 and I lived off the build up shakes and lost so much weight.

Your poor DS. It will be worth it. ❤️

I had double jaw surgery in 2004. My advice is to make sure, if possible, the surgery isn’t scheduled for a Friday and don’t be fobbed off with only ibuprofen and paracetamol for the pain. The pain can be managed with proper medication, otherwise it’s brutal. He will be sore and probably feeling vulnerable for a few days afterwards but it really will get better after the first week. I found the liquid diet to be no problem, especially being on pain meds and not having much of an appetite. Good luck to him! He will be fine!

Emotionally - I was so out of it the 1st week I didn't know where I was!

Oh and make sure you take appropriate food to hospital. They served me cornflakes on the 2nd day...

I'm not sure if the jaws are wired these days and with CT/ 3D printed guides the surgery is more precise and predictable. However it's still pretty gruelling.

Every patient of mine that has had it have always been glad they did.

Question question question the doctor but the nurses know more about after care.

Oh blimey Thankyou all. This was a bit niche so wasn't expecting many (any!) replied, so a huge Thankyou to you all.

They don't wire these days but do elastics instead. The surgery is apparently pretty precise and they do computer models (which we've seen).

Any hints on the liquid part of the diet ? What tasted good ?

I'll be sure to make my lovely chicken stock and take some to hospital.

They've suggested squeezy bottles for taking the food /smoothies. Seems better than straws?

Did you find having mini goals to aim for helped ?

He's supposed to be doing 3rd year exams just 5 weeks after surgery. Will he be ready ?

I had double jaw surgery 10 years ago and my advice would be lots of ice packs to help the swelling that I had to wrap in tubigrip or an old pair of tights and tie it around my head.

Invest in a decent blender as everything will need to be blended, I used to make ice cream smoothies and add double cream as my weight dropped low and I needed the calories.

Generally you will make a mess at eating so don't be surprised and I needed baby spoons as I couldn't use metal cutlery. It made me drool so I wrapped towels and pillowcases around me. Lots of pillows to help sleep as I couldn't lie flat and slept upright for a week or so. You will need a pill crusher as there is no chance of swallowing even a small codeine. Make sure he has a few zip up hoodies and baggy t-shirts as putting anything over your head is painful and exhausting

Lastly I had loads of boxsets to watch but I just couldn't concentrate on anything for a few weeks so sat on the sofa (and on the garden as mine was in summer). Its a challenging recovery and don't let him look in the mirror straight away because the bruising is horrific and mine lasted a good 4 weeks.

I had it. On a Friday too! Wide straws are good. The old McDonalds plastic ones were great. It’s more uncomfy than painful afterwards. I drank lots of milky warm drinks. They reckoned I’d be back in work after six weeks - it was six months. Best thing I’ve done.

Can I jump on this thread to ask those of you that has had this type of surgery as an adult was it via the NHS or did you pay privately? I’ve been told by a few orthadontist that to fully correct my bite I will need jaw surgery but I wouldn’t know how to go about that and certainly couldn’t afford to pay privately 🙃

You can be referred by a dentist @ohwhatfunitis

You would need to be referred by your dentist, and how long the waiting list is will very much depend on your local hospital so if it is something you want I would recommend you don’t hang around. I was put on the waiting list for LJS in 2016, had braces put on 2.5 years later in 2018 and only had the actual surgery in summer 2022. Granted, covid played a bit part in the delays from 2020 onwards but from reading various Facebook groups it seems long waits are very much the norm unfortunately (as with many procedures on the NHS currently).

OP, that first week will be pretty unpleasant for him, there’s no getting away from it, but I wouldn’t say I actually felt pain as such, just discomfort and being unable to eat what I wanted was the worst part for me. I was only in hospital for one night after the surgery. I was so hungry all the time but couldn’t get a spoon in my mouth (wasn’t banded until week 2) so had to kind of tip liquidated food in as best I could. I couldn’t suck so straws were also a no-go. I existed on mainly frozen berry smoothies with oats, milk, yogurt etc. added for extra calories for the first week or two, then managed things like scrambled eggs (again adding things like melted cheese to bulk it out) and from around week 3 could manage very soft pasta. As long as there’s no chewing, it’s fine to eat so anything that can be squashed with a fork and then swallowed is fair game. If you make soup for immediately afterwards make sure it is verrry smooth, I remember not being able to eat the soup my mum made as it just wasn’t smooth enough (most upsetting!).

I took around 5 weeks off work as I was self-conscious eating in front of people and my speech took a while to recover, but I was physically fine by then so hopefully your DS would be ok for exams. It’s a horrible op but will change his life so much for the better and I certainly don’t regret it.

