Metal Mouth Message Board

I'm currently three months post op and have healed up for the most part and living normally. One thing I've noticed is that chewing is hard when I eat hard foods such as granola bars, vegetables, etc. I CAN eat pretty much anything, although awkward, on the left side. However, it is extremely difficult to eat really anything on the right side. Also, I can only open my mouth about two fingers wide now. Anyone else experience these things this far along?

I have exactly the same problem, in that chewing is fine on the left side but not so easy on the right side. I'm five months post op now. I think it's because I have some numbness in my gums or the roots of my teeth or something on the right side - I can't properly feel when I'm chewing there so tend to just stick with the left... which is probably bad because if I used the right more regularly then the muscles would probably strengthen up more and I'd get used to the numbness! Oh well.

Hard foods are still a bit awkward for me but mostly because I'm scared of breaking my teeth or something! Opening is more or less normal (although going too wide, like when yawning, tends to snap my elastics!)

Do you have any numbness in your mouth at all? I think it's probably pretty normal to favour one side when chewing anyway, but maybe if you're worried it might be worth bringing it up next time you see your orthodontist?

Can you two bite into things yet? I thought that would feel more awkward than chewing hard foods.

I have noticed after my SARPE that my left side feels stronger and more stable than my right so I tend to chew more on that side.
I'm guessing it will eventually go away once the bone has completely healed and feeling is back to normal.

jinx02 wrote:Can you two bite into things yet? I thought that would feel more awkward than chewing hard foods.

I can bite into soft food easily, and can just about manage something a bit more challenging like a burger. But I struggle with hard foods, I still need to cut them up rather than bite straight into them. I'm nearly six months post op now, but I've read from other people's experiences that it can take around 18 months for your jaws to feel strong enough that biting into food feels completely normal again.

You should probably discuss this with your ortho; he/she can determine what the issue is. It's possible some minor orthodontic "tweaks" can clear things up.