Jaw Surgery

There are lots of people who are either born with a jaw defect or get it through injury or may be due to some bone disorders. These defects or misalignment may cause problems in chewing, speaking or breathing. So to get this problem fixed you have a very effective and helpful option of corrective jaw surgery or orthognathic surgery. In some cases the defects may not affect you either ways, hence in such cases surgeries are not required. Orthognathic surgery can also be used to correct the alignment of the jaw, teeth, face or chin, to make it more beautiful. It is conducted by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon.

Who All Need Corrective Jaw Surgery
There are many who suffer from jaw problems but are usually confused to undergo surgery. Following are some of the conditions of the people who all need to undergo jaw surgery.

• The people who face difficulty in chewing, biting or swallowing food.
• People who face problems in meeting their uper and lower lip.
• People who have receding chin and protruding jaws.
• Some people may have jaw defects from the birth or are facing problems after any facial injury.
• People who observe chronic mouth breathing and dry mouth because of jaw disorder. This may also cause sleep apnea or problems of snoring.
• Jaw pain, headache, excessive wearing of teeth.
• Defects in facial appearance due to jaw misalignment.
• Some people have spaces between their upper and lower teeth even when the mouth is closed. This is known as an open bite.

Type Of Jaw or Orthognathic Surgeries
Depending upon the condition and the misalignment of the jaw, people undergo different types of corrective jaw and TMJ surgeries. There are basically three types of jaw surgeries namely Maxillary Osteotomy (Upper Jaw), Mandibular Osteotomy (Lower Jaw) and Genioplasty (Chin Surgery).

Maxillary Osteotomy (Upper Jaw) Surgery
This surgery is for the people who have a receded upper jaw or an open bite (apertognathia). In this surgery if the person has a receded upper jaw the surgeon makes a cuts below the eye sockets and adjusts the entire top jaw which includes the roof of the mouth and upper teeth as one unit. He moves the teeth and the jaw till the upper and lower teeth come on top of each other and fit together properly. If the person has open bite then the extra part of the bone from the upper bearing portion of the jaw is removed. After the receded upper orthognathic surgery or the open bite surgery the jaws are realigned with plates and thin screws.

Mandibular Osteotomy (Lower Jaw) Surgery
This surgery is for the people who have a receded lower jaw. In this procedure the bone is cut from the rear portion of the jaw i.e. behind the molars and move the whole lower jaw a bit backwards to align it with the upper jaw. Screws are used to hold the jaw bones. Any correction done in the lower jaw can also be termed as underbite correction, which may include minor to major surgeries.

Genioplasty (Chin Surgery)
This surgery is conducted for the people who have a deficient chin. A part from the lower jaw is separated, extended and modified in such a way that the upper teeth settle on the lower teeth. By this the position of the chin is also modified and is then visible.

Steps in Orthognathic Surgery
Once you have decided to undergo jaw surgery you need to follow a series of appointments with the doctor to decide the whole pattern of the surgery. Following are the steps involved in a surgery.

• In the beginning, the surgeon will try to adjust your teeth by making you wear braces. This may even start 6 months prior to the surgery so as to make the teeth prepare for the new settlement. The surgeon may even advise you to take out the rare teeth like wisdom teeth so that the surgery may be easy to perform.
• Few days before the surgery the surgeon will discuss the whole surgery. The doctor may even prepare a model of your jaw and will tell you about the surgery.
• The surgery will start with general anesthesia and the surgeon will carry on with the procedure discussed with you. Maximum times the surgery is conducted from the inner part of the mouth so as to avoid the risk or scars on the skin. The recovery time will depend upon the type of surgery and the condition of the patient. The jaw surgery recovery will depend upon patient to patient.
• After the surgery, the doctor may advise you to have special liquid diet recipes for jaw surgeries.

Risks and Complications Of Orthognathic Surgery
In every surgery there are some risks and complications. Following are some of them in case of a orthognathic surgery.

• Pain can be felt after the surgery but it can be controlled with the help of pain killers and injections.
• Swelling may be observed after the surgery and will be there for few days but will gradually decreases with time.
• Nausea and vomiting are common and are caused due to the anesthesia.
• The patient may observe numbness or a tingling sensation in the face, jaw, teeth and tongue. In some it may last for 1 or 2 weeks whereas there are people who have this sensation for more than 6 months.
• Minor bleeding can be observed from the nose and mouth. If you find excess bleeding then take medical help immediately.
• Infections can also happen which may result in fever. Contact a doctor in such case.
• Sinus complications, injury to adjacent teeth, jaw joint pain, etc are some more complications of this surgery.

So, now if you have any problems with your jaw then better consult an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. The surgery cost may vary according to the place where it is to be conducted. Jaw surgery is no doubt a very helpful and healthy surgery to overcome the problems caused by jaw misalignment.