Adult orthodontics sometimes involves correcting your jaw to get the best results for the alignment of your teeth. The more extreme jaw corrections involve surgically "breaking" the jaw and placing surgical screws and plates in the jaw to help new bone to grow across the expanse. Dr Carl Dann who owns Dr. Dann Orthodontics in Orlando and Winter Park, FL, will tell you if you need jaw correction and what level of jaw correction you will need.
Why Are Jaw Corrections Done?
Jaw corrections are prescribed and recommended as part of an orthodontic treatment plan when a patient's jaw is moderately to severely out of alignment. The desired results for braces cannot happen unless the jaw is corrected. You may not notice that something isn't right with your jaw because you have learned to live with it or have become used to it all your life.
Other people may notice things with the way they chew, talk, or how their face and profile look. When these patients seek orthodontic work, they are generally not surprised that they will need corrective jaw surgery.
Obvious Signs You Need Corrective Jaw Surgery
There are definitive signs you need corrective jaw surgery, even if you are not seeking braces to align your teeth. If your lower jaw is more than a few millimeters behind your upper jaw or vice versa, creating an obvious overbite or underbite, jaw surgery corrects that. Top teeth that do not sit directly on top of the corresponding lower teeth do require jaw correction before adult orthodontics can be used to correct tooth alignment.
An obvious profile of a receding chin or the appearance of a lack of a chin can be attributed to jaw problems. Finally, jaws that slide and rest sideways on each other causing injuries to teeth and/or lips while you eat or talk need to be fixed. Stop the pain from a crossbite like this by surgically putting your jaws where they are supposed to be.
Different Types of Jaw Correction Surgery
Sometimes just some surgical adjustments to the muscles of the jaws. Other surgeries may include cutting the bone and lengthening it with the use of a plate and screws that will be removed at a later date. Whatever surgery Dr Carl Dann suggests for you is based on the severity of the jaw deformity or malformation. Schedule your consultation appointment with Dr. Dann today.