Orthognathic surgery, also known as corrective jaw surgery, aims to correct abnormalities of the jawbones in order to realign the jaws and teeth to improve overall function. This surgery can also improve the outside appearance of your face.
If you have problems with your jaw that cannot be corrected with orthodontic treatment alone, corrective jaw surgery may be considered. Your braces will be on before surgery and during recovery, until you are completely healed and proper alignment has occurred. To make sure you are getting the most out of your treatment, your orthodontist will work with your surgeon.
Corrective jaw surgery should only be performed when the jaw has completed its growth. This occurs around 14 to 16 years for females and 17 to 21 years for males.
What does corrective jaw surgery improve?
There are many benefits to corrective jaw surgery, including:
- Improved chewing and biting
- Correction of swallowing problems
- Improved speech
- Reduced wear and tear on teeth
- Correction of an open bite, where the molars don’t touch the front teeth
- Repaired facial imbalance, such as small chins, underbites, overbites, and crossbites
- Improved ability for lips to close completely and comfortably
- Relief of pain associated with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder or other jaw problems
- Repaired facial injuries or birth defects
- Relief for obstructive sleep apnea
Where can jaw surgery be performed?
There are three sections a surgeon can work on:
- Upper jaw
- Receded or protruding upper jaw
- Crossbite
- Too much or too little of your teeth showing
- Open bite
- Facial growth of the middle of the face
- Lower jaw
- Receded lower jaw
- Protruding lower jaw
- Chin: Surgery of the chin can correct patients with a small chin. Small chins often accompany a severely receded lower jaw, which can cause many of the problems listed above. Typically, the altering of the jaw as well as restructure of the chin can be done in the same surgery.
Extractions
- Created in Oral Surgery
Dentists prefer to preserve your natural teeth as much as possible, but sometimes that just isn’t an option. There are two ways a tooth can be removed, depending on how severe the damage is to the tooth:
- Simple extraction: Local anesthesia is used, which is a numbing agent either applied or injected into the extraction site. Simple extractions are performed on teeth that are visible to the naked eye. An elevator and forceps will only be needed to remove the tooth.
- Surgical extraction: Under general anesthesia, where you are completely unconscious during the procedure, surgical extractions are performed when the tooth cannot be easily accessed. Either the tooth has not fully erupted or it has broken under the gum line. A small incision in your gum will need to be made in order for the surgeon to gain access to the tooth. Gum tissue will be pushed back and bone surrounding the problem tooth will be removed, or part of the tooth itself will be cut. This process makes it easier for your surgeon to remove your tooth with an elevator and forceps.
Tooth extractions are most commonly discussed in reference to removing wisdom teeth. However, a tooth extraction can be required for a number of other reasons, such as tooth decay, gum disease, overcrowded teeth, impacted teeth, broken teeth, and baby teeth that have not fallen out naturally.
Why You Might Need a Tooth Extraction
- Tooth decay – this is the most common reason for removing a tooth. Patients who have avoided visiting their dentist for years may face this reality. Without the bi-yearly checkups and professional cleanings, your dentist will never be able to diagnose early onset tooth decay before it’s too late. As time goes on, your tooth will experience these stages:
- Tooth decay affects tooth enamel.
- Once worn through tooth enamel, the inner part of the tooth begins to deteriorate.
- As the decay eats a hole through the center of the tooth, the tooth suffers even more damage.
- When bacteria reach the center of the tooth, the ending result is a root canal infection.
The longer you go without treatment, the more severe the infection and damage will be. If your dentist has come to a point where your tooth cannot be saved, an extraction, followed by a bridge or implant, will be strongly recommended. Cavities detected early can be resolved with a simple filling.
- Gum disease: Just as destructive as tooth decay in its advanced stages, gum disease attacks the gum tissue, ligaments, and bone that support the teeth. As these structures deteriorate, the teeth become looser until finally they fall out on their own or require an extraction, followed by gum disease and tooth replacement treatment.
- Overcrowded teeth: As part of a patient’s orthodontic treatment plan, a tooth extraction may be necessary if there is overcrowding in the mouth. The extraction creates more space for the remaining teeth to be pulled and shifted into proper alignment.
- Impacted teeth: Impaction occurs when a tooth has not fully erupted beyond the gum line, or only partially erupts. Overcrowding, a tooth that is twisted or tilted at abnormal angles, or a tooth that comes in displaced, are all reasons why a tooth may become impacted. Wisdom teeth are often impacted because the jaw is not large enough to accommodate these teeth.
- Broken teeth: A tooth may need to be extracted when a tooth breaks at or near the gum line, making it nearly impossible to perform a tooth restoration.
- Baby teeth: Sometimes, baby teeth can come in at an abnormal position, causing the permanent tooth underneath it to not erupt normally. Removing this baby tooth will allow the permanent tooth to erupt without issue.