Jaw surgery, corrective jaw surgery, orthodontic jaw surgery—whatever you choose to call it, it can significantly improve a range of issues caused by misalignment or bad jaw position.
Sometimes, the signs that indicate you need jaw surgery are more evident than not. Candidates for jaw surgery often suffer from:
- Moderate to severe jaw fracture after a traumatic injury
- Major alignment issues (underbite, overbite, and crossbite)
- Significant pain in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ)
- Receding chin or protruding jaw
- Significant chewing or swallowing issues
Let’s take a look at all of the signs, conditions, or issues that could point to you needing jaw surgery.
Jaw Surgery to Correct a Speech Impediment
There are several reasons a person may have a speech impediment, including jaw misalignment, particularly a misalignment called malocclusion. Patients with malocclusion have either an overbite, underbite, or crossbite.
When the upper jaw and lower jaw do not meet correctly, it can interfere with the tongue, lips, and teeth, all of which we use to shape and manipulate sounds in the mouth.
If the jaws are not properly aligned, it can easily disrupt the coordination and function of the tongue, the placement of the teeth, or the general shape of the mouth. As a result, the patient can develop a mild to severe lisp or slurred speech.
Orthognathic jaw surgery to correct an overbite, underbite, or crossbite can lead to proper tongue function, teeth placement, and mouth shape, allowing the patient to shape sounds correctly and pronounce words with more clarity and accuracy.
Jaw surgery patients who undergo the procedure to correct a speech impediment may need to also undergo speech therapy. It’s important for them to understand the way their tongue now functions and how to use it to pronounce particular letters and sounds.
Jaw Surgery to Correct Chewing and Swallowing Issues
Similar to causing a speech impediment, misaligned jaws can also lead to issues with chewing and swallowing.
The teeth, tongue, and mouth shape should all work together to ensure a person can eat and swallow without any problems. But if the jaws are misaligned, the tongue may not function correctly, the teeth may not line up the way they should, and the shape of the mouth may interfere with how food travels from the fork to the back of the throat.
Corrective jaw surgery to fix an overbite, underbite, crossbite, or even a recessed lower jaw can resolve chewing and swallowing issues, allowing the patient to eat and drink more easily.
Jaw Surgery to Correct Breathing Issues
Breathing issues that stem from complications in the jaw can be resolved through a particular corrective jaw surgery called maxillomandibular advancement (MMA).
Patients who struggle to breathe through the nose often suffer from either a significant overbite, underbite, or recessed jaw line. If the malocclusion is such that the jaws obstruct nasal airways, the patient is forced to breathe through their mouth.
A procedure like MMA, which corrects the position of both the upper and lower jaws, moves the jaws forward, opening up the airways to allow nasal breathing.
Jaw Surgery for Sleep Apnea
Some sleep apnea patients, particularