All you need to know about Jaw Surgery and Orthodontics
You think to yourself "I only came here for braces and she is telling me I need surgery." In order for teeth to properly align, the jaws must properly align, which is no easy task in a non-growing adult.
The jaw misalignment you have probably seen is the "Underbite" where the lower jaw jets out in front of the upper jaw. That is just one of many misalignments that may warrant a surgical correction.
Another one is if the lower jaw is much further BEHIND the upper jaw. Sometimes the upper jaw is too far forward or too long. These are all things that make it difficult for us to correct the teeth when we don't have a proper bony base to place the teeth.
If you are a candidate for Jaw surgery, there is a great deal of planning involved with the orthodontist, oral surgeon and general dentist. We all work as a team to achieve the best result!
You will get braces IN CONJUNCTION WITH SURGERY. Why? Because teeth want to touch each other, so they do whatever they can to get to one another. For example, in the more familiar underbite case, the upper teeth will lean as far forward as they can, and the lower teeth will lean as far backwards as they can in attempts to touch. This is unhealthy for the underlying bone and gum tissue, so to set up for surgery, we must decompensate these effects, and it ends up making the bite look worse prior to surgery. Here is an example of what I am talking about:
So you can see the upper teeth and lower teeth TRYING to meet and touch. The angle of the lower teeth is too far backward. The teeth need to be put back in the correct place in the bone so we can achieve the best surgical results!
Here, I am going to give you the typical process/sequence of treatment on how braces set up for jaw surgery
1. Consultation/x-rays, photos, models of the teeth with orthodontist and oral surgeon to finalize the treatment plan whether it will be a 1 jaw or 2 jaw surgery
2. Braces will be placed (approximately 1 year time to prepare for surgery)
3. You will take a trip or 2 back to the oral surgeon to determine whether you are ready for surgery yet (again-we must all work together for optimal results)
4. Once ready for surgery, the orthodontist and surgeon take more records (impressions, photos, etc) and get you set up for the surgery
5. Surgery happens (can either be in the hospital or in the surgeon's office, depending on what the surgeon tells you)
6. Follow-ups with surgeon
7. 4 weeks after surgery, back to the orthodontist to check the bite and continue with adjustment appointments and finishing up for about another year
8. The process takes 2-3 years total time (it depends on the severity of the case)
9. Once braces come off, there will be RETAINERS!!
Please read this INFORMATIVE ARTICLE by a very experienced orthodontist who really explains thins and shows pictures, steps, and much more!
Visit our website for more information on orthognathic surgery as well! If you have any questions, call us today!!!
