Corrective jaw, or orthognathic, surgery is performed by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon (OMS) to reshape or reposition the jaw bones and correct a wide range of minor and major skeletal and dental irregularities, including the misalignment of jaws and teeth. Surgery 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.

Following are some of the conditions that may indicate the need for corrective jaw surgery:

• 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)

Benefits of Jaw Surgery

• Facial Aesthetics: Because jaw surgery corrects severe bite problems, such as overbites, underbites, crossbites and open bites, facial appearance usually improves.
• Better Breathing: Typically, orthognathic surgery brings relief from sleep apnea and better breathing overall.
• Improved Speech: Poorly aligned jaws can affect speech. Jaw surgery can correct the underlying issues behind many speech issues.
• Pain Relief: For those who experience painful or sore jaw muscles, orthognathic surgery may improve symptoms.

Jaw Surgery Process

Your dentist, orthodontist and Dr. Tebyanian will work together to determine whether you are a candidate for surgery. Dr. Tebyanian determines which 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, can take up to several years to complete. Dr. Tebyanian and your orthodontist will try to realistically estimate the time required for your treatment.

Your teeth may need to be adjusted before surgery. This will help to make sure they are in line with the new jaw. You may need several months of dental care. Braces or similar tools may be used to help shift your teeth into the right position.
An x-ray and models of your teeth may be done closer to surgery. This will help guide work in surgery. Corrective jaw surgery will be performed under general anesthesia in a hospital or an ambulatory surgical center. Surgery may take from one to several hours to complete.

Dr. Tebyanian will plan your proposed surgery using the latest diagnostic digital technology. In some cases, bone may be added, taken away or reshaped. Surgical plates, screws, wires and rubber bands may be used to hold your jaws in their new positions. Incisions are usually made inside the mouth to reduce visible scarring; however, some cases do require small incisions outside of the mouth. When this is necessary, care is taken to minimize their appearance.

You will likely need to start with a liquids or soft food diet. As the jaw heals you will slowly be returned to your normal diet. You may also be asked to refrain from using tobacco products and avoid strenuous physical activity.
Pain following surgery is easily controlled with medication and patients are generally able to return to work or school from one to three weeks after surgery, depending on how they are feeling. While the initial healing phase is about six weeks, complete healing of the jaws takes between nine and 12 months.