In some instances, the relationship of the upper jaw to the lower jaw contributes to the misalignment of the teeth and bite. Surgical orthodontics, also referred to as orthognathic surgery, is the surgical correction of jaw relationships and is coordinated with orthodontic care.
Orthodontic care alone addresses jaw misalignment for most children and teens who are still growing.
Some children and teens show signs of a jaw growth pattern that will ultimately result in a significant upper and lower jaw mismatch. Dr. Tsintolas can evaluate and plan for this. It may be best to delay treatment until after the individual stops growing. Orthodontics together with surgical orthodontics may provide the best outcome to resolve the tooth and jaw misalignment.
Once growth has stopped, the jaw relationship cannot be improved with orthodontics alone. For those teens and adults, surgical orthodontics may be proposed as a treatment option. Dr. Tsintolas teams up with your selected oral and maxillofacial surgeon to develop a treatment plan. Dr. Tsintolas applies his orthodontic expertise to align the teeth according to the joint treatment plan. Then, the oral and maxillofacial surgeon aligns the upper and lower jaws with a surgical procedure. After a recovery period, Dr. Tsintolas refines the tooth alignment to the corrected upper and lower jaw relationship.