When braces alone are not enough
Orthodontics moves teeth. It cannot move the bones the teeth are set in. When the discrepancy is skeletal, an underdeveloped lower jaw, an upper jaw that sits too far forward, an open bite that will not close, or facial asymmetry, moving teeth alone will not resolve it and may make the profile worse.
Corrective jaw surgery repositions the jaws themselves. It is planned jointly with your orthodontist and is usually preceded and followed by a period of orthodontic treatment.
Planning
Planning is done digitally. A cone beam CT scan, a digital scan of your teeth and clinical photographs are combined into a three dimensional model of your skeleton and bite, and the surgical movements are simulated on that model before anything is done in theatre. Surgical guides are then produced from the approved plan.
You will see the plan and the projected result before you consent to it.
What it can address
Beyond the bite, jaw surgery is used to treat obstructive sleep apnea by advancing the jaws and opening the airway, to correct chewing and speech difficulty, to relieve chronic jaw joint pain arising from a skeletal discrepancy, and to close an anterior open bite that orthodontics alone cannot hold closed.
Commonly corrected concerns
- Underbite or protruding lower jaw
- Overbite with a recessive chin
- Anterior open bite
- Facial asymmetry
- Difficulty chewing, biting or swallowing
- Obstructive sleep apnea with a skeletal component
Nothing on this page replaces an examination. What is right for you depends on your imaging, your medical history and what you want out of the result. We will set all of that out at the consultation, in plain language.
