Metal Mouth Message Board

I am 2 weeks post-surgery and need to look forward to getting some solid food in my mouth.

What day were you able to get solid food in? Mashed potatoes, soft noodles, anything besides liquid?

I was doing mashed potatoes the second week, but I only had lefort 1 (1 piece), and I was not wired shut. I have progressed to also mashing ground beef into the potatoes, yummy! Surgeon said that was fine as long as I wasn't chewing in any way. I can also do that with mashed macaroni since I hate blending stuff. I just make the macaroni a little soupy with extra milk.

I got the okay for solid food at my 2nd post op appointment at 2 1/2 weeks. I wasn't wired shut and didn't have a splint, just the heavy elastics which were taken off at that appointment too. I was allowed to take out my new elastics to eat/brush my teeth at that point.

I started having soft food about four days after surgery and I've been pretty much back to normal eating since about two months after the surgery

I suppose the type of surgery makes all the difference. I had Lefort I and IVRO. I was wired for 2 weeks, and at that time thought I'd get to eat something besides liquids. But instead now I'm in elastics and can barely open my mouth.

Doc thought maybe next week (end of week 3) I would be able to eat soft foods. I was really disappointed after the 2 week appointment.

But this brings up another question, is the reason I can barely open my mouth because of the elastics or because my jaw is weak from the surgery?

I had a 3-piece lefort & BSSO and was ok'd for soft chew by day 7. Unfortunately I'm in the same position as TwinMom where I can't really open my mouth to get anything in, so for the time being I'm still effectively on a liquid diet - I just don't have to run my purees past a strainer. According to my doctor, not being able to open the mouth is because the jaw muscles are pretty tramautized during the sugery - he said it should take about 2 months to get normal range of motion back.

BSSO + genio here, I was OK'ed to have soft food around 3 weeks post op. "Soft" being fish, well cooked pasta, softer cereal, etc.

twinmom wrote:...But this brings up another question, is the reason I can barely open my mouth because of the elastics or because my jaw is weak from the surgery?

I think the latter. I could only open wide enough to put one finger between my top and bottom teeth the week after surgery. Now it's pretty close to 3 fingers (~35 mm) with elastics removed obviously.

I would guess that the trauma of surgery plus weeks of relative lack of use would also confuse the jaw muscles.