In combination with upper and lower braces to decompensate the position of teeth, jaw (orthognathic) surgery may be required if your bite, growth, or jaw malposition is too severe to be corrected with orthodontic appliances alone. Orthognathic surgery is also sometimes called “corrective jaw surgery” or “surgical orthodontics.”
When the malocclusion (bad bite) is severe and not only due to malposition (misalignment) of teeth, functional issues may impact the quality of life. Chewing and biting foods may become inefficient and teeth wear more, speech may be unclear and poorly articulated, sleeping is accompanied by snoring and/or apnea (breathing is difficult), jaw joint pain arises and may also lead to headaches and/or migraines.
Severe discrepancies are often either due to an accident (injury to head and face), a birth event, or genetic. If a family member has a particular bite then other family members will likely have a similar bite.
Jaw surgery in combination with orthodontic treatment can correct these jaw malpositions but only once growth has finished. This is after the 19th birthday for females and after the 21st birthday for males.
The full treatment is in stages: standard orthodontic treatment up to 12-18 months, surgery and recovery up to 2-3 months, further 6-8 months of orthodontic treatment until the bite is stable (up to around 2 years in total). Dr Christoph will assess you and estimate the time required for your orthodontic-orthognathic treatment to be completed. He will refer you to a maxillofacial surgeon for a consultation. You should be adequately informed before taking any decision and commence your treatment.
We collaborate with the below surgeons and are happy to refer you to whoever you prefer.
West Perth Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery - Dr Evan Kakulas - Dr Peter Ricciardo- Dr Nathan Vujcich
WA OMS - Dr Carolyn Stulner - Dr Lee Kaing
Specialist OMF - Prof Dieter Gebauer
