Orthognathic (Jaw) Surgery

Why Jaw Surgery?

Although most people take it for granted, a properly aligned bite and a well-positioned jaw are critical to many everyday activities. That's because your teeth and jaw are intricately related to each other, working together in precise harmony to accomplish things like eating, speaking, and showing facial expression.  If your jaw and teeth don't fit together well, none of these things will work well either. Furthermore, the resultant misplaced pressures and stresses on the whole system make you susceptible to a host of oral health problems, like periodontal (gum) disease, tooth shifting and tooth loss, bone loss, bruxism, temporomandibular joint disorder, headaches, and other miscellaneous troubles. And of course, a poorly aligned bite or improperly positioned jaw can detract greatly from your appearance as well.

Often, orthodontic treatment can correct situations involving only a bite problem. But where jaw position is involved, we often recommend corrective orthognathic (jaw) surgery. Such a procedure can eliminate pain and discomfort, prevent further trauma to the teeth, allow the teeth to function smoothly and properly, and greatly improve facial appearance. We also use this kind of surgery to repair jaw injuries, and restore jaw-related birth defects to a proper physiological function and look. In any case, orthognathic surgery can involve actually moving the jaws, cheeks, and/or chin to achieve functional and esthetic harmony.

Your Consultation & Evaluation

Of course, the first step in such an extensive type of surgery is a thorough evaluation. Your surgeon will carefully examine every aspect of your oral health, taking a complete set of specialized x-rays and asking you a number of questions at the same time to determine if you're experiencing trouble with chewing, biting, swallowing, speech, TMJ pain or discomfort, protruding jaw, open bite, or breathing problems.  This analysis helps us to diagnose the root causes of your condition, after which we can create a treatment plan to correct all areas of concern. including both the underlying skeletal structures and the overlying soft tissues (gums and skin).  And while all of this may sound complex, with today's excellent materials and technology, we perform all these procedures in a convenient outpatient facility.

Your Recovery

Please refer to the "Post Operative Instructions" section to familiarize yourself with the various aspects of typical recovery from this procedure. We'll fill you in with any information specific to your case, at the time of your consultation.

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4300 Oak Park Lane • Fort Worth, Texas 76109
817-731-2789 phone 800-333-9189 toll free 817-207-9980 fax

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