CORRECTIVE JAW / ORTHOGNATIC SURGERY
Corrective jaw, or orthognathic surgery is performed by our maxillofacial surgeon (OMS) at our contracted hospital to correct a wide range of minor and major skeletal and dental irregularities, including the misalignment of jaws and teeth. Surgery can improve chewing, speaking and breathing. While the patient’s appearance may be dramatically enhanced as a result of their surgery, orthognathic surgery is performed to correct functional problems.
Following are some of the conditions that may indicate the need for corrective jaw surgery:
Difficulty chewing, or biting food
Difficulty swallowing
Chronic jaw or jaw joint (TMJ) pain and headache
Excessive wear of the teeth
Open bite (space between the upper and lower teeth when the mouth is closed)
Unbalanced facial appearance from the front, or side
Facial injury
Birth defects
Receding lower jaw and chin
Protruding jaw
Inability to make the lips meet without straining
Chronic mouth breathing
Sleep apnea (breathing problems when sleeping, including snoring)
Our dentist, orthodontist and surgeon will work together to determine whether you are a candidate for corrective jaw, or orthognathic surgery. The surgeon determines which corrective jaw surgical procedure is appropriate and performs the actual surgery. It is important to understand that your treatment, which will probably include orthodontics before and after surgery, may take 2 years to complete. You should understand that this is a long-term treatment which provides a perfect result on your health and appearance.