Corrective Jaw surgery is performed by an Oral Surgeon to correct misalignment of jaw and teeth that cannot be treated with conventional Orthodontics. It is also referred to as Surgical Orthodintics. Corrective Jaw surgery improves chewing, swallowing, speech, breathing and facial apperance.
People who can benefit from orthognathic surgery include those with an improper bite or jaws that are positioned incorrectly. Jaw growth is a slow and gradual process and in some instances, the upper and lower jaws may grow at different rates causing a wide range of jaw and facial irregularities that could lead to any of these problems:
Any of these symptoms can exist at birth, be acquired after birth as a result of trauma to the face. Orthodontics alone can correct bite problems when only the teeth are involved. Orthognathic surgery may be required for the jaws when repositioning in necessary. Before any treatment begins, a consultation will be held to perform a complete examination with x-rays. During the pre-treatment consultation process, feel free to ask any questions that you have regarding your treatment. When you are fully informed about the aspects of your care, you and your dental team can make the decision to proceed with treatment together.
Rarely do we think about our teeth – until we lose one, or more than one, or all of them! Missing teeth can adversely affect how we chew, talk, smile and communicate. Our smile is among the very first things we focus on when we first meet other people and you can bet that many missing teeth are noticed within seconds of our opening our mouths.
Fortunately, dental implant supported restorations are changing the way people live. They are designed to replace the lost tooth roots and provide a solid foundation for replacement teeth that look, feel and function like natural teeth. The person who has lost teeth regains the ability to eat virtually anything, knowing our appearance will be preserved. Patients with dental implants can once again chew, talk and smile with confidence.
Dental implants are specially made titanium posts (or screws) that are surgically placed into the jawbone and are designed to integrate with the supporting bone. The implant replaces the previous tooth’s roots and provides a strong foundation for a fixed (permanent) or removable replacement tooth or teeth that should match your natural teeth.
Success rates of dental implants vary, depending on multiple factors such as where in the jaw the implants are placed, health histories and other chewing factors; however, in general, dental implants have a success rate of up to 95-98%. With proper care, many implants can last a lifetime.
In most cases, anyone healthy enough to undergo a routine dental extraction or oral surgery procedure is a potential candidates for a dental implant placement procedure. Healthy gums and adequate bony support to hold the implant are factors for long-term success. Patients must be committed to good oral hygiene and regular dental visits. Heavy smokers, people suffering from uncontrolled chronic disorders (such as diabetes), compromised immune system states, patients taking specific bone altering medications, or patients who have had previous head and neck radiation therapy need to be evaluated on an individual basis.
For most patients, the dental implant placement involves one surgical procedure. The implants are placed within your jawbone and a healing cap is placed on the implant. The healing cap extends through the gum tissue and helps shape the gum tissue for the eventual final crown or prosthesis.
Bone fusing to the titanium surface of the implant (called osseointegration) takes approximately 3-6 months, depending on the location of implant placement (the upper jaw has less dense bone and takes longer to integrate). During this time, a plan for the making of a temporary tooth or removable prosthesis will be followed with limited chewing occurring on the recently placed dental implant. Once the implant healing process is complete, your general dentist will then remove the healing cap, place a permanent abutment, and take impressions to begin fabricating the final restoration. Most patients experience very little change in their daily activities throughout the entire implant process.
Additional surgical procedures may be indicated depending on the condition of the jawbone where the implant is to be placed. In these cases, Dr. Hutto utilizes advanced bone grafting to prepare the jawbone for implant placement. At your initial consultation, your doctor will determine if bone grafting is needed and discuss the procedures involved. The doctor will also take time to answer any questions you may have regarding dental implant treatment.