Underbite Surgery

An underbite is a situation wherein the teeth of the lower jaw, when the mouth is closed in its natural position, are placed slightly ahead of the teeth in the upper jaw. Ideally, when the mouth is closed, none of the teeth should touch each other and the front lower teeth should be placed slightly behind the upper front teeth. An underbite, also known as class III malocclusion, is sometimes hereditary, though it may also be caused due to trauma or because of abnormalities in the eruption pattern of teeth. If the underbite is merely dental in nature, that is, if the jaw position is right but the lower teeth are slightly forwardly placed, then with the help of orthodontic treatment, the condition can be corrected. However, if the defect is skeletal in nature, then there will be need to go in for an underbite surgery.

Only after a final diagnosis is made after studying the patient's case, is an underbite correction surgery advised. This is a major surgery that needs to be done under general anesthesia. Plus, the preparation for the surgery starts well before a year from the date of the surgery, because orthodontic treatment has to be initiated to correct the initial problems of malocclusion, like crowding teeth and other such problems. Thus, the orthodontic braces are placed on the teeth and the teeth are then brought into as much a desirable position as possible. Once this is done, then the jaw surgery is done.

Types of Underbite Surgery Procedures

Maxillary Correction
The maxilla is the upper jawbone. Sometimes, despite a normal and properly placed mandible, there is an underbite. Such a situation only arises when there is a retruded maxilla. In such cases, the jaw underbite surgery will consist of maxillary advancement with the help of Le Fort I osteotomy. This is a procedure that is done under general anesthesia, wherein the maxilla is brought forward, so that a normal and proper occlusion can be achieved.

Mandibular Correction
In most cases of people who have an underbite, the cause is a protruded mandible, that is, a forwardly placed lower jaw. In this type of surgery, what is opted for is known as a bilateral sagittal split osteotomy, or a BSSO. Before this procedure is undertaken, the wisdom teeth of the individual have to be extracted. First, under general anesthesia, the area of the mandible close to the angle is split in the region of the wisdom teeth. Then, the mandible is pushed backwards and fixed securely in its new position with the help of screws. It is ensured that the area where the bone is fixed in its new position is rich in its blood supply, so as to hasten the underbite surgery recovery time. After the surgery to correct underbite is complete, then the two jaws are held in place with the help of elastic bands, so that there is no unintentional injury, which could further delay the healing.

This was all about the underbite jaw surgery. This surgery is quite similar to crossbite surgery. The surgery cost comes to anywhere between USD 20,000 - USD 30,000. There are a few risks associated with this procedure, like swelling, slight nerve damage and possibly, a slightly altered appearance of the entire face. If there is an underbite in children, it can be treated with the help of more conservative methods, especially, if the bone growth is not complete. The mandible can be conditioned in such a manner that the underbite does not increase any further. However, if the bone growth is complete, then an underbite surgery is the only way that this condition can be treated.