What is orthognathic surgery?

This procedure is performed under local anesthesia at CSSS de Gatineau and requires a short hospitalization. The surgical procedure, done inside your mouth, leaves no scaring under your chin, around your mouth or face. In exceptional cases, small external incisions may be required. In such cases, your surgeon will discuss the issue with you.

Your surgeon will make small incisions in the bones of your jaw(s) and will reposition them in the desired alignment. Once done, small plates, screws and stainless-steel wires will be used to stabilize the bone in its new position. These screws are tiny, smaller than orthodontic brackets, and will become embedded in the jawbone over time. Furthermore, with the latest techniques in 3D virtual planning, the time required for the surgery is less than with other techniques, making recovery time faster and easier.

• Improve your dental occlusion and benefit from better chewing.
• Correct swallowing and speech problems.
• Reduce excessive wear on your teeth and prevent fractures.
• Improve the appearance of your smile as well as the aesthetics of the lower part of your face.
• Correct malocclusions such as anterior open bite (when the back teeth touch each other while the front ones don’t).
• Relieve temporomandibular joint pain related to certain chewing problems.

• Correct facial asymmetry, receding chin (retrogenia), underdeveloped lower jaw (retrognathia), an excess of growth of the lower jaw (prognathia) or cross articulation (misalignment due to insufficient width in the upper jaw).
• Provide a labial competence (lips close without effort at rest) to restore nasal breathing.
• Fix facial trauma or a congenital malformation.
• Reduce sleep apnea and possibly eliminate the CPAP device. Your health will greatly improve!
• Improve self-esteem.