Orthognathic Surgery

Orthognathic
surgery

Known as orthognathic surgery, can solve these problems.

Face is the index of mind! But sometimes your image in the mirror doesn’t correspond to reflect, the inner you. This can commonly happen due to disturbances in developmental origin, growth or injuries. Jaw misalignment is not uncommon and can cause pain and even alter your facial appearance. It often also leads to the rapid deterioration of teeth and difficulty in chewing. Corrective jaw surgery, known as orthognathic surgery, can solve these problems. Your teeth will be straightened through orthodontic procedures, while corrective surgery can reposition misaligned jaws. These procedures can improve facial appearance, when needed, and they ensure that teeth meet correctly and function properly.

Planning for the surgery usually involves input from a multidisciplinary team. Involved professionals are oral and maxillofacial surgeons, orthodontists, and occasionally a speech and language therapist. As the surgery usually results in a noticeable change in the patient’s face a psychological assessment is occasionally required to assess patient’s need for surgery and its predicted effect on the patient.

Radiographs and photographs are taken to help in the planning and here at FMS hospitals we have customised software to predict the shape of the patient’s face after surgery, which is useful both for planning and for explaining the surgery to the patient and the patient’s family.

Who Needs Orthognathic Surgery?

If you have developed an improper or misaligned bite, you will likely benefit from corrective jaw surgery. Jaw growth is a gradual process and in some instances, the upper and lower jaws can grow at different rates. Injuries and birth defects can also affect jaw alignment. Chewing and speech functions, long-term oral health, and your facial appearance can all suffer from these problems. Orthodontics alone can correct bite problems when only the teeth are involved, while orthognathic surgery can reposition jaws, which often resolves even the most severe functional and cosmetic issues.

Difficulty in chewing, biting or swallowing
Speech problems
Chronic jaw or TMJ pain
Open bite
Protruding jaw
Breathing problems

Jaw surgery may be performed for patients with the severe upper jaw or lower jaw discrepancy.

If You Have Any of the Following Symptoms Consider Seeing an Orthognathic Specialist

surgical procedures include

Upper jaw (maxillary osteotomy)

A maxillary osteotomy may be performed to correct these issues:

Significantly receded/protruded upper jaw
Crossbite
Too much or too little of the teeth showing
Open bite

From inside the mouth, your surgeon cuts the bone above your teeth so that the entire upper jaw and your upper teeth can move as one unit. The jaw and upper teeth are moved forward until they fit properly with the lower teeth.

Once the jaw is realigned, tiny screws and plates hold the bone in its new position. These screws which are smaller than a bracket used for braces become integrated into the bone structure over time.

A significantly receded/protruded lower jaw can be corrected by a procedure called mandibular osteotomy.

In this procedure, the surgeon makes cuts behind the molars and lengthwise down the jawbone so the front of the jaw can move as one unit. As a result, the jaw slides smoothly to its new position. Screws hold the jaw bone together until it heals.

Lower jaw (mandibular osteotomy)

Chin surgery (Genioplasty)

A deficient chin often accompanies a severely receded/protruded lower jaw. Deficient chin can be fixed by a procedure called genioplasty, where your surgeon cuts your chin bone and secures it in a new position.

The surgery might involve one jaw or the two jaws during the same procedure. The modification is done by making cuts in the bones of the lower jaw and / or upper jaw and repositioning the cut pieces in the desired alignment. Usually surgery is performed under general anaesthesia and the surgery often does not involve cutting the skin, and instead, the surgeon is often able to go through the inside of the mouth. Jaw surgery takes place in the hospital and requires a one- to two-day stay. Complete recovery at home typically takes three to six weeks. In most cases, an orthodontist places braces on your teeth before surgery. Braces are usually on for nine to eighteen months before surgery to level and align your teeth. After your jaw heals from surgery, typically about six weeks after surgery your orthodontist finishes aligning your teeth and eventually removes the braces. The entire orthodontic process, including surgery, may last 18 to 24 months.