Jaw Surgery

Your safety and comfort is our priority

What is a Jaw Surgery?

Jaw Surgery, also known as Orthognathic surgery, is surgical repositioning of the upper jaw (maxilla), lower jaw (mandible), or both, to correct skeletal and dental irregularities.

Maxillary osteotomy (upper jaw)
Mandibular osteotomy (lower jaw)
Bimaxillary surgery (both jaws)
Maxillomandibular Advancement (both jaws, fix breathing issues)
May include genioplasty (chin surgery) if needed

It may be done for any of the following reasons:

Severe overbite, underbite, or crossbite
Facial asymmetry
Breathing issues (e.g. sleep apnea)
TMJ pain
Difficulty chewing, speaking, or swallowing
Lip closure
Aesthetic

Sleep apnea often requires a sleep study to diagnose severity in sleep apnea by interdisciplinary sleep medicine physician or ENT.

Surgery Description

Upper Jaw Surgery

The bone above your teeth is cut so that the whole top jaw(Maxilla), including the roof of your mouth and your upper teeth, moves together. Your surgeon moves the jaw forward, backward, up or down until they fit properly with the lower teeth. A narrow upper jaw can be corrected by making additional cuts through the roof of the mouth from the nose side of the upper jaw. An open bite is corrected by shaving away bone above the molars. Plates and screws hold the jaw in place as it heals.

Lower Jaw Surgery

Cuts are made to the bone behind the molars and lengthwise down the jawbone so the front of the jaw can move together. Then the surgeon can move the jaw forward or backward to its new position. Plates and screws hold the jawbone together as it heals.

What to Expect

There is a substantial amount of work and planning that needs to be done before jaw surgery.

You will have a consult and CBCT scan to determine your diagnosis and tentative treatment plan.
Your orthodontist will places braces on your teeth 6-18 months before the surgery to level and align your teeth. Depending on the result, jaw surgery may not be necessary.
Your oral surgeon and orthodontist will work together to create a precise computer-guided treatment plan, doing virtual surgical design and simulation for the surgery beforehand to ensure a consistent end result.
The surgery will take place in the hospital, where you will be fully under anesthesia.
The surgery will occur inside your mouth, preventing facial scarring, where the surgeon will make cuts in your jawbone to shape and move them into place according to the simulation. Tiny plates, screws and wires will secure the bones in their new positions. Bone grafts are sometimes added to the jaw to fill in space.
Follow your instructed recovery plan for 1-3 weeks. In general, you will have to keep your mouth clean, not overstrain your jaw, not smoke, have a liquid diet that eases into a soft diet, and take pain, antibiotic, and inflammation medications.