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CION Cancer Clinics
Eating and drinking after a maxillectomy | CION Cancer Clinics
Most people eat by mouth again after a maxillectomy, but it comes back in stages. Because the roof of the mouth has been opened into the nose, food and drink leak upwards until a plate or flap seals the gap. This page explains the feeding tube, the move through textures, the foods that help, and the one sign at mealtimes that needs same-day care. CION Cancer Clinics’ surgical oncologists in Hyderabad can talk this through with you.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Muralidhar MuddusettyConsultant Surgical Oncologist · MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery, AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- Can you eat and drink normally after a maxillectomy?
- How eating usually comes back after the operation
- What makes eating easier, and what fights you
- Four things families tell us about eating, and what is true
- Weight, radiotherapy, and what this page cannot tell you
- Common questions about eating after maxillectomy
The short answer
Can you eat and drink normally after a maxillectomy?
Yes, most people get back to eating by mouth, but not on day one and not all at once. Food and drink come through the nose in the early weeks because the roof of the mouth has been opened into the nose. Once the gap is sealed by a plate or a flap, eating becomes a skill you relearn rather than a problem you live with.
Why food goes the wrong way at first
The maxilla is the upper jaw and the roof of your mouth. Removing part of it leaves an opening into the nose and sinus. Anything you swallow can be pushed up through that opening instead of down the throat, especially liquids. The seal, whether a removable obturator plate or a flap of your own tissue, is what stops this. Until it fits well, some leakage is expected.
What changes even after the seal is good
Chewing on the operated side is limited because teeth and bone are missing there. Feeling in the roof of the mouth is reduced, so food collects without you noticing. Saliva may be thicker if you have radiotherapy afterwards. None of these stop you eating. They change how you eat, and this page walks you through that.
Every mouth is different. Your surgeon, dietitian and speech therapist will set the pace for you, and it may be slower or faster than what is described here.Step by step
How eating usually comes back after the operation
A feeding tube at first
For the first days a thin tube through the nose into the stomach carries liquid feed. It keeps you nourished while the wound is fresh and protects the stitches. Nothing is taken by mouth until the team says so.
Sips of water
You start with small sips, sitting upright, head slightly forward. Expect some to come through the nose. The team watches how well you swallow before moving on, and the tube stays until you can take enough by mouth.
Thick liquids and purees
Thicker textures are easier to control than thin ones. Dal, curd, kheer, mashed rice with ghee and thick soups are common first foods. Small spoonfuls, placed on the unoperated side.
Soft foods, then most foods
As the plate is refitted or the flap settles, you move to soft solids and then to most of your normal diet. Very hard, dry, sticky or small crumbly foods stay difficult for longer.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistPractical help
What makes eating easier, and what fights you
These are the things families ask about most in the first weeks at home.
Sit up, lean forward, small mouthfuls
Gravity is your friend. Sitting upright and keeping your chin slightly down sends food towards the throat, not the nose. A teaspoon rather than a tablespoon gives you control.
Foods that work early on
Moist, soft and held together. Add gravy, curd or ghee to anything dry. Blend rather than chop in the first weeks.
Often manageable
- Curd rice, khichdi, upma made soft
- Idli soaked in sambar, soft dosa without the crisp edge
- Banana, papaya, well-cooked vegetables
Foods that fight you
Thin liquids come through the nose most easily. Dry crumbs and small grains lodge in the cavity or under the plate. Sticky foods pull at a plate and cling to a flap.
Leave for later
- Plain water gulped from a glass or bottle
- Biscuits, murukku, dry roti, puffed rice
- Chikki, jaggery sweets, chewing gum
Rinse after every meal
Food that sits in the cavity or under the plate causes smell, infection and slow healing. Rinse with plain or salt water after anything you eat, and clean the plate the way your prosthodontist showed you.
If rinsing stings or bleeds, tell the team rather than stopping.
!
One thing that cannot wait
Food going up into the nose is expected. Food going down into the windpipe is not. If eating brings on coughing fits, a wet or gurgling voice, breathlessness, or a fever with a chesty cough in the days after, call the helpline or go to the nearest emergency department the same day and say you have had jaw surgery. Do not keep trying to eat through it, and do not wait to see if the next meal is better.
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Commonly believed
Four things families tell us about eating, and what is true
"Once the tube is out, the problem is over."
The tube coming out means you can take enough by mouth to be safe. It does not mean eating is easy yet. The plate will be refitted several times as the cavity shrinks, and each refit changes how food behaves. Expect months of small improvements, not one day when it is fixed.
"He should only have liquids until everything heals."
Liquids are actually the hardest texture to control, because they run through any gap. Thick, moist, soft foods are safer and give far more nourishment. Weight loss slows healing, so the aim is to move up through textures, not to stay on water and juice.
