Metal Mouth Message Board

So saw my surgeon who is happy with my results, but I still can't open my mouth very wide, like two fingers width or so. He suggested I try jaw exercises, and assures me I will be better with time.

I failed to ask what kind of jaw exercises I should be doing. Any ideas or experiences great fully received!!!

Hi,

Without your bands in (if you wear them), open your mouth open as far as possible for 5 or so seconds then close down on your teeth gently. Repeat for 10-15 minutes, 2-3 times a day.

That's what I was instructed to do and it's working great.

You will get there! The more talking you do, the stronger your muscles get. I had very heavy ortho elastics after surgery for 8 months and was bummed thinking that I would never be able to bite into a cheeseburger. A week after debracing I was able to open twice as big and almost back to the old normal! Do some exercises and don't get frustrated. Recovery from this takes time! Lots of time!

I had advancement of both my upper and lower jaws 5 weeks ago. Both my orthodontist and surgeon told me to exercise my jaw by pushing it forwards and back and side to side to improve circulation. The problem is that the only movement I now have in my jaw is up and down. They were somewhat surprised when they saw how limited my movement was. I didn't ask about it at the time because I thought that I could probably do it with some practice. After much effort I can conclude that there is no way I can move my jaw other than up and down.

Do other people have the same limitation or is there something wrong here?