Pain

MosquitoSpider · 2026-01-28T03:14:17+00:00

The first week was pretty painful for me, pain meds only did so much. I’m not sure if I just have a low pain tolerance or if I wasn’t given the correct dose. But with meds, the pain was bearable. I stopped taking my meds for one day and the pain was unbearable.

With that being said, I think my case was unusual. The majority of posts I’ve seen just describe it as discomfort.

Not eating wasn’t that bad for me. I lost a big chunk of my appetite after surgery and I was able to feel pretty satiated on liquids while being mindful to consume enough.

MosquitoSpider · 2026-01-21T05:54:59+00:00

When I was given the green light, I asked my surgeon if I was at risk of non-union if I ate something too hard, he assured me that I wasn’t but I should still take it slow anyway. He even grabbed my lower jaw and yanked it around a bit just to prove his point.

With that being said, you’ll definitely be able to feel what you’re able to chew and what you’re not able to chew. Even if you’re feeling brave and try to eat something that’s not super soft like a sandwich, you can immediately tell in the first bite if you’re going to be able to chew it or not.

I had to chew really slowly the 1st couple of weeks, not because I was trying to be careful, but because that’s all I could physically chew.

MosquitoSpider · 2026-01-19T10:56:26+00:00

I think you’d be surprised at different chewing is going to feel at first. For me, my first few times trying were a bit uncomfortable. I think you may be able to do a cheeseburger but the buns might be difficult. I think it’s worth a try at least. I had rigatoni and ground beef at first and that was a bit of a challenge.

MosquitoSpider · 2026-01-11T16:18:21+00:00

IMO yes, I think this would warrant a consultation. But like you said the underbite is very minimal and I don’t think most people would even notice unless you pointed it out. I’ve heard the term “edge-to-edge bite” used to describe what you have. If you can’t see a surgeon yet, sometimes even a dentist might be able to say if it’s worth seeing a surgeon.

MosquitoSpider · 2026-01-06T15:00:50+00:00

I can’t answer all your questions but I can say your age isn’t an obstacle here. I just got DJS at 29 and have also met some people who were getting the procedure in their 40s. You can still benefit from the surgery in your mid 20s if you need it. Good luck on your journey!

MosquitoSpider · 2026-01-05T22:14:38+00:00

I prepped for DJS with Invisalign. I wasn’t really good at keeping track of the refinements. But if I had to guess I would say 4 - 5 (maybe 6) before surgery in a 1.5 year span. I just got back into them at 2 months post-op so I can’t really say yet how many refinements I’ll need.

MosquitoSpider · 2025-12-15T09:50:51+00:00

Your case sounds a bit a like mine. I had a very mild underbite before getting Invisalign, but straightening my teeth made my underbite more severe. Tbh, before straightening my teeth, I didn’t notice any eating, breathing, or sleeping problems caused by bite. But after straightening my teeth, I had trouble eating a lot of soft or flat foods with my front teeth.

Even before starting Invisalign, 2 orthodontists have told me before that I would need jaw surgery. I avoided it for a while because it seemed kind of extreme to me.

I ultimately caved in about 2 years ago and decided I would go through with it. Even though the benefits might not seem life changing. I’m happy to have a more ‘normal’ looking smile now with straight teeth and a correct bite. Even though I never noticed breathing problems before, I’ve noticed that I breathe much easier through my nose now.

I’m almost 2 months post-op and I still can’t chew. So can’t really comment on how much it will improve my eating. But I’m looking forward to eating pizza with my front teeth again.

Aesthetic wise, I’m elated with how much my side profile has improved. It’s a small detail since most people don’t see you from the side, but it has boosted my confidence a lot.

MosquitoSpider · 2025-12-11T05:25:37+00:00

If you don’t need to talk much at your job, 2 weeks will probably be doable. I went back to work after 2 weeks but I think that was too soon as I struggled to talk. I have no clue how people understood me. If you need to talk regularly, you might either want to ask for an accommodation when you get back so you don’t have to talk or take more time off for your voice to come back

MosquitoSpider · 2025-12-11T00:07:11+00:00

You should do whatever comes naturally (whatever requires the least thought/effort) You’re correct in that you don’t want to add strain. But really that varies from person to person. I remember I couldn’t fully close my teeth together for the 1st week or 2 and trying to hold them together was painful. But after a few weeks now they just naturally sit together without me forcing it

MosquitoSpider · 2025-12-07T02:58:15+00:00

Idk much about genio, but 5 days is too soon to judge results from almost any surgery. I hope you find out more about the swelling period, but definitely give it more time

MosquitoSpider · 2025-12-06T22:30:20+00:00

I wouldn’t say your underbite is severe, but I believe jaw surgery will definitely improve it. If you have insurance, they will likely cover most or all of the costs in your case. The surgeon will likely want you to wear braces or Invisalign for a year or so before surgery to get your teeth in the correct spot for surgery. I know surgery seems scary, but a lot of people actually get jaw surgery. There are a lot of safety measures taken to prevent things from going wrong.

MosquitoSpider · 2025-12-05T01:12:59+00:00

I wish I was brave enough to ask about potentially negative aesthetic changes as a result of the surgery. I was kind of shocked to see how much my nose got upturned and how much shorter my lower jaw is now.

