Corrective jaw surgery is a long-term commitment with lifelong results.

What is corrective jaw surgery?

Corrective jaw surgery, or orthognathic surgery, is performed when the jaws do not align properly.  The teeth are straightened with orthodontics and corrective jaw surgery repositions the misaligned jaws.  This serves to improve facial appearance and ensures that the teeth meet and function properly.  The surgery can include repositioning all or part of the upper jaw, lower jaw, and chin.

Who needs corrective jaw surgery?

Patients who benefit from corrective jaw surgery include those with an improper bite or jaws that are positioned incorrectly.  Jaw growth occurs slowly, and the upper or lower jaw may grow differently.  This can affect chewing, speech, facial appearance, and breathing.  While braces alone may correct an improper bite, or "occlusion," due to tooth misalignment, corrective jaw surgery may be necessary to correct misalignment of the jaws.

Evaluating your need for surgery

Your orthodontist, dentist, and Dr. Walther will work together as a team if you are considering corrective jaw surgery.  Corrective jaw surgery requires careful coordination between Dr. Walther and your orthodontist.  Before any treatment begins, a consultation is held to perform a complete examination.  During this initial consultation the specifics regarding your orthodontic and surgical care are discussed in detail and all questions are answered. 

What is involved in corrective jaw surgery?

Before surgery, your orthodontist will place braces on your teeth.  The teeth are moved into the proper position.  As the initial pre-surgical orthodontics nears completion, Dr. Walther will perform a thorough evaluation.  X-rays, models, photos, and facial measurements are taken to guide the surgery.

Corrective jaw surgery is then performed under general anesthesia in the operating room.  Dr. Walther will reposition your jaws in accordance with your specific needs.  Incisions are usually inside the mouth to prevent visible scarring.  Tiny plates and screws are used to hold the jaws in place while healing occurs.  Most patients return to school and work after 2 weeks.  Healing occurs over approximately 6 weeks.

After the surgery occurs, most patients spend several additional months in braces while the bite is perfected.

Corrected Severe Underbite

Enjoy the benefits

You will work together with Dr. Walther and your orthodontist toward the best treatment possible.  The improvement to the bite, function, appearance, and speech can have dramatic and positive effects on many aspects of your life. 

Corrected Open Bite

One in five adult Americans has at least mild obstructive sleep apnea.

What is OSA?

During sleep, the upper airway may obstruct by excess tissue in the back of the throat, large tonsils and/or a large tongue.  When this occurs, air movement in and out of the lungs stops due to the blockage (apnea).  The brain senses this and initiates impulses to breath deeper and wake the person just enough to restart breathing.

The decrease in oxygen combined with frequent waking can have severe effects on overall health.  Untreated OSA increases your risk of heart attack, stroke, irregular heart beat, high blood pressure, and heart disease.  Additionally, OSA can contribute to daytime drowsiness that can cause accidents, lost productivity, and relationship problems due to frequent nighttime waking.

Snoring is not sleep apnea

About half of the US population may snore at one time or another.  Snoring may be a sign of sleep apnea, but everyone who snores does not have sleep apnea.  If you're concerned about having sleep apnea, Red Hills Oral & Facial Surgery will work with you and your physician to obtain a sleep study.

Sleep Study

The diagnosis of sleep apnea is performed with a sleep study (polysomnography).  This is performed in a specialized clinic where multiple measurements of your sleep patterns, blood oxygen levels, breathing patterns, and brain electrical activity are measured. 

There are many treatments for OSA

Depending on whether your OSA is mild, moderate, or severe, the treatment can range from behavior modification to oral appliances to CPAP (breathing mask at night) to surgery.

Maxillomandibular Advancement (MMA)

Generally, the least invasive option that cures your apnea is the best option.  Surgery is reserved for patients who can't get improvement of their OSA with non-surgical therapy.

Maxillomandibular advancement (MMA) is the same procedure as corrective jaw surgery, except the goals of treatment are to move both jaws forward.  When the jaws are moved forward, the soft tissue of the tongue and palate move forward which opens the airway. 

MMA has the highest success rate of cure for severe OSA out of the most commonly performed surgeries for OSA.