What is Surgical Orthodontic Treatment?
While the focus of orthodontic treatment is to correct malocclusions or bad bites, surgical orthodontic treatment (also known as corrective jaw surgery or orthognathic surgery) corrects abnormalities of the facial bones, specifically the jaw. Often, these abnormalities cause difficulty associated with chewing, talking, breathing, sleeping and other routine activities. Surgical orthodontic treatment corrects these problems and, in conjunction with wearing braces, will improve the overall appearance of the facial profile. Both the jaw and teeth alignment will be corrected.
Who is a candidate for surgical orthodontic treatment?
Typically, adult patients who are finished growing and have aesthetic concerns about their malocclusion are good candidates. For girls, jaw growth is usually completed by age 16, and for boys, jaw growth is completed by age 18. In order for surgical orthodontic treatment to be effective, patients must be finished with growing as a growth spurt can affect the results of the surgery. Teeth straightening, however, can be completed in the years beforehand.
What does surgical orthodontic treatment entail?
When undergoing orthodontic treatment, your teeth will be moved into their corrected positions by braces. As your teeth move, it may seem as though your bite is getting worse rather than improving. This is likely not the case because once your jaw is properly aligned with surgical orthodontic treatment, your teeth will be in their perfect positions.
An oral surgeon will perform the orthognathic surgery in a hospital. The surgery can last for several hours depending on the severity of your situation. Typically with the lower jaw, the bone directly behind the teeth is separated, and the portion of the jaw with teeth is either moved forward or backward. With upper jaw surgery, the jaw can be moved in four directions: forward, backward, lifted or lowered. With this surgery, bone is usually added or removed to help accommodate the moving of the jaw. Other facial bones may also be altered or shifted to complete the facial alignment.
After surgery, you can return to school or work after only two weeks. You will need approximately four to eight weeks for healing, and after the healing period, your orthodontist will tweak your bite. If you have braces, they are typically removed within six months to a year after the surgery. After your braces are removed, you will wear your retainer for the prescribed amount of time.
Robinson Orthodontics Reviews
I had a great experience with Robinson Orthodontics during my Invisalign treatment! Everyone in the office was so friendly, professional, and helpful. Dr. Robinson was always attentive and made sure I understood every step of the process.I’m very happy with my results and absolutely love my smile! I would definitely recommend Robinson Orthodontics to anyone considering Invisalign. Thank you to the whole team for taking such great care of me!
My first visit was awesome.My name was on the welcome board. It was clean which is a huge plus for me and the staff was friendly.
Dr. Robinson and his staff are the most professional, knowledgeable, and organized team I’ve ever experienced in a doctor’s office setting. They are also kind, caring, and courteous. My personal experience is I began with Invisalign’s years ago and due to my own neglect, my teeth were not moving as they should. After a few years with slow progress, Dr. Robinson decided to switch to braces….at no additional cost! He wanted me to be happy and if that meant three extra years of work on me, (an additional expense out of his pocket), he was happy and willing to do it. I love my new smile! Without Dr. Robinson and his crew, I doubt this would have been achieved as I would not have been able to afford the additional cost of a new plan. Thank you all for sticking with me as I LOVE my results! 💕
Always thorough and patient. Great end results!
Dr Robinson & Dr Natha are compassionate, talented, and extremely skilled orthodontists! They listen to their patients needs and provide quality care. They go out of their way to make you feel like family at the practice! We’ve had one child complete orthodontic treatment, one currently receiving treatment, and plan to use this practice again on our youngest child when the time is right. I highly recommend this orthodontic practice!
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