Metal Mouth Message Board

Hello guys. I am sorry for posting what seems like every little thing.
Today and yesterday I have been doing lots of talking. Me and my family are in a little argument and theyre making me do a lot of talking. Not yelling, but talking a lot until my jaw and cheek muscles are sore. I am doing this talking with 3 rubber bands in. I can remove them to eat and brush. I have 4 plates and screws in. Am i potetially loosening screws? damaging muscles? Stopping healing? I am very worried that ive overworked my muscles. Xanax helps me settle down but what do you guys think about this? Your responses are always much appreciated.
Thank you guys so much.

Talking won't loosen plates or screws. It's actually better to keep blood flowing. Helps reduce swelling. Helps stretch tight muscles. The soreness is just that; muscle soreness; doing things you're not used to doing.

Hi!
I'm like you around week 4 post op (day 33 for me).
I agree with the previous post. Talking is not a bad thing to do at this stage of your recovery, but quite the opposite.
My surgeon told me the last couple of times we met that i should actually try to speak and gesticulate more, because it's good for the muscles, it keeps the blood flowing. He also gave me a couple of exercises for my lips strenght.
You can be sure that youre not gonna loose a thing... We still have a long way until we reach "normality" again, but i think (at least in my case) that things are pretty much settled at 1 month post op. Your bones screws etc shouldn't be so fragile anymore.

Did your surgeon told you when will you be chewing again?

Hey guys
thanks for the replies. My surgeon did not tell me when I will be back to chewing. If I were to guess myself, based on my improvement and how I feel I am guessing another month or 2 maybe?
I want to shave but I don't want to use the blade. Do you guys think that using an electric trimmer because of the vibrations would be a bad idea 1 month post op? Sorry for these stupid questions. This recovery has taken a toll mentally!

You won't feel most of the vibrations... At least I couldn't.

If you shave with a regular razor; that's an experience! Very odd not being able to feel one second then feeling the razor the next.

Thanks Nozzel
I haven't got fully back to work yet. Im 5 weeks out and still have swelling and face is a little lopsided. I work in a professional office setting so I cannot return just yet looking and felling like this.
How long did it take you guys to return to work? What type of work if you don't mind me asking?

I went to see my surgeon today. He said all looks well. He gave me these wooden popsicle sticks to do exercises with http://www.craftysticks.com/4-12-Standa ... l_p_8.html

He told me to open and stick a few sticks in bbetween my teeth and leave them there for 5-10 minutes, and each day or so try to add an extra stick. This is a stretch for my jaw muscles.
I did it after i got home today. Not the most comfortable feeling. I was not able to just let the sticks hang because my front teeth were hurting when i was biting, and I had to hold them with my hands. I don't have enough feeling yet to purposely bite down yet, so it was kind of a wierd experience. But my front tooth does hurt i guess i bit down on the sticks a bit.
Has anyone done these stretches with this method? Did you feel pain? Is it ok to feel pain from this?
Sorry to bother you guys, I hope you are all doing very well.

shaving... THAT'S complicated,and really weird too.
i dont know about those exercises, but i saw my surgeon last tuesday and he told me i should really try to open my mouth wider. the i proceeded to push down my lower jaw with his hands, wihout much success
now i'm opening a bit more than 2 finger width, and he told me i should hit the 3 fingers mark for next week...
so he also recommended me to exercise, to open my mouth as wide as i can, and stretch. he said that if it doesnt hurt im doing it wrong,... so i guess that what you're feeling its totally normal

I didn't have any sticks or splints, but my oral surgeon wanted me to open my mouth as far as I could about 5x several times a day. When I'd go in for checkups, he'd stretch my mouth open farther than I wanted it to go, and it did hurt. I kept at the exercises, though, and when he released me, I was up to three fingers vertically inserted, which is the "gold standard" for mouth opening, apparently. He was pleased.

My surgery was in May, and now I can insert four fingers, not super comfortably, but I can do it.

Good luck and keep at it. You'll get there!