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.
Who are Candidates for Orthognathic Surgery?
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:
- difficulty swallowing
- difficulty chewing, or biting food
- chronic jaw or jaw joint (TMJ) pain and headache
- excessive wear of teeth
- open bite (space between the upper and lower teeth when the mouth is closed)
- unbalanced facial appearance from the front, or side
- receding chin
- inability to make the lips meet without straining
- chronic mouth breathing and dry mouth
- sleep apnea (breathing problems when sleeping, including snoring)
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.