Orthognathic surgery
Orthognathic surgery, also known as corrective jaw surgery, is a combined orthodontic (braces) and surgical treatment approach for the correction of dental, jaw and facial deformities.
Why do I need it?
Orthognathic surgery, or jaw alignment surgery, allows you to have an ideal facial profile together with straight teeth. While braces can only correct teeth position within the limits of the jaw bone, orthognathic surgery allows fine tuning of the jaw position relative to your facial profile. This results in better harmony of your facial aesthetics. Orthognathic surgical procedures can also be adapted to treat obstructive sleep apnoea.
What are the procedures involved?
A consultation with the oral surgeon and orthodontist is the first step in your treatment journey. A customised treatment plan is formulated and strictly adhered to.
While orthognathic surgery may be done before braces in certain cases, most of the time, the orthodontist will align your teeth in a certain position to facilitate your surgery.
This process may take 1.5 to 2 years before you’re ready for a final pre-surgical consult and subsequent surgery.
The surgery is done under general anaesthesia and a hospital stay of 1 to 2 nights for monitoring purposes usually follows.
You will need to return to the clinic for regular reviews and the orthodontist will usually finish your braces treatment in another 6 months.
What are the costs involved?
Orthognathic surgery is not cosmetic in nature and is done for functional reasons. As such, a proportion of the surgery and hospitalisation costs can be borne by medisave and some insurance companies are also able to reimburse the surgical and ward costs. Do discuss your financial concerns with the surgeon during initial consultation.
What are the risks involved?
While the body has the propensity to recover and heal, orthognathic surgery has certain risks that will be discussed prior to starting the treatment journey. Besides the general risks of discomfort, bleeding and swelling which accompany most surgeries, the jaw has nerves that are close to the surgical site. Risks of numbness or reduction in sensation of your lips, teeth and chin will be ascertained and discussed during your consultation. As with routine braces treatment, you also have a chance of relapse but the risks of this can be greatly reduced with judicious post-op care and consistent retainer wear.