After Your Surgery – Temporomandibular Joint Surgery

  • You will be taken to the recovery area. You will remain there for 1-4 hours depending on the length of your surgery
  • The nurses will take your vital signs several times during recovery. This is normal
  • You will be given medications to make you comfortable, prevent nausea, and help reduce facial swelling. These will be given by intravenous (IV) until you are drinking well
  • Until you are steady on your feet, a nurse will help you to the bathroom
  • Facial swelling will increase over 3 days and will gradually reduce over 3-4 weeks. Ice packs may be used to minimize the amount of swelling
  • A small amount of blood will ooze from your nose and surgical incisions for the first 2 days. This is normal
  • You may have stitches in front of your ear or under your jaw. These stitches are often covered by tape for several days
  • You may have a pressure bandage over the stitches in front of your ear
  • You will have stitches on your chest if a rib bone was used to repair your jaw joint
  • Your jaws may be fixed together with either elastics or wires. This allows for the proper healing of the bones
  • You may find it hard to swallow and talk if your jaws are fixed together. This will improve after a couple of days
  • Vomiting can occur. Do not panic. Many spaces exist between your teeth even when they are wired together. These spaces will allow the vomit to pass through
  • Once you are fully awake and comfortable, you will be taken to your hospital room
  • You will be able to have visitors once you are in a hospital room. We will try to accommodate your needs and your family’s needs for contact. We also must respect the rights and needs of other patients. Please check with the nurses about visiting guidelines for your unit. Visitors may be asked to leave when the doctors or nurses come to see you
  • You will be encouraged to drink fluids. The IV will be taken out only when all the IV medications have been given and you are drinking enough fluids
  • Once you feel steady on your feet, you will be encouraged to get up and walk. You may need help walking on the first day
  • A dietitian will talk with you about what you can and cannot eat during the healing period. If possible, have the person who will be cooking your meals at this meeting
  • It is very important to rinse your mouth as you are told. The surgeon and residents will talk about mouth care with you. Keeping your mouth clean after surgery is necessary to prevent infection. Do not brush your teeth until told to do so. Brushing your teeth too soon after the surgery can damage the stitches in your mouth
  • The resident surgeons will see you every morning. Please tell them if you have any concerns or problems
  • The surgeon can only estimate how many days you will be in hospital. You will be discharged home only when you are eating and drinking well and are comfortable
  • If a rib bone was used for your jaw joint surgery you will be asked to AVOID taking a bath for a period of time
  • The surgeon will tell you what activities you will need to avoid to allow for proper healing of the jaw joints after surgery