Immediately after corrective jaw surgery our patients have a liquid or puree diet for the first week. Our patients have been very creative in the past and have blended complete meals in order to get the nourishment they need to recover from surgery. We recommend addition of Ensure or Boost to meals during the first week after surgery. Then for the next 7 weeks patients eat a soft, no-chew diet. Soft diet consists of such foods as mashed potatoes, refried beans, oatmeal, over-cooked pasta, soft fish and any other foods that do not require chewing. Eating a soft diet reduces the risk of any problems with the jaw healing properly after surgery. Once the jaw is fully healed after about 8 weeks our patients are able to go back to a regular diet of their choice. Full return of normal jaw function occurs gradually over several weeks to months. During this time patients can continue to increase the types of foods they eat based on their own personal comfort level. Most patients will lose an average of 10 to 15 pounds after corrective jaw surgery and attention should be given to take in extra calories post surgery to minimize weight loss.
What Can I Eat After Jaw Surgery?