Thanks that’s a big help, I’ve been referred to the dental hospital already for TMJ issues. I’ve been told by the orthadontist I’ve seen that my jaw is not in the correct position and is too far back, so I’m assuming that’s why I’m having tmj problems. I’m thinking about getting braces privately as I want my teeth straighter but it won’t solve my jaw problems and I’m thinking if I get braces privately it will be hinder my case for jaw surgery on the NHS. Really not sure what to do for the best, I was referred to the hospital in sept this year but as you guys say the waiting list is really long.

I had both my braces and jaw surgery on the NHS - they were a complete treatment. I had to have my teeth moved before I could have the surgery. I now wear removable retainers every night.

I think the NHS can do it but as with all things it depends on clinical needs and local waiting lists. One of the reasons mine is having it is the sleep apnoea angle which cones from the compressed lower jaw. That seems to be a common reason for adult referrals too.

As PP have said get the referral and push hard.

From what I have learnt it doesn't matter if you straighten your teeth if the underlying jaw position is wrong. It just means that you'll go through cosmetic straightening first (if you choose to privately whilst you wait) , followed by structural realignment ahead of and after surgery. So effectively, doing it twice.

But I'm not medically trained so might be wrong.

Hello, hope you don't mind me jumping on this thread. My teeth are wearing away due to underbite and jaw misalignment. I've known my jaw wasn't right my whole life but now feel I should try to correct this. But it seems like a really serious surgery with a really long recovery time.

Can I ask those who've had it what the benefits have been to doing it? I don't know anyone who regrets it but I'd love to know how it changed their lives and whether they suddenly complications.

Thank you!

Hello @Jawz (fab user name). My DS had the op on Monday. He's doing really well and recovery so far is not as horrible as he expected. He's very swollen and numb but off morphine the day after surgery, and off all pain killers by 3 days post op.

The difference is already noticeable and he says he has no regrets at all.

This blog has been really helpful and there is also a FB group apparently that is worth checking out. jawsurgery2015blog.wordpress.com/2016/11/27/1-year-anniversary/

I hope you don't mind me jumping on this thread too.. My daughter is having this op. top and bottom jaw. She is having four teeth out and braces in the next couple of weeks to prepare. Did they do the top and bottom separately? x

Thanks for this, I've joined a FB group.

I think what's making me pause is that a lot of the people who've had this surgery seem to have complications or long term after effects (infected plates, numbness, teeth still not sitting correctly, pain). But then most who've had it say they don't regret it... I don't want to swap one set of issues for another, and don't really like the idea of a serious surgery with such a long recovery time. But if it's really life changing then it's worth considering...

Oops that was for @biter

@deliciouschilli as I understand it they can do top and bottom separately but to be honest if it were me I'd rather get it all done in one hit.

@Jawz my DS has now got teeth that meet for the first time ever ! He had a lot of prep work over several years including 3x teeth extractions at the dentist and all of his wisdom teeth under GA at hospital. Also 4-5 years of cemented braces.

Day 9 post surgery today and it's hard - he's now allowed to to take his bands in and out and has tried puréed food.

It's certainly not a decision to be taken lightly but DS is still happy that it's the right thing for him.

Have to say though as a parent it's absolutely heartbreaking to watch him suffer and struggle. It's also really hard to get the balance right between being helpful and caring, and over bearing control freak. 😬 not sure I've got it right all of the time.

Had a bit of a cry today as I just want it to be all over for him and I'm exhausted.

@biter I hope it gets easier for him soon. It is seriously so worth it. It was six months before I attempted solid food - I remember that meal so well!! But I did have a complication about two months after the initial op and needed another one. On insta I follow jensjawsurgeryjourney, even though I’m 8 years post-op! I find her posts interesting. I wear removable retainers at night now.

@DragonflyLady Thankyou so much. He's been through such a lot and been so patient. Orthodontic treatment started aged 12 and he's almost 21 and it's still not finished. So good to know it's worth it.

I really don't know how parents with chronically Ill children cope. I'd always been in admiration, now I'm in awe.

Biter, thankyou for your reply, it really helps it read about others going through it. Sending a big hug to you and your son x

@biter you sound like a fantastic mum, be kind to yourself 💚

@charliecoopershair Thankyou. I just cried again.

What a wuss 😂🥲

@biter not a wuss! Just a caring mum! It is such a big thing! It’s all consuming right now. I remember a neighbour saying to me at the time that it’s such a big thing to happen at that time, but five years down the line it’ll not seem to be that big a deal. And he was right. I still think of that time a lot - and the amazing surgeon and orthodontist I had though. Forever grateful.