What professional should perform orthognathic surgery? Why?

Orthognathic surgery is a subspecialty of maxillofacial surgery. Not all maxillofacial surgeons perform orthognathic surgery. It is important that your surgeon is a specialist in orthognathic surgery and regularly operates these types of cases.

What exactly is orthognathic surgery?

It is the surgery that moves the bones of the face, and therefore has a high impact on the properties and aesthetics of the face, the occlusion of the teeth and the airway.

What types of orthognathic surgeries are there?

There are basically three types of osteotomies, each with multiple variations. In the maxilla, the osteotomy is the Lefort I, in the mandible it is called the sagittal osteotomy and in the chin the wedge or sliding osteotomy. We also talk about bimaxillary orthognathic surgery (if we operate on both jaws) or monomaxillary (we only operate on one of them).

For which patients is this surgery indicated?

Patients with altered facial proportions, either vertically (gummy smile, lip incompetence, long face, short face), anteroposteriorly (flat face, retrusive profile, prognathism, short jaw) or transverse (narrow smile, buccal corridors, narrow face) and rotationally (long and narrow face, short face,). It is also indicated for patients with obstructive sleep apnea and patients with skeletal malocclusions.

What results can be achieved?

The normalized facial proportions contribute to a very natural aesthetic result. It also functionally improves chewing and breathing. It is often combined with ancillary procedures such as rhinoplasty, cheek augmentation, mentoplasty, or facelift.

How is the recovery from orthognathic surgery? Is it necessary to spend a night in the hospital?

Usually it is a short income of less than 24 hours or 1 day maximum. Recovery using cryotherapy face mask is very fast. In one week 90% of the inflammation has resolved. In 10 days you can return to normal work activity and in two weeks resume gym sessions.

What type of anesthesia is usually used?

General anesthesia or intravenous sedation depending on the case.

What is the Surgery First technique?

Orthognathic surgery requires orthodontic preparation of the teeth. When this orthodontic preparation is performed after orthognathic surgery, we speak of the Surgery First protocol. The Surgery First protocol cannot always be applied.