What is orthognathic surgery?
Orthognathic surgery is a set of surgical interventions performed on the upper jaw and mandible to correct dento-skeletal deformities when the cause is osseous and not only dental.
What are its applications? When is it used?
Fundamentally it is to correct when there is a discrepancy between the mandible and the maxilla. It seeks to achieve the ideal position of both jaws with respect to the way of biting and facial aesthetics. It also achieves an important benefit in improving facial aesthetics, since we are correcting bone alterations that have a decisive impact on aesthetics and facial harmony. In addition, it is applied to correct sleep apnea in selected, severe cases by advancing the mandible, chin, maxilla or a combination of them.
Can it correct problems such as snoring or COPD?
Snoring yes, COPD no, since it is a lung problem, not an airway problem. Regarding correcting snoring, it can correct snoring, but it is not indicated, except in severe cases with sleep apnea present. This is because it is a major surgery and for snoring there are only other options such as jaw repositioning splints that do not require surgery.
What does the surgery itself consist of?
The surgery consists of making osteotomies or cuts in the jaws in order to modify their position and fix these bones in the new position with titanium mini-plates and micro-screws. Most of these major procedures are performed under general anesthesia and usually require only 24-48 hours of hospitalization. Other interventions, on the other hand, such as maxillary expansion surgery or mentoplasty, are performed with conscious sedation in the office on an outpatient basis.
How are the results and the postoperative period?
The results are very spectacular because in addition to correcting the anomalous bite of the teeth, with which we achieve a correct mastication, there are also very positive facial aesthetic changes by correcting the anomalous position of these jaws. In addition, we always work maintaining the patient’s own identity (the patient will always recognize him/herself). Also in the case of maxillary maxillary expansion, which as we remember we do with local anesthesia and conscious sedation in an operation of less than 45 minutes, nasal breathing is dramatically improved and in severe cases of sleep apnea the problem is corrected. The postoperative period is usually very good and believe it or not there is no pain, only a swelling that lasts approximately 2 or 3 days. We make minimal incisions for a better postoperative period; we use a piezosurgery for the cuts in the bone to avoid bleeding and inflammation; we shorten as much as possible the time of admission to 24-48 hours to avoid hospital infections and a faster recovery of the patient; and in certain surgeries we do them on an outpatient basis.