Derek M. Busciglio, D.M.D., runs Busciglio Orthodontics, bringing beautiful, confident smiles throughout the Brandon, Florida, and Plant City, Florida areas. Here he discusses what to do if your jaw is out of position, which often will require surgery to correct it fully. However, as that option is such an invasive one, other possibilities are often available, depending on the severity of the problem at hand.
Orthognathic surgery is a surgical procedure to correct jawbones that are out of position. Many times orthodontics and moving the teeth alone cannot resolve the problem, so we have to use surgery to move the jaws in order for the teeth to match up properly.
We do the surgery in the oral surgeon’s office or in the hospital. To do it, we can either move one or both of the jaws, what we decide is a combination of whether the upper needs to go forward or back, or the lower needs to go forward or back. The whole procedure can take anywhere from four to six hours, and is done under general anesthesia.
Using Orthodontic Records
We ascertain what needs to be done, usually through orthodontic records, which involve diagnostic study models, panoramic x-rays and cephalometric x-rays, as well as inter- oral and extra-oral photographs. Saying that, many times when a surgery is needed, it is readily apparent why.
Many times one of the more common procedures is a big overbite, a really big one that can even be grossly abnormally big. Those typically are done surgically. Another common one is an underbite, when the lower teeth stick out further than the upper teeth resulting in a bite that doesn’t work well.
Some people will know that they have a problem, especially when it is so pronounced that the only solution is surgery, but sometimes they don’t. In fact, occasionally it can be a surprise that they need a surgery to correct it. Many times they know something is wrong and they need help to fix it, but they just do not know how.
Surgery As Last Resort
Although surgery does work, we usually do all we can to try and avoid it. Most orthodontists try to avoid surgical correction as much as possible as it is so invasive, and you do not want to put someone through surgery unnecessarily if it can be done another way.
Orthognathic surgery may be unnecessary if orthodontic treatment can correct the problem. With the latest advances in orthodontics, this is sometimes the case. We will determine if orthognathic surgery is the correct treatment option for you.
The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.
