Preparing for jaw surgery involves several key steps to ensure a smooth procedure and recovery. This guide covers essential adjustments to your body and oral health, required examinations, anesthesia preparations, and postoperative care tips.
Adjusting Body and Oral Condition
To optimize your health before surgery, make these changes as soon as possible:
- If you are a smoker, quit smoking at least six months in advance.
- If you have systemic diseases, manage your medications to stabilize your condition.
- Maintain a balanced diet, get adequate sleep, and engage in moderate exercise to support postoperative recovery.
- Focus on oral hygiene: clean your teeth regularly, treat any decay, plan for extractions, and consider orthodontic adjustments.
- Avoid anticoagulant drugs or herbal medicines that affect blood circulation, such as those containing Angelica sinensis, red peony, danpi, safflower, hawthorn, or similar herbs.
Required Examinations for Surgical Planning
Complete these within four weeks before the operation to develop a tailored plan:
- Clinical evaluation of the cranial and facial structures.
- Photography, including 2D or 3D images.
- Cranial measurement photography.
- Dental models, either through digital intraoral scanning or solid gypsum models.
- Cranial and facial computer tomography.
Preparation for General Anesthesia
Finish these preparations within four weeks of surgery:
- Chest X-ray.
- Blood tests, including screening for infectious diseases, coagulation function, complete blood count, and basic biochemical tests.
- Electrocardiogram, especially if you are over 40 years old.
- Visit with an anesthesiologist.
- Fast for eight hours before surgery, including no boiling water.
Other Preoperative Precautions
- Inform your family about the surgery decision.
- Consult your physician for any surgery-related concerns.
- Arrange for a family member or friend to accompany you on the day of surgery through the next morning.
Postoperative Precautions
Mental and physical readiness is crucial for recovery.
Managing Postoperative Discomfort
Expect some temporary issues:
- Dizziness, nausea, and vomiting, which typically resolve within 24 hours.
- Blood seepage from mouth and nose wounds, easing within 48 hours.
- Nasal congestion, improving in about one week.
- Facial swelling, peaking three days post-surgery, with 80% reduction in one month and full resolution in three months.
- Pain, usually rated below 4 on a scale, manageable with oral painkillers; intravenous options are rarely needed.
Tubes and Monitoring After Surgery
- Intravenous drip, removed before discharge.
- Catheter, removed the day after surgery.
- Jaw drainage tube, removed the day after surgery.
Have someone assist you for 24 hours post-surgery, helping with getting out of bed and using the toilet.
Oral Cleaning
- Use a small-headed toothbrush.
- Clean after each meal and before bed.
- Strictly adhere to oral cleaning for the first week to support wound healing.
Diet Guidelines
- Drink boiled water on the day of surgery.
- Start a liquid diet the next day.
- Maintain a full liquid diet for one week, avoiding hot soups.
- Switch to soft foods from one to four weeks post-surgery, no chewing required.
- Begin chewing after one month, gradually.
- Ensure adequate nutrition to maintain preoperative weight.
- Avoid cigarettes, alcohol, and herbs from unknown sources.
Ice and Heat Compress
- Apply ice for the first two weeks: 30 minutes on, then 10-15 minutes off.
- After two weeks, consider heat compress with warm water and towels, keeping temperature below 41°C for 20-30 minutes each time.
- Heat compress is optional; avoid scalding.
Exercise and Activity
- Start gradually with non-collision activities like walking, brisk walking, yoga, dance, swimming, jogging, billiards, or badminton.
- Avoid contact sports for three months, such as basketball or rugby.
Work and Rest
- Avoid staying up late; aim for bed by 10 PM and eight hours of sleep nightly.
Hospitalization Duration
- Plan to stay two nights after surgery.
- For example, if surgery is on Tuesday, discharge may be Thursday morning.