ORTHONAGTHIC SURGERY

What does orthonagthic surgery involve? 

Basically, it is a form of controlled fracture of the facial bones to realign the lower jaw. This type of surgery improves the overall aesthetic appearance of the face as well as the bite in complicated cases. 

The actual procedure takes anywhere from two and a half to four hours, depending on the need for single or double jaw surgery, and would require one to two nights of hospitalization. Patients can return to their normal activities like eating and even non-contact sports like running is six to eight weeks.

With today’s technology, predictive facial change imagery can even be achieved using 3D CT scanning and surgical simulation software. Patients thus have a chance to see for themselves what the surgery outcome will be like, before going under the scalpel.

 

PATIENT EVALUATION

Although over/under-bite can be observed even from a young age, oral surgeon advises that the procedure should only be performed on patients who have reached skeletal maturity, i.e. when bones (and thus the jaws) have fully developed. Girls attain bone maturity around 14 to 15 years of age, while for boys, that is between 17 and 18 years.

The orthonaghtic surgery is relatively major, the physical and mental maturity of patient should be considered. Of course, these aspects can all be verified upon consultation, where bone scans and serial radiographs form part of the patient assessment.

Although such corrective surgery could take almost a year from consultation to full recovery, the long-term benefits outweigh the time spent. However, expert advice patients to express their esthetic goals to the surgeon to ensure a common understanding of the aesthetic outcome desired.

‘Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder’.