Maxillofacial Surgery

Should a patient require any facial reconstruction that is performed by a maxillofacial surgeon. This specialist takes care of procedures involved in the neck and head area, which could include the oral cavity, denture-related procedures, and jaw surgery.

Jaw Correction

Candidates for maxillofacial surgery include:  protruding chins, crooked or buck-teeth or those teeth that are misaligned.

If your jaws are not properly aligned you may have tongue and lips, speech or chewing difficulties. Not everyone experiences this problem. In some people, however, their jaws may not grow at the same rate. They could have one jaw develop larger than the other. Then again, their jaws may not be aligned properly with other bony structures in the skull. All of this can be corrected with jaw surgery.

If a patient has upper facial features such as the nose and cheek that need attention, a maxillofacial surgeon can address this as well.

Besides surgical correction, orthodontic appliances can also be a solution to common problems you might experience with your jaws.  Braces can restore a bite relationship. They can also help in properly aligning the jaw. There are cases where small wires or rubber bands are required to maintain proper jaw alignments and promote faster healing. Another option is small "fixation" screws or plates, which can be inserted in the jaws. These enable easy movement of the jaws after surgery has been conducted.

Denture Fatigue

Dentures can wear heavily on the gums and other soft tissues in the mouth. Particularly, if they’ve been worn for a long period of time. Those who wear dentures can even experience loss of gum tissue and possibly bone.

There are cases where bone grafts, manipulation of soft tissues or realignment of the jaw require surgery. If such problems occur, maxillofacial surgery will correct the issue.