"Spicy food will damage the wound, so no masala at all."
Chilli can sting raw tissue in the first weeks, and many people cut it back for a while. It does not damage the wound. Bland food that nobody wants to eat is a bigger risk, because it means eating less. Reduce the heat, keep the flavour.
"Eating with the family is embarrassing, so she eats alone."
Many people feel this, and it is worth naming. Eating alone often means eating less and eating faster. A cloth napkin, a smaller plate and a family that carries on talking usually help more than privacy does. Ask the speech therapist for tips on this.
Being straight with you
Weight, radiotherapy, and what this page cannot tell you
Weight loss after this operation is common and is the thing your team will watch most closely. Healing, and any radiotherapy that follows, both need calories and protein. If you are struggling to take enough, say so early. A dietitian can add supplement drinks, suggest a high-calorie version of the foods you already like, or arrange a longer-term feeding tube so that eating by mouth is a pleasure rather than a chore.
If radiotherapy follows
Radiotherapy to the mouth makes saliva thicker and scarcer and the lining sore. Eating that was becoming easier can get harder again for a few weeks. This is expected, and it usually improves after the course ends. Keep the plate in during treatment unless told otherwise, and keep rinsing.
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you how long your own recovery will take, or which foods your mouth will cope with in which week. That depends on how much was removed, how the seal fits, and whether you are having radiotherapy. Bring your food questions to every review. They are not small questions.
A speech therapist and a dietitian are part of the team after this surgery, not an optional extra. If you have not met them, ask.Questions we are asked
Common questions about eating after maxillectomy
Why does water come out of my nose when I drink?
Because the roof of your mouth now opens into the nose, and thin liquid runs through any gap the plate or flap has not yet sealed. It is expected in the early weeks. Sip slowly, sit up, tuck your chin, and try thicker drinks first. If it gets worse rather than better, the plate probably needs refitting.
How long before I can eat rice and curry again?
Soft rice with plenty of dal, curd or gravy is often one of the first real meals people manage. Dry rice, fried items and pieces of meat that need hard chewing take longer. Your team will tell you when to move up a texture. It is usually weeks rather than days, and it varies a lot.
Should I take the obturator out to eat?
No. The plate is what stops food going into the nose, so it stays in for meals. Take it out afterwards to clean it and rinse the cavity. If it lifts or rocks while chewing, tell the prosthodontist. That is a fit problem, and adjusting it is routine.
Can I drink tea and coffee?
Yes, once you are drinking by mouth. Let it cool a little, because the tissue and the plate hide heat until it has already burned. Small sips from a cup, not a gulp from a glass. Very sweet, milky tea is actually easier to control than plain water because it is slightly thicker.
Food keeps getting stuck in the cavity. Is that harmful?
It is common, and it is harmful only if it is left there. Trapped food causes a bad smell, sore patches and infection. Rinse after every meal and every snack, take the plate out and clean it as shown, and look with a torch if you can. Report any new pain, bleeding or a smell that rinsing does not clear.
Will I be able to taste food properly?
Taste comes mostly from the tongue, which is not touched by this operation, so taste itself is usually preserved. Smell is part of flavour, and a blocked or altered nose can dull it for a while. If radiotherapy follows, taste often changes during the course and recovers slowly afterwards.
He is losing weight fast. What should we do?
Tell the team now, not at the next scheduled review. Weight loss slows healing and makes radiotherapy harder to tolerate. A dietitian can add supplement drinks, fortify home food with ghee, milk powder or nut paste, or arrange tube feeding alongside meals for a while. None of this means eating has failed.
Can I eat outside or at a function?
Yes, with a little planning. Choose the softer dishes, sit rather than stand, carry a small bottle of water for rinsing and a napkin. Many people find that eating in company gets easier each time. If a particular event worries you, ask the speech therapist for ways to manage it.
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Sources
- Macmillan Cancer Support — Eating problems and cancer
- Cancer Research UK — Surgery for mouth cancer
- NHS — Mouth cancer: treatment
- National Cancer Institute — Nutrition in Cancer Care (PDQ) - Patient Version
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Nasal Regurgitation of Food and LiquidsWhen leakage through the nose is expected and when it is notLiving With an Obturator Day to DayCleaning, fitting and coping with the plateSpeech After MaxillectomyThe other thing the seal changesRecovery, Eating and Getting Back to LifeGeneral recovery after any cancer operationCaretaker and Family Guide to SurgeryFor the person doing the cooking
Talk to us
Struggling to eat after jaw surgery?
Call the helpline or send us your discharge summary. A surgical oncologist can tell you whether what you are seeing is expected, and arrange a dietitian or prosthodontist review. One helpline serves every CION centre.