Orthognathic Surgery

Orthognathic surgery, also referred to as corrective jaw surgery or just jaw surgery, is a procedure used to treat conditions of the jaw and lower face related to structure, growth, airway problems such as sleep apnea, TMJ disorders, malocclusion problems primarily caused by skeletal disharmonies, other orthodontic dental bite problems that cannot be easily treated with braces, as well as the wide range of facial imbalances, disharmonies, asymmetries, and malproportions. Congenital disorders like cleft palate are also treated with this procedure. The jaw bone is typically cut, moved, changed, and straightened during surgery to correct malocclusion or dentofacial malformation. The term “osteotomy” refers to the surgically performed division of bone. An oral and maxillofacial surgeon can usually surgically align a dental arch, or a segment of a dental arch with its accompanying jawbone, relative to other segments of the dental arches by performing a procedure known as a “jaw osteotomy” on either the upper jaw or lower jaw . The synchronisation of dental arches has mostly been focused on producing a functional occlusion when working with orthodontists. As a result, orthognathic surgery is viewed as an add-on technique supporting a primary orthodontic goal. Orthognathic surgery has only recently become the primary treatment for obstructive sleep apnea and the primary correction of facial proportionality or symmetry, particularly with the evolution of oral and maxillofacial surgery in establishing itself as a primary medical specialty – as opposed to its long-standing status as a dental specialty. Due to concerns with public hospital funding, private health insurance, and health access, most nations rarely use surgery to treat malocclusion or jaw disproportion. A small number of mostly socialist-funded countries claim that about 5% of the general population undergoes jaw correction procedures. However, this percentage would only apply to patients who present with severe dentofacial deformities like maxillary prognathism’s, mandibular prognathism’s, open bites, difficulty chewing, difficulty swallowing, pain from temporomandibular joint dysfunction, excessive tooth wear, and receding chins. As more people are able to pay for their own surgeries, innovative operations that make a wide variety of jaw correction procedures easily accessible have also become more common. This is especially true in private maxillofacial surgery practices. These techniques include custom BIMAX, custom PEEK, custom IMDO, custom SARME, and bespoke GenioPaully procedures. These procedures are taking over for some orthognathic surgical operations that have historically been used solely and principally for dental or orthodontic purposes.

Medical uses

Nearly 5% of people in the US or the UK are thought to have dentofacial abnormalities that cannot be corrected with orthodontics and require orthognathic surgery as a final option. Orthognathic surgery is an option for treating: Gross jaw deviations (anteroposterior, vertical, or transverse discrepancies) Airway problems, soft tissue disparities, and skeletal-facial differences linked to sleep apnea have all been observed. Disparities in the skeleton of the head and neck connected to temporomandibular joint pathologies. Dentofacial abnormalities result from the growth of either the upper or lower jaw inexplicably. Due to jaw muscle and bone strain, chewing becomes difficult and may even be painful. Uncomfortable deformities range from micrognathia, which occurs when the mandible does not grow far enough forward (over bite), to underbites, which occur when the mandible grows excessively. The “long face syndrome,” sometimes referred to as the sceptical open bite, idiopathic long face, hyper divergent face, total maxillary alveolar hyperplasia, and vertical maxillary excess, is also treated with a total maxilla osteotomy. Surgeons should take x-rays of the patient’s jaw before surgery to diagnose the abnormality and develop a plan of action. Corrective jaw surgery, or mandibular osteotomies, is beneficial for people who have trouble eating, swallowing, TMJ problems, excessive tooth wear, open bites, overbites, underbites, or a receding chin. [Reference needed] An oral surgeon who is skilled in working with both the upper and lower jaws can correct the malformations on the above list by performing an osteotomy surgery on either the maxilla or mandible, depending on which one the abnormality requires. Obstructive sleep apnea can also be successfully treated (90–100%) with orthognathic surgery.

Cleft lip and palate

For patients with an orofacial cleft, orthognathic surgery is a well-known and often utilized therapy option for inadequate maxillary growth. The best time for orthognathic surgeries to maximize the facial skeleton’s ability for natural growth is up for dispute. Despite potential problems, orthognathic surgery for cleft lip and palate appears to have generally positive patient reported cosmetic outcomes. Impaired maxillary growth as a result of scar tissue formation is a potential serious long-term effect of orthognathic surgery. The evidence was of low quality, according to a 2013 comprehensive review comparing maxillary distraction osteogenesis with typical orthognathic surgery; yet, it showed that both procedures might be successful and that distraction osteogenesis might lower the rate of long-term relapse. Cleft lip and palate are most frequently caused by hereditary and environmental factors. Iron, iodine, and folic acid deficiencies are known to contribute to clefts.