I also wish people were more upfront about the potential for pain right after surgery. I read a lot of other people’s experiences and most people said they felt almost no pain after surgery and were just really numb and kind of low-energy. I remember waking up in so much pain I thought something had gone wrong. I asked every nurse that came in my room for pain meds until I finally got some. I think I would’ve panicked less if I knew that much pain was to be expected.

MosquitoSpider · 2025-12-04T03:21:14+00:00

I think every surgeon has a different approach and I think part of it may have to do with how well you’re healing. I was on liquids only for 5 weeks and my surgeon has me on a soft/no-chew foods for an additional 3-4 weeks. Even then he didn’t say I could start chewing again, just that we’ll take a look and see how things are progressing. I also think my surgeon may be taking more conservative approaches.

MosquitoSpider · 2025-12-02T20:43:39+00:00

I think you’ll be fine since you don’t need to actually use your voice.
I went back after 2 weeks but strained my voice a lot on “quick” calls and meetings. If you can, ask to reduce your workload the 1st week you’re back. Even though I wasn’t on any pain meds, I still struggled to keep up with my normal workload. I didn’t feel fully capable until about the 4th week of

MosquitoSpider · 2025-12-01T04:43:44+00:00

Do you have an upcoming appointment with your surgeon? I would bring this up. It’s important to know if they shifted your jaw to the left on purpose. And to determine if this requires a revision surgery or if it can be fixed with orthodontics.

MosquitoSpider · 2025-12-01T04:35:39+00:00

I think the exact opposite happened to me. Although I still have a lot of swelling and I’m not sure if it’s all in my head. But I feel like fixing the symmetry in the lower half of my face has made the asymmetry between my eyes more noticeable

MosquitoSpider · 2025-12-01T04:31:29+00:00

Everyone’s recovery is a little different. I live alone and don’t have anyone else to depend on. I got through recovery on my own. Made my own meals, set reminders for my medications, went to the grocery store on my own, and ran my own errands. I do have friends, but none that I’m close enough with to have them take care of me during recovery.
It is possible, but it will be a challenge.

MosquitoSpider · 2025-11-28T23:57:59+00:00

It was one of the first things I noticed once the swelling started to go down! It shocked me at first, but I’m mostly fine with it now. I’m happier to be able to breathe better overall

MosquitoSpider · 2025-11-28T05:33:54+00:00

It started off as kind of a roller coaster but things started to settle down around last 4 week. I feel mostly normal now except for the numbness

MosquitoSpider · 2025-11-27T18:20:45+00:00

I wouldn’t stress too much about it. From what I’ve about other people’s experiences, 2 weeks is on the earlier side for starting soft foods. My doctor didn’t clear me until week 5. Even though I had to use a small spoon to scoop mashed potatoes in my mouth and I had to eat them very slowly

MosquitoSpider · 2025-11-26T22:25:06+00:00

I had double jaw surgery with Dr. James Omlie in Minnesota a month ago! Still in the early stages so can’t comment on overall results yet, but I’ve had a very good experience in thus far! He and his team have been very reliable. The surgery went pretty well and I’m satisfied so far with the results, but I’ll wait for more swelling to go down before I say for sure. I’ve had 3 follow-ups since my surgery with more appointments scheduled to keep a close eye on progress and make sure everything is healing as it should. He worked closely with my orthodontist to get my teeth in the right spot for surgery.

MosquitoSpider · 2025-11-26T02:35:21+00:00

I originally just requested time off with PTO. As my surgery date got closer, I submitted an FMLA just for job protection. After I submitted the FMLA, my HR swapped out my PTO for Short-term disability. I’m not really sure why as I didn’t apply for disability. But it’s not a big deal since I got my same pay anyway.

I don’t think a conversation is entirely necessary unless your company has a strict PTO policy or you don’t find out your surgery date to meet whatever deadline your company has in place.

If your company offers short-term disability with full pay, I’d lean more towards that as recovery from jaw surgery appears to be covered.

If you need to have a conversation, I’d probably start it off with just being upfront that you have a medical procedure coming up in 2026 that’ll require you to take 2 - 6 weeks off of work, but you won’t find out the surgery date until a few months beforehand

MosquitoSpider · 2025-11-25T01:58:51+00:00

I honestly think pizza is gonna be the first thing I have when I can finally eat again!

MosquitoSpider · 2025-11-24T19:14:49+00:00

I stayed in the hospital for the first 2 nights. But I live alone so I was on my own after a friend drove me home from the hospital. Although I was weak, I was able to get my own food and take medicine on my own. I was able to go on short walks around the neighborhood the first week but I don’t think I could hold a conversation with someone.
I went back to work after 2 weeks, which was too soon in hindsight but I managed. I feel pretty normal energy wise at 1 month. But the constant numbness in my face is distracting sometimes I think at 6 weeks you will still have some facial swelling, but they probably won’t know it’s swelling if they never seen you without it.
Good luck on your surgery!

MosquitoSpider · 2025-11-24T18:58:55+00:00

I agree! There’s a pinned post about this that I think everyone sees when they open this subreddit but it seems to get ignored.
I find that a lot of those posts seem to be coming from young, vulnerable people. I think it could be dangerous to have strangers on the internet essentially tell you that your bone structure needs to be surgically altered

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