Orthognathic (Jaw Corrective) Surgery Postoperative Instructions

1. Take all medications as prescribed.
2. Only eat very soft or liquid foods until instructed otherwise by the doctor. Please refer to the Post Surgical Liquid Diet brochure.
3. Your bite will feel different and your and you may have rubber bands running from your upper braces to lower braces. If a rubber band comes off, please call the office in the morning for further instruction.
4. Facial swelling usually peaks on the second or third day following surgery.
5. The cheek, lips and gums can have numb feeling for several days to weeks following surgery.
6. If you have had upper jaw surgery, it is normal to have nasal bleeding for the next several days. This bleeding is usually dripping in nature and can come and go. If severe nasal bleeding occurs, call the doctor immediately. You can expect to see red-brown blood clots start to drain from your nose a few days after surgery.
7. If you have had upper jaw surgery, congestion for the next several days to weeks is normal. Avoid forcefully spitting or blowing your nose for the next 10-14 days. If you need to blow you nose, do it as gentle as possible. Use decongestant nasal sprays judiciously. You should not use the nasal decongestant sprays (i.e. Afrin) more than two times per day. It is important to keep your nasal passages moist with a saline nasal spray. You cannot overuse saline nasal sprays.
8. Do not smoke.
9. Avoid any heavy lifting (>40 lbs), vigorous exercise or contact sports until given permission by the doctor.