Corrective jaw, or orthognathic, surgery is performed to correct a wide range of minor and major skeletal and dental irregularities, including the misalignment of jaws and teeth, which, in turn, 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.
Who needs corrective jaw surgery?
People who may benefit from corrective jaw surgery include those with an improper bite resulting from misaligned teeth and/or jaws. In some cases, the upper and lower jaws may grow at different rates. Injuries and birth defects may also affect jaw alignment. While orthodontics can usually correct bite, or "occlusion," problems when only the teeth are misaligned, corrective jaw surgery may be necessary to correct misalignment of the jaws.
Some of the conditions that may indicate the need for corrective jaw surgery are:
- 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 or birth defects
- Receding chin
- Protruding jaw
- Inability to make the lips meet without straining
- Chronic mouth breathing and dry mouth
- Sleep apnea (breathing problems when sleeping, including snoring)
Treatment Process
Your dentist, orthodontist and your oral surgeon will work together to determine whether you are a candidate for corrective jaw surgery. Dr. Garrison or Dr. Partridge will determine 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 several years to complete. It is very important that you understand that this is a long-term commitment for you and your family. We will work with your orthodontist to try to realistically estimate the time required for your treatment. After the actual surgery is performed, you may need additional orthodontic treatment before your treatment plan is completed. Since there are many different ways in which the surgical procedure may be performed, Dr. Garrison or Dr. Partridge will need to perform a personal examination and talk with your orthodontist in order to develop the best treatment plan for you.