Orthognathic surgery is a set of surgical techniques whose objective is to correct a dento-skeletal malocclusion that generally leads to functional, esthetic, phoniatric, swallowing and respiratory problems.
Profiles requiring orthognathic surgery
Patients requiring orthognathic surgery are those who present alterations in the size, position, symmetry and angle of the jaws, together with malposition of the teeth. All these factors condition chewing, speech, swallowing, breathing and facial appearance. It should be noted that all this cannot be solved by placing the teeth properly with orthodontics, so the solution lies in orthognathic surgery.
Benefits of orthognathic surgery
Thanks to orthognathic surgery, facial harmony, symmetry and proportion of the face can be restored. It also improves nasal breathing, and the increase in nasal and oropharyngeal air space can reduce or eliminate snoring and even sleep apneas.
Orthognathic surgery planning
It is important to do good preoperative orthodontic planning, and to work together so that everything is coordinated. In most cases there will be a pre- and post-surgical orthodontic preparation.
The digital planning of the surgery is done by the expert in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery by obtaining computerized images of the skull (cranial CT) which are then fused to the scanned images of the dental arches. This allows the creation of surgical guides by 3D printing.
This improves precision and minimizes surgical times. Hospital stay is reduced to a minimum and recovery is accelerated.
What does orthognathic surgery consist of and what results are achieved?
The precision and stability of the osteotomies with current osteosynthesis materials make it possible to avoid intermaxillary blocking. With the possibility of opening the mouth, food intake is simplified from the first day.
These are techniques for cutting the jaws by means of small incisions inside the mouth, which make it possible to advance/retreat, descend/impact, widen and modify the position of the jaws in the three axes of space.
These techniques are usually associated with the correction of nasal deformities (rhino-septoplasty) and a mentoplasty, to harmonize the whole face. A fat filling of peri-orbital areas and cheekbones is also usually performed, if the patient needs it.
Stabilization of the expansions with palatal bars and a continuous orthodontic arch in the days following surgery allows early start of post-operative orthodontic treatment.
In many cases normal activity can be recovered in about three weeks, so it is not a very aggressive intervention for the patient.