Supplies

Essential Items:

• Aquaphor - Doctor recommended chapstick, better than Vaseline or other brands (Target)
• Quercetin Bromelain - Supplement proven to reduce swelling (Walgreens, Health Stores)
• Collagen Powder - Nature's best protein in tasteless, colorless, odorless form.  Mixes well in water, juice or anything you are making and adds 40 calories / 9g protein.  (Peaceful Planet)
• Juices, Milk - Liquids are heavy, purchase in advance to avoid difficult shopping trips.  I went through (5) 32 oz. milks and who knows how many juices the first three weeks.  One less thing to worry about when you're deep in recovery. 
• Bone Broth - High protein, low sodium (reducing swelling).  This is an excellent mixer for soups and easier than making your own broth.  Stock up ahead of time, I went through (4) 32 oz. containers in the first three weeks.  
• Child's Liquid Ibuprofen - For syringing / drinking.  Take before all follow up appointments.  
• Nasal Spray - recommend just in case.  I had read horror stories about no being able to breathe until post-op and specifically asked my anesthesiologist to clean me out well.  She did, and from the moment I woke up I could breathe way better than I ever could before.  
• CVS Inter-dental Brushes - Mini flexible linear brushes to get in between wires and teeth or small places around brackets and bands.  Great for quick touch ups on the go.   
• Colgate Wisp Brushes - Small round brushes for when you can't open your mouth enough to get a tooth brush inside.  Has a pick on the opposite end for dual purpose.  
• Hot / Cold Packs with bands - I tried several versions and prefer the bead type as it held the temperature well and conforms well.  Make sure the pack is large enough to fit your entire jaw from end to ear.  Bands should wrap your head, holding in place comfortably as this is how you will spend your days: 48-72 hours with continuous ice followed by 24-48 hours with 20 min. heat several times a day.  (CVS, Walgreens)
• Text to Speech App - No talking, but lots to communicate the first week.  Much easier than writing on a whiteboard and you'll already have your phone at hand.  Multiple countries have male or female voices, which can be fun to play with.  
• Calorie Count App - Records stats for meals, activity, weight, etc.  Most foods are already loaded in the searchable database or you can create your own manually or scan a bar code.  Makes tracking much easier.  
• Scale - Stable body weight is key, track it.
• Blender - Liquid setting handles most foods; I had a mishaps with wheat germ, raspberry seeds, blueberry and tomato skins (hold off until you can open your mouth a little).  
• Hand Towels / Bib - Lots of dripping when eating the first few weeks. 
• Pillows - Sleep on 2-3 to keep your head elevated and control swelling the first week.
• Books, magazines, movies and TV shows - lots of time to catch up on entertainment or light duty projects you're normally too busy to tackle. 
• Before / After Photos - Consultation photos are fine for record, but you'll probably want your own.  Smiling, not smiling.  Front and sides.  Snap away during recovery, it makes progress each day measurable.  You'll be amazed in a few weeks looking back!

Provided by your Surgeon:

• Syringes - Take many.  I used the 10ml size for everything the first 3 days, then gradually weened off to a cup for liquids, continuing only for medicine.  I asked for several large ones just in case, never used them as the 10ml portion was enough at a time.  
• Juice Cups - If you stay overnight grab a few on your way out.
• Dixie style Paper Cups - Nice for medicines and small servings of liquids the first few days.  You'll go through a lot, disposables make it easy to cycle through.  
• Ice Bags and Wrap - The hospital used the ones could work just as well as gel.  I was more comfortable using regular hot / cold packs, could go either way.  
• Meds - Goes without saying - you will fill many prescriptions the day after to tide through recovery as comfortably as possible.