Taking Care of Yourself

Small amounts of blood may ooze from the surgical site and is completely normal. Gently bite on the gauze for 45-60 minutes. Pressure will help with any bleeding and also promote clot formation. If there is continuous bleeding that persists following pressure, please call for further assistance or visit your local urgent care / emergency room and wait for further instructions.

Following surgery, it is normal to have swelling for up to a week. Gently use ice packs intermittently throughout the day and sleep with your head elevated to promote drainage.

Pain and discomfort is normal following surgery, and usually peaks within 3-5 days before subsiding. You will be prescribed pain medications following the procedure, so please make sure to take them as directed. If pain continues to worsen after a week, please let the doctor know at the follow up visit for further evaluation.

After surgery, you may experience some discomfort when opening your jaw. This is called trismus, and is normal following the procedure and usually subsides within a week.

In the immediate post-surgical period, make sure to take care of yourself! Avoid strenuous exercise and contact sports for two weeks after your surgery. Showering is perrmitted. When brushing your teeth, avoid brushing over the surgical areas. Avoid vigorous mouth-rinsing as turbulence can dislodge your blood clot and cause bleeding again. Should you need to rinse, please gently let the mouthwash or water flow into the sink and avoid forceful spittinng to allow the area to heal.

For the first 2-3 days following your surgery, maintain a liquid / smoothie diet and avoid foods that can get trapped in the surgical site. Should this occur, gentle rinses with salt water is permitted. 

Following jaw surgery, a strict post-surgical regimen will be reviewed for you. The general guidelines are as follows:

Week 1: Clear liquid diet (water, clear juice)

Week 2: Full liquid diet (broth, coffee, tea, sports drinks)

Week 3: Pureed diet (smoothies, blended drinnks)

Week 4: Soft mechanical diet (soft scrambled eggs, fish, overcooked pasta)

At your 4 week follow up, you will be advised on foods that you are permitted to eat. Generall speaking, following jaw surgery these are the list of foods to AVOID

1. Steak / hard meats

2. Nuts (almonds, cashews, peanuts, etc)

3. Hamburgers / sandwiches (anything that will require large mouth opening)

At the end of the procedure, resorbable sutures will be placed to help your body heal. These stitches will dissolve on their own in the next 2-3 weeks. 

Should you have any of the following, please contact Dr. Huang for further instruction

1. Excessive pain that is not controlled with prescribed medication

2. Bleeding that continues after biting on gauze / pressure

3. Swelling that increases after the 3rd to 5th day

4. Fever following the 3rd to 5th day

5. Any abnormal response to medication