Had double jaw surgery a couple months back and honestly, I was not prepared for how weird it felt trying to eat solid food again. Soup and smoothies got old real fast. Anyone else struggle with chewing or biting after? How long did it take before stuff felt normal-ish?
Anyone else struggle with chewing or biting after? How long did it take before stuff felt normal-ish?
I remember that stage all too well. Took me a good three months before I could chew anything more solid than scrambled eggs without feeling like my jaw was made of rubber bands. Even then, I’d get tired halfway through a sandwich. For me, biting into an apple was out of the question for almost half a year.
The weirdest part was how my teeth didn’t seem to “fit” together right at first. I kept thinking I was doing something wrong, but my surgeon said it’s just part of the healing—your muscles and nerves need time to catch up. Chewing gum (sugar free) helped retrain things a bit once I got the green light.
Don’t worry if it’s taking longer than you expected. Everyone’s timeline is different, especially after double jaw surgery. Just pace yourself and don’t rush back into steak dinners… learned that one the hard way.
I get what you’re saying, but honestly, my timeline was way shorter. I was back to soft sandwiches and pasta after about six weeks, though I did have to take it slow. Maybe it depends on the type of surgery or how your body heals? The teeth not “fitting” thing threw me too, but my bite settled down after a couple months. Chewing gum actually made my jaw ache, so I skipped that part. Guess everyone’s recovery is its own weird adventure.
Yeah, I had to stick with soup and mashed stuff for almost two months, but honestly, a big part of it was just not wanting to risk messing anything up and having to pay for more dental work. Once I felt steady, I tried soft bread and scrambled eggs—cheap and easy. My bite felt weird for a while too, but it sorted itself out eventually. Chewing gum was a hard pass for me... didn’t want to spend extra on jaw pain meds.
Yeah, I totally get what you mean about not wanting to mess anything up—I was so paranoid about biting wrong or chewing too hard. For me, I think it took at least a month before I could eat something like a grilled cheese without feeling like I was doing something risky. At first, even soft stuff felt like a workout for my jaw. I remember getting super excited over a bowl of overcooked pasta just because it was…not soup. The weird bite sensation stuck around for a while but it faded as I got more confident. It’s a slow process, but it does get better.