Going wireless
When I got to my oral surgeon’s office to get my wires off, I had a couple of rude surprises. I would not be allowed to chew for another three weeks, and my muscles would be so sore from disuse that I wouldn’t be able to open my mouth very far. Of course, everything was still easier than with my mouth wired, but there were still some adaptations that needed to be made.
Eating
When I ate dinner on my first wireless evening, I was filled with the disappointment of thinking that my culinary options wouldn’t be expanding much at all. But over the course of the next few weeks, I discovered that I could eat almost anything I wanted, so long as I was willing to adapt a little bit. If I wanted bread, I could shred it in the blender. If I wanted pasta, I could cook it until it was a bit softer than I ordinarily would. If I wanted a cookie, I could soak it, either in a glass of soymilk, or in my mouth before swallowing. In the end, I had very few of the smoothies and soups that comprised the bulk of my diet during the wired weeks. Here are some of the foods that kept me going in the post-wired time:
- Hummus, with shredded tortillas
- Peanut butter and jelly, with shredded tortillas
- Refried beans, with shredded tortillas
- Oatmeal
- Couscous
- Soy yogurt
- Lasagna with overcooked noodles (with cashew ricotta)
- Lentils
- Kiwifruit
- Bananas
- Ramen with silken tofu
- Applesauce
This might seem obvious, but it’s also important to remember to get enough to drink. In the first couple of weeks after I had my wires removed, I drank very little and frequently felt dehydrated. For three weeks, eating and drinking had been the same act, and I had some trouble remembering to do them separately now that there was a distinction to be drawn.
(see also posts tagged “no-chew diet“)
Oral Hygiene
The first few days after I got the wires off, I wasn’t able to fit even a children’s toothbrush between my top and bottom teeth, so my oral hygiene technique borrowed heavily from that of the preceding three weeks. I did also get some CVS brand Dental Flossers, apparently a store-brand equivalent of a product called Plackers, which allowed me to start flossing my teeth before I could fit my fingers in my mouth. It was a couple of weeks before I could fit my children’s toothbrush all the way into the back of my mouth again, and then things became easier. I think it was about a week and a half before I was flossing without the Dental Flossers, but it wasn’t something I tried every day. The Water Pik remained useful for cleaning the arch bars even after I was able to fit the toothbrush in my mouth.
(see also posts tagged “oral hygiene“)
Thank you for your blog! I was thinking about starting my own since there are not very many out there that have been helpful. I’ve had my jaws wires for almost 6 weeks. The doctor put me on elastics less than a week ago. I wasn’t expecting my face to be so sore the next day, but it was pretty bad. Obviously I’m still on a semi-liquid diet. I’ve been blending whatever I can, but it’s getting old. How are you doing now? Any change in how far you can open your mouth? I’m expecting to have the elastics for about three more weeks, but I’m really wondering how much progress I’ll make by then. I look forward to hearing from you, and hope that you continue to heal quickly.
My recovery has been going quite well. I still have some residual numbness on the left side of my face which I’m guessing is the result of either permanent nerve damage or swollen tissue. It seems to have gotten a little bit better just in the last few weeks, so I’m hoping it’s the latter.
My mouth opens about 5 centimeters now (and for the last two months), which seems about normal. Of course, I didn’t think to measure it before my accident, so I’ll never be able to know for sure. I wore rubber bands for three weeks after three weeks of wires, and when I got the rubber bands off (and was allowed to chew for the first time since my accident), I still had trouble opening my mouth wide enough to eat a pita with falafel (my first meal after receiving clearance to chew). As I understand, though, the rubber bands are to help your mouth close correctly rather than help you open it, so I don’t think that lack of progress with the opening should stop your oral surgeon from freeing you from the rubber bands. In my case, though, the oral surgeon left the arch bars on my teeth for a few more weeks just in case they proved necessary (which they did not).
I hope the rest of your recovery proceeds smoothly. Feel free to ask questions (although obviously your own results may vary) or leave suggestions from your own experiences.
I broke my jaw when someone abruptly punched me in the face. It was a very unfortunate incident. That was 6-7 weeks ago and I am recovering as we speak.
It was tough with the wires, especially because food was something I cherished before the broken jaw. I believe my love of food has gone up ten fold now.
I was going to write some of this stuff down for someone else as I picked up a few easy tips and tricks.
I was curious though if the things I am going through now after my wires have come off are normal.
Oh and I just went to the dentist yesterday and they cleaned my teeth. What a relief it was to finally feel my real teeth. The dentist did laugh at me for how gross my mouth was….. No big deal. They’re off now.
Good luck to anyone who sustains a broken jaw.
Jon, that does indeed sound quite unfortunate! I’m glad you got the wires off and continue to recover. I’d definitely encourage you to record the things you’ve learned from your experience and share them in whatever way you see fit.
did anyone experience (muscle/pain)spasms after getting wired & post removing wires in the rubber band stage?
did your teeth feel different or not fitting together after unwiring?
I just got unwired but have arch bars & rubberband on opposide of fracture(mandibular fracture). My front big tooth has become lower than it adjacent tooth & they were even before. Several teeth feel sore to touch & move a bit . did anyone experience this?
I didn’t experience an spasms, but there was definitely some pain in the rubber band stage.
My recollection is that my teeth did feel pretty weird after unwiring. The first few days, there was sort of a mushy feeling when my top and bottom teeth touched each other. It went away before too long.
My teeth were certainly a bit sore when I first got unwired. They did shift a little bit while I was wired, too. The wires on my teeth pushed them a little bit. Some of this movement was undone after I got the arch bars off and was able to wear my old retainers at night, but my teeth still aren’t in the same place they used to be.
