Realign Your Jaw, Realign Your Health
Dr. Jensen combines jaw surgery with orthodontics to make sure your teeth come together in a healthy way.
What Is Orthognathic Surgery?
Orthognathic surgery, also known as corrective jaw surgery, is a procedure that involves repositioning your jaws to improve their functionality and aesthetics. This surgery can be used to address a wide range of jaw and teeth issues, including overbites, underbites, crossbites, and open bites.
Jaw surgery can also address misaligned jaws, sleep apnea, difficulty chewing or speaking, and facial asymmetry. Fortunately, unlike in the past, surgery now seldom requires wiring the jaws shut during healing.
Dr. Jensen can often correct your crooked teeth and bad bite with orthodontics alone. In some cases, however, surgery may be necessary due to problems with your jaw formation and misalignment of your jaw bones.
Surgically assisted cases still require braces in place, so Dr. Jensen works with a specialist in orthognathic surgery to address jaw-related issues.
Jaw Surgery & Orthodontics
Dr. Jensen utilizes jaw surgery in conjunction with orthodontics, not instead of orthodontics, to help make sure your teeth come together in a healthy way.
What this means is that improving the functionality of your jaw also helps with long-term retention of orthodontic results and better prevents wear and tear on your teeth over time.
How Does Jaw
Surgery Work?
Orthognathic surgery involves a thorough evaluation by Dr. Jensen and a maxillofacial surgeon to determine the underlying cause of the jaw issues.
Before the surgery, Dr. Jensen and our team of experts at Jensen Orthodontic Arts will use braces to align the teeth and prepare them for the surgery.
During the surgery, the oral surgeon will reposition the jaw to the correct alignment. Unless required, you won’t need screws or wires to keep your jaw in place while it heals.
What Issues Does Orthognathic Surgery Address?
Orthognathic surgery can address a wide range of jaw and teeth issues, including:
- Misaligned jaws: Orthognathic surgery can help realign your jaws to improve chewing, speaking, and breathing functions and to help correct overbites and underbites.
- Facial asymmetry: Orthognathic surgery can improve your facial symmetry and restore confidence in your appearance.
- Sleep apnea: Orthognathic surgery can help improve your breathing and reduce the symptoms of sleep apnea.
- Difficulty chewing or speaking: Orthognathic surgery can help improve your chewing and speaking functions and increase your overall quality of life.
What Issues Does Orthognathic Surgery Address?
Orthognathic surgery can address a wide range of jaw and teeth issues, including:
- Improved jaw function: Orthognathic surgery can improve the functionality of the jaw and teeth, making it easier to chew, speak, and breathe.
- Enhanced facial aesthetics: Orthognathic surgery can improve facial symmetry and overall appearance.
- Reduced sleep apnea symptoms: Orthognathic surgery can help reduce your symptoms of sleep apnea such as snoring, headaches, insomnia, and daytime drowsiness.
- Improved dental health: Orthognathic surgery can help improve your dental health by making it easier to clean and care for your teeth.
How Do I Recover from Jaw Surgery?
The recovery process after orthognathic surgery can vary depending on the individual case. However, it usually involves a liquid or soft food diet for several weeks, as well as pain medication and oral hygiene practices.
You may also need to avoid strenuous activity and follow up with Dr. Jensen and your oral surgeon for regular checkups during the recovery period.
At Jensen Orthodontic Arts, our caring, expert team can help guide you through the process of orthognathic surgery and address any questions or concerns you may have. Contact our McKinney office today to schedule a consultation and learn more about how jaw surgery can benefit you.