1 - 2 days

Your mouth will feel sore, and fatter than it did before the operation. This is normal and you shouldn’t worry about it. If you would like to, monitor your progress using the recovery diary.

• Get up, get dressed, move around the house.
• Eat and drink as normal, but avoid hot or very cold drinks.
• Go for a short walk in the morning, then go home and rest; take another longer walk later in the day; this will help to avoid stiffness of the muscles and joints.
• If you feel tired, rest for a while, then try moving around again later.
• Take regular sips of water to prevent dry mouth and throat.
• Take pain relief only as prescribed by your doctor.

No/getting there

3 + days

• For about a week your mouth will still feel a little sore and your back teeth may be more sensitive to cold than before the operation.
• Avoid hard physical exercise for the first few days.

• Continue as for days 1–2; have a go at some of the things you would normally do.
• You should now be able to walk as much as you like, and you could even try a short gentle jog.
• You may still occasionally need to take mild pain relief at this time.
• Try to avoid crowds and people with colds.

Getting there/yes

1 - 2 weeks

You should be able to return to normal sports by the end of the first week, but follow the advice from your surgeon before resuming sports such as rugby and martial arts.