Hello All,
I just got my wires off today. The Orthodontist did leave the arc bars on and I have rubberbands on my teeth as well. I do have spasms in my jaw as well. And i believe that it is because I haven’t exercised the muscles in so long. I’ve had my jaw wired for four weeks. Today I got my wires on, I’m still on the liquid diet for the remainder of this week and was told next week, I can eat soft food, and the following week, I go back to get the hardware holding the rubberbands in place removed. This overall has not been a painful experience for me.
One thing differently that I have noticed is that I have an over bite that I never had, and I thought this was given to me so that I could drink threw a straw. But now I am under the impression that its permanent. A small area on the left side of my face and lip is numb and I feel a tingling feel as well.
Hi Larry,
I’m glad to hear that you’re making progress in your recovery and that it hasn’t been painful so far.
As for the overbite, I do recall my oral surgeon telling me that my bone wouldn’t heal back exactly the way it was before, but that it would be good enough to do the things I needed to do. I didn’t end up with an overbite, but my mouth definitely is different. Aside from the asymmetry I’ve written about, I used to be able to move my lower jaw so that my bottom teeth were in front of my top teeth. It was always quite uncomfortable, but now I can’t do it at all. Happily, of all the abilities I could have lost, this was not one of the more useful ones.
In my case, the numbness improved over time, but it still hasn’t gone away completely. I’m approaching the 11 month anniversary of my accident, and at this point I’m just assuming that the lingering numbness is permanent nerve damage. If it goes away, it will be a nice surprise.
Best wishes on your continued recovery.
Adam
Thank you for this blog and all of the comments. It’s amazing how little “real” help is available and this has been terrific.
I’m getting my wires off in about 3 weeks, hopefully. It’s been useful to know that I can expect not to dive into a burger and carrots (what I’ve been craving most) the first day afterwards. LOL
What about talking? Or rather, being understood? In-person is currently hit or miss and on the phone is impossible. Does that improve right away after the wires are removed? In the rubber band stage or after the rubber bands are removed?
Thanks!
Talking improved pretty quickly for me. I was able to talk normally as soon as the wires were off. You don’t need to be able to move your mouth very much to be able to speak clearly. It’s possible, though, that if you’ve had your mouth wired for longer than I did, then your muscles will have atrophied more and that you won’t be able to open it as wide.
I hope it goes well, and please do report back on the answer to your question after the fact. It could be useful to somebody else later on.
I got my wires out yesterday (hooray!). The jaw spasms seem to be pretty normal and decrease as you use your jaw more; I noticed this when I graduated from wires holding my upper and lower jaw together to rubber bands. My front teeth feel…loose?…that’s the best word I can think of to describe it. I hope it’s not that there’s a problem and goes away. I’ll see a dentist soon for a really thorough cleaning.
This blog is very helpful; thanks!
I got my wires off a couple of days ago. my mouth was wired for 7 weeks. i can def say that having my mouth wired shut was the worst experice ever..lol but i am having trouble opening my mouth wide enough to put food in. chewing is not that big a problem its just getting the food in there. my mouth barely will open big enough for me to put my finger tip in and it seems like everything i try and eat is to big. can anyone tell me if they are having this problem and how long it will last. thanks
It was the same for me. The muscles tend to atrophy if you don’t use them for a few weeks, but that gets better with time. In my case, it got better gradually over the course of several months, but I was able to eat most foods normally within about six weeks of getting the wires off. However, your experience may be different, particularly since your mouth was wired for longer.
Jon,
On June 15th I was mugged walking home from the shop where my car was being repaired. My nose was broken, a four-place (teeth) bridge was knocked out, and my upper and lower jaws were fractured. The upper was a multiple radial break, and the lower was just split in the middle of my chin. I take some comfort in hearing that you had the wired-shut situation I’m now experiencing, and are doing rather well. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Today is July 28th. I got the mouth opened yesterday, after six weeks, and was looking forward to a more varied diet. It’s a let-down to find that even soft foods are tricky to maneuver into my mouth, but I’m eating soggy Cheerios and loving the flavor this morning. Things don’t feel the same as before the injury, but I’ve no numbness, just a sore and limited jaw. The wires on the arch bars bother me more, now that I have some movement in the lower jaw. I can open my mouth about one and a half centimeters. Doc says the bars and wires come off in two weeks, August 10th. I begin teaching (4th grade) the 11th, the day after! This will be an interesting start to the year.
Have you had a steady increase in range of motion? Are your teeth and jaws up to the task of chewing harder foods yet? How has it been going?
Bob
Edited to add: Oops, I realized you weren’t addressing me…
Hi Bob,
Sorry to hear about your injury. That sounds very painful!
I’m not seeing that much improvement anymore, but it’s pretty much back to normal. I guess I haven’t posted any photos since December. I should do that again soon. Maybe tomorrow. Here’s my last post with photos, anyway.
I’ve been chewing hard foods for more than a year (my accident was almost 16 months ago. It was hard and even a bit painful to chew hard foods at the beginning, but within a few months it pretty much returned to normal.
If I haven’t posted much lately, it’s because I’ve been pretty fully recovered for a long time. My mouth will never be exactly the way it was before my accident, but it’s more than good enough for household use.
Best wishes with your recovery.
Hi Jon. I concur with Adam; seems like not being able to open your mouth much post-wires is normal. Be really patient and go slowly. I had the added problem of multiple facial injuries and not breathing well, since my broken jaw was associated with an accident. I still can’t bite well; I need to visit a dentist again. And opening my mouth and chewing with my jaw going into spasms all took a long time – weeks to months, in fact. I still can’t chew hard things (carrots, nuts, etc.) on the side of the injury and not well on the injured side and it’s coming up on 2 months after my wires were taken out. I suspect how quickly you’ll recover is in part related to what happened to your jaw in the first place. All this being said, things do improve a lot over time. Hang in there!