What to Eat After Jaw Surgery: A Blender Guide to Share With Patients

By Blake Hickey, Double Jaw Marketing, Jupiter, Florida. For oral surgery and orthodontic practices. Updated October 17, 2026.

After jaw surgery, most patients go from liquids, to food blended smooth, to soft food, on the schedule their surgeon sets. AAOMS says the liquid stage may last several days and the no-chew stage three to six weeks or longer. That's a lot of meals. Below is a free, printable blender guide your practice can hand to patients: the stages, blend ideas, a shopping list, blender tips and a call-the-office box.

Why give jaw surgery patients a food guide?

Because they won't remember the talk. A review in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine found that 40 to 80 percent of medical information from a provider is forgotten right away, and that written information is better remembered and leads to better treatment adherence. Patients leave surgery swollen and tired, and the diet talk is one of a dozen things they hear that day.

Paper still matters. AHRQ tells practices not to drop printed materials, and to write them so they're easy to understand, since almost a quarter of U.S. adults have low literacy. So the handout below uses short lines, a table and checkboxes, not paragraphs.

It also puts the questions your team answers on the phone, like "Can I have this?" and "How do I blend that?", on paper before the patient picks up the phone.

What I actually ate: meat shakes

After my double jaw surgery, everything went in the blender. I called them meat shakes.

Hot dogs. Restaurant breakfasts, French toast and sausage patties. Pulled pork sandwiches. Pizza from Jet's Pizza. Tacos. I did everything and just made it work.

I drank smoothies I liked, too. And I used syringes to get the food in.

My friends thought it was hilarious. I'd go places and bring my NutriBullet with me.

Your surgeon decides what's safe for you and when.

My take for practices: tell patients they can blend versions of the normal meals they already like. That's my experience, not medical advice, but it made recovery feel a lot less miserable.

What can patients eat after jaw surgery?

Here's the handout. It speaks to the patient. Swap in your practice name and numbers, and match the stages to your surgeon's plan.

[Your logo here]
**[Practice name]** | [Phone] | [Website]

# Eating after jaw surgery: your blender guide

Your surgeon's instructions come first. This is a general idea list, not medical or nutrition advice. Move to the next stage only when your surgeon says so; they may skip a stage or change the order.

## The stages

| Stage | What it looks like | Ideas |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Clear liquids | Only liquids you can see through | Water, pulp-free apple, grape or cranberry juice, clear broth, plain gelatin, popsicles with no fruit bits |
| 2. Full liquids | Smooth liquids, milk drinks included. No lumps | Milk, strained cream soups, smooth yogurt drinks, milkshakes, pudding, nutrition drinks your office suggests |
| 3. Blended | Food blended smooth and thinned so it pours or slides off a spoon. No chewing | Blended soups and stews, cooked chicken or fish blended with broth, mashed potatoes thinned with milk, thinned Cream of Wheat or grits |
| 4. Soft | Soft, moist food that's mashed, minced or chopped. Little chewing | Scrambled eggs, soft pancakes, well-cooked pasta, flaky fish, oatmeal, omelets |

| My stage | Start date | Until | Notes from my surgeon |
|---|---|---|---|
|   |   |   |   |
|   |   |   |   |

## Things to blend up

- **Hot cereal, thinned** (Breakfast): Cream of Wheat, grits or oatmeal made with milk and blended thin
- **Smoothies** (Shakes): Milk or smooth yogurt with banana or canned peaches. Strain out any seeds
- **Blended soups** (Lunch): Cream of potato or tomato, pumpkin, or chicken noodle soup blended smooth
- **Family dinner, blended** (Dinner): Cooked chicken, fish or ground beef blended with broth or gravy
- **Smooth sides** (Sides): Mashed potato or sweet potato thinned with milk, cooked carrots or lentils blended
- **Add-ins** (Protein boost): Blend in cottage cheese, smooth yogurt or silken tofu
- **Easy wins** (Treats): Pudding, custard, plain ice cream, milkshakes, gelatin
- **Soft or canned fruit** (Fruit): Blended and thinned with juice. Pears, peaches, applesauce, banana
- **Fluids count** (Drinks): Broth, juice, gelatin and popsicles all count toward your fluids

Only eat what fits the stage you're in. Ask your office before you add anything new.

---

## Shopping list

- [ ] Broth or bouillon
- [ ] Pulp-free juice
- [ ] Milk or soy milk
- [ ] Nutrition drinks your office suggests
- [ ] Plain gelatin and popsicles (no fruit bits)
- [ ] Cream soups
- [ ] Smooth yogurt (no fruit bits or nuts)
- [ ] Cottage cheese
- [ ] Instant mashed potatoes
- [ ] Cream of Wheat or grits
- [ ] Canned fruit and applesauce
- [ ] Bananas
- [ ] Pudding cups
- [ ] Silken tofu
- [ ] A blender or hand blender
- [ ] A fine mesh strainer
- [ ] Freezer containers or ice cube trays
- [ ] A small spoon or syringe, if your surgeon suggests one

## Blender tips and cleanup

- Cut food into small pieces first, then blend with a little liquid, about 1/4 cup at a time.
- Thin it with milk, broth, juice or gravy until it's smooth.
- Blend one food at a time so each one keeps its own taste.
- Push it through a fine strainer to catch seeds, skins and stringy bits.
- Skip nuts, seeds, tough skins and crunchy or chewy foods.
- Let hot food and drinks cool before you eat them.
- Eat small amounts every few hours if big meals feel like too much.
- Fridge or freeze leftovers within an hour. Freeze single portions.
- Wash the blender jar, blade and strainer in hot, soapy water after each use.

## While you heal

- **Straws:** ask first. Some surgeons say no straws while you heal.
- **Fluids:** sip all day. Skip fizzy drinks unless your surgeon says they're OK.
- **After every meal:** clean your mouth the way your surgeon showed you. Rinse gently, no hard swishing.

## Call the office if

- You can't keep liquids down, or you can't drink enough
- You have headaches, dizziness, fever or constipation
- Food gets stuck and you can't rinse it out
- You're not sure what you can eat next

**Office:** [Practice phone]

**After hours:** [After-hours phone]

If you can't breathe or think it's an emergency, call 911.

---
Template from Double Jaw Marketing. Practices may copy and adapt it; have your surgeon review it first. Sources: AAOMS, MedlinePlus, University of Mississippi Medical Center, University Hospitals Bristol, University Hospitals Plymouth, Singapore General Hospital, FoodSafety.gov. Full list at doublejawmarketing.com/post/what-to-eat-after-jaw-surgery.

Where each line in the handout comes from

• Stages: clear and full liquids follow MedlinePlus, clear liquid diet and full liquid diet. Blended and soft stages follow University Hospitals Bristol, Singapore General Hospital, University Hospitals Plymouth and AAOMS. Some surgeons start at full liquids; Singapore General starts there.
• Blend ideas and tips: University of Mississippi Medical Center (small pieces, about 1/4 cup fluid, strain seeds and fibers, cooked foods, refrigerate or freeze within an hour), Singapore General and Bristol (one food at a time, avoid stringy, crunchy and chewy foods), AAOMS (thin with juice, milk, water or broth, small portions every few hours).
• Straws, fluids, mouth care: AAOMS advises against straws and carbonated drinks and counts broth, juice, gelatin and popsicles as fluids. Bristol mentions a straw, spoon or syringe at first, says to let hot drinks cool and to rinse gently after meals, so the handout says "ask first." UMMC says to clean the mouth after each meal.
• Call the office: Singapore General lists headaches, dizziness, fever and constipation as signs of dehydration; UMMC notes food chunks can cause choking.
• Cleanup: FoodSafety.gov says to wash dishes and utensils in hot, soapy water.

How should a practice use this handout?

1. Have your surgeon mark it up. Cross out any stage or food they don't use and add their timing. Their plan wins every time.
2. Fill in the brackets. Practice name, office phone and after-hours number.
3. Hand it out at the pre-op visit. Patients can shop before surgery day, not after.
4. Send it again after surgery. Attach the PDF to your post-op message so a family member has it too.

A note on Florida's ad rules. Handing this to your own surgical patients is patient education. If you also post it on your site or social to attract new patients, Fla. Stat. 466.019 counts pamphlets and circulars used to solicit patients as advertising, so keep it factual: no promised results and no claims about recovery speed. Check final wording with your counsel; I'm not a lawyer.

Common questions

What can you eat after jaw surgery?

Most patients start with liquids, move to food blended smooth, then to soft food that needs little or no chewing. Think broth, milk, smooth soups, blended dinners thinned with broth or gravy, then scrambled eggs, well-cooked pasta and flaky fish. Your surgeon sets what you eat and when.

How long are you on a liquid diet after jaw surgery?

It depends on your surgery and your surgeon. AAOMS says liquids may last several days, followed by a non-chewing diet until your surgeon approves more solid food, which may take three to six weeks or longer. From there, the return to a normal diet is gradual and guided by your surgeon.

Can you use a straw after jaw surgery?

Ask your surgeon. AAOMS advises against straws after oral surgery because it can disrupt clotting and healing, while some hospital jaw surgery leaflets mention a straw, a small spoon or a syringe early on. Follow what your surgeon tells you.

Can our practice put our name and phone number on this handout?

Yes. The handout is a template. Add your practice name and numbers, match the stages to your surgeon's diet plan, and have your team review it before you hand it out.

Sources

Checked October 17, 2026. Guidance changes, so check the source before you rely on it.

1. AAOMS: Nutrition After Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
2. AAOMS: Recovery from Orthognathic Surgery
3. MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine): Clear liquid diet
4. MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine): Full liquid diet
5. University of Mississippi Medical Center: Blenderized Diet for Jaw Wiring
6. University Hospitals Bristol NHS: Diet after jaw surgery (PDF)
7. University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust: Dietary advice for patients after orthognathic surgery
8. Singapore General Hospital: Post-orthognathic surgery diet and nutrition
9. FoodSafety.gov: 4 Steps to Food Safety
10. Kessels RPC. Patients' memory for medical information. J R Soc Med, 2003
11. AHRQ Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit, Tool 11: Assess, Select, and Create Easy-to-Understand Materials
12. Florida Statutes 466.019, Advertising by dentists