“How long after jaw surgery can you open your mouth?”
I am a 23 year old female. I want to know how long after jaw surgery can you open your mouth?
3 Answers
It depends. Every case is different.
With the use of rigid fixation, (plates and screws) opening and using your jaw after having corrective jaw surgery has significantly changed from the usual 6 weeks of having your jaws wired shut to only a few days or weeks with elastics in place to hold the jaws still for a while after surgery , mostly for comfort. Jaw immobilization also depends on your type of surgery and your surgeons preference for fixation.
That is dependent on the type of surgery and the goal of the surgery. For many re-positioning surgeries a minimum of six weeks of inter-arch stabilization is required for initial healing. The Oral Surgeon can answer any and all questions pertaining to an individual surgery.
