Orthognathic Surgery recovery — week by week

What healing actually looks like — week by week — for orthognathic surgery.

Recovery timeline

1. Hospital stay
   1–3 nights. Liquid diet only. Significant facial swelling.
2. Week 1
   Liquid diet continues. Jaw not wired (modern technique uses rigid plates), but minimal jaw movement. Bandages and ice.
3. Weeks 2–4
   Soft pureed diet. Most return to desk work week 3–4. Massive bruising and swelling clears progressively.
4. Weeks 4–8
   Soft solids. Numbness in lip and chin commonly persists for months.
5. Months 2–6
   Most swelling resolves. Bite feels foreign for months — ortho fine-tuning continues.
6. Year 1+
   Final aesthetic and functional result. Numbness typically resolves but small permanent areas in 5–15%.

Quick reference

Back to work

3–4 weeks for desk; 6–8 weeks for physical work.

What's normal vs. what to call about

Some swelling, bruising, asymmetry, numbness, and tightness are expected in the first weeks. Sudden severe pain, fever above 101°F, drainage, spreading redness, or one-sided swelling that worsens after improving warrant a same-day call to your surgeon.

See orthognathic surgery results across the recovery curve on the main Orthognathic Surgery page.