Orthognathic (Jaw) Surgery

Corrective jaw surgery, or orthognathic surgery, is performed by Oral and Maxillofacial surgeons 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.

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

• difficulty chewing, or biting food
• 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
• sleep apnea (breathing problems when sleeping, including snoring)

Distraction Osteogenesis

Distraction Osteogenesis is a technique in orthognathic surgery, providing a way to treat deformities of the oral and facial skeleton.  It can be performed on patients of all ages.

During the procedure, a distraction appliance is placed that will slowly separate two bony segments, allowing the gap to be filled in with new bone.