Jaw Surgery / Orthognathic

Orthognathic or Jaw Surgery aims to improve both functionally (the ability to chew better with a better occlusion or 'bite') and cosmetically (a more balanced facial appearance).

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With a malocclusion or 'bad bite' due to jaw overgrowth or undergrowth, dental compensations exist which need to be corrected prior to an operative procedure. The plastic maxillofacial surgeon and the orthodontist work as a team to plan the jaw procedure. Six to nine months of orthodontic preparation may be required and several months of fine tuning may be necessary after surgery.

Physical evaluation, cephalometic (lateral facial X-ray) analysis and model (made from impressions of the teeth) surgery are all important parts of tailoring the appropriate procedure for each individual patient.

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Complete evaluation may reveal skeletal anomalies like maxillary (upper jaw) or mandibular (lower jaw) hypoplasia, vertical maxillary excess (with gummy smile appearance) or prognathism (mandibular overgrowth).

Movement of the upper jaw with a Le Fort I osteotomy and the lower jaw with a sagittal-split osteotomy may be used for surgical correction. In addition, movement of the chin with an osseous genioplasty or horizontal osteotomy of the mandible (HOM) is often used as an adjuvant procedure to provide optimal facial balance and appearance.

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