What is orthognathic surgery (jaw surgery)?

Orthognathic surgery refers to the surgical repositioning of the maxilla, mandible, and the dentoalveolar segments to achieve facial and occlusal balance. One or more segments of the jaw can be simultaneously repositioned to treat various types of malocclusions and jaw deformities.

The main aim for orthognathic surgery is to correct your bite, provide an aesthetic face, and an enlarged airway. It is important to go to an experienced oral and maxillofacial surgeon and a qualified orthodontists to ensure proper treatment planning right from the start for successful function and aesthetic results. Once your jaw surgery is started, the process can take several months of treatment time and is unlikely reversed. Careful thought and planning is therefore crucial.

Maxillofacial Oral surgeons

BIDH is one of the few dental hospital in Thailand with an operating theatre catered only to dentistry. Our team of maxillofacial oral surgeons and orthodontists are amongst the top in Thailand. Co-ordination between experts is important for overall success of jaw surgery.

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Why jaw surgery?

A disporportionate jaw can cause problems that include:

  1. Chewing and swallowing
  2. Pain from straining of the jaw muscle and bone or TMJ pains
  3. Excessive wear of the teeth
  4. Malocclusion bites – pen bites, overbites, underbites
  5. A receding chin

Your oral and maxillofacial surgeon in collaboration your orthodontist may recommend corrective jaw surgeries for one jaw or both jaw.

jaw surgery clinic

Skeletal Class 1

Normal

orthognathic surgery

Skeletal Class 2

Top jaw overjet

Ortho surgery

Skeletal Class 3

Bottom Jaw overjet

Orthognathic surgery is used to treat :

  1. Correct bite or jaw discrepancies to improve bite and chewing function, correct problems with swallowing or speech
  2. Provide better facial balance and symmetry
  3. Repair facial injury or birth defects
  4. Provide relief for obstructive sleep apnea or airways
  5. Improve the ability of the lips to fully close comfortably
  6. Relieve pain caused by temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder
dental x-ray

Jaw surgery to treat facial irregularities

Pre-operative planning is crucial to the success of the procedure and evaluates the surgical and orthodontic options.

The surgeon chooses the type of mandibular surgery based on his experience, evaluation of the photographic and cephalometric analysis, and model surgery.

BIDH Operating Theatre and Facilities

Orthognatic surgery will be done under general anaesthesia. BIDH’s dental operating theatre is specially designed for dental treatments. You will not feel pain during the actual surgical procedure and you will not have any recollection of the experience.

BIDH has post anaesthesia care units and  in-patient rooms caring for you after surgery by our registered nurses. Our dental hospital and licensed anaesthesiologist doctor follow ASA anaesthesia standards.

Sedation Options
Jaw surgery clinic sedation
Dental hospital OR
Post care dental sedation

Jaw Surgery Questions

What is a typical jaw surgery procedure done?

Jaw surgery might involve one jaw or both jaws concurrently. Preoperative diagnosis and planning for patients with jaw asymmetries and deformities may be first done by the pedodontist or orthodontist in coordination with the craniofacial surgeon. All findings are analyzed and pre-surgical model surgery performed to ascertain the feasibility of various treatment options.

Your maxillofacial or craniofacial surgeon pre-contrive all treatment planning with your before confirming for treatment. Orthognathic surgery is often not done until all permanent teeth have erupted unless medical conditions necessitate that the surgery be performed earlier. In adult patients, orthognathic surgery can be combined with soft tissue contouring to improve the aesthetic results.

Usually, pre-surgical orthodontics are necessary to straighten the teeth and align the arches so that a stable occlusion can be obtained post-operatively, while orthodontics following surgery are frequently required to revise minor occlusal discrepancies.

After pre-surgical orthodontics is complete, the actual jaw surgery is arranged and started at our BIDH jaw surgery clinic. Cuts in the mandible and/or maxilla bone is made and re-positioned to the planned alignment.

Post jaw surgery healing, this is followed by orthodontic treatment again to properly align teeth bite to the correct positions.

What happens after orthognathic surgery?

After orthognathic surgery, you will need someone to accompany you at least the first 24 hours. Do not drive or work with machinery for the first week. Take all medications as instructed. Daily cleaning of the mouth and teeth is still required. You may experience weight loss from liquid diet and lack of appetite during the healing period.

There may be some pain, swelling or bleeding. If the pain, bleeding or swelling is excessive, if you have a fever, trouble breathing or swallowing, please call our jaw surgery clinic.

Normal recovery time can range from a few weeks of 2 to 6 weeks with secondary healing taking an additional 2–4 months. For more complicated surgery, this could take up to a year. Your jaw may be restricted in movement by wires or elastics for about 1 to 4  weeks. And it may take around two to three months or more for proper healing. Patients able to typically return to work after 2 to 6 weeks after the surgery that may vary with individualized recovery.

Are jaw surgery painful?

After surgery, you may feel nausea or vomiting after general anaesthesia. You would likely experience:

  • Some pain and swelling
  • Challenges in eating. During your first few days, you will likely consume liquids and soft foods with nutritional supplements.

For some surgeries, pain may be minimal due to minor nerve damage and lack of feeling. Your oral surgeon will prescribe pain medication and antibiotics. There is often a large amount of swelling around the jaw area, and in some cases bruising. Most of the swelling will disappear in the first few weeks, but some may remain for a few months. You may need some time to adjust to your new facial appearance.

What are some possible complications of orthognathic surgery?

At BIDH oral surgery clinic, our oral surgeons are experienced and has seen numerous complex and major reconstruction cases. Jaw surgery is in general safe if treated by an experienced oral and maxillofacial surgeon co-ordinating with your orthodontist.

As with any oral surgery, it carries some risks that may include bleeding, swelling or infection. Although infrequent, it is possible for facial numbness due to nerve damage or impact, fracture of jaw, loss of portions of jaw, relapse to original position or jaw joint pain.

What is the cost of jaw surgery?

The cost of orthognathic surgery will include several phases:

  • pre and post orthdontic treatment fees
  • jaw surgery fees
  • sedation package used during jaw surgery

Our BIDH jaw surgery clinic offers packages for its anaesthesia and jaw surgery fees. The cost for pre and post orthodontic treatment varies with complexity of your case.

Learn more about BIDH dental fees. To obtain a better cost quote for orthognathic surgery, a consultation with our maxillofacial orthodontist is recommended in order to check if your case is a one jaw or two jaw case.

Summary

Orthognathic surgery or jaw surgery is used to treat disporportionate jaw and resolve uses of function bite, reduce jaw pain and improve aesthetic facial appearance.

An experienced experienced oral and maxillofacial surgeon in collaboration with a skilled orthodontist is required for correct planning and successful results. The over procedure may be lengthy ranging from 2 months to a year of healing. Proper treatment planning from the start is crucial.

BIDH jaw surgery clinic has an operating theatre is specially designed for dentistry. General anesthesia is used for jaw surgery treatments. Facilities and post care facilities at BIDH offers one-stop in-patient and out-patient clinics for your entire completed jaw surgery treatment procedure process from start to finish.

Safe and Pain-free Oral Surgery

dental sedation bangkok

Mild Sedation (Local Anaesthesia)

IV dental sedation

Moderate Sedation (IV semi-conscious)

Surgery dental clinic

General Anesthesia (Sleep dentistry)

Sleep dentistry

Jaw surgery are done whilst you are placed to sleep. BIDH has sedation packages. Get a complimentary consultation.

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why choose BIDH Oral surgery clinic?

  1. Each of our oral surgeon has more than 10 years of experience in their field of speciality
  2. Our oral surgery clinic consists of a team of highly-qualfied dentists – many are American board or German board accredited. This means that your oral surgeon has obtained their specialization degree overseas in USA or Germany and is able to practice in those countries.
  3. As our team of oral surgeon and implantologists are professors, lecturers at their universities that oversees other thailand dentists, your oral surgery case is diagnoses and treated by top experts that has treated major and advance complex cases.
  4. Being lecturers and overseas trained, your dental expert adopts and uses the latest techniques and advance techniques based on clinical studies. Your treatment is therefore also more precise, less invasive and made safer with new technologies.
thailand oral surgeons
  1. Our oral surgery clinic within BIDH dental hospital uses international standards and evidence based protocols. We abide by hospital-based guidelies on sterilization, infection prevention and control.
  2. Our team of dentists, nurses and doctor anesthesiologist are licensed and verified medical providers. This assures that your treatment is diagnoses and properly treated by trained, skilled and professional medical staff.
Bangkok hospital clinic
Pain free dentistry
  • At BIDH dental surgery clinic, we are one of the few dental clinics in Thailand that offers sedation services or sleep dentistry for oral treatments.
  • We are one of the FIRST specialists dental hospital in Thailand that focuses ONLY on dentistry. Our core function, network and dental labs are integrated catering for dentistry. As a dedicated dental service provider, we are well positioned and offer safe sedation services following hospital standards.
  • Sedation services at BIDH is administered by experienced and licensed anesthesiologist using ASA standards. This assures you on patient safety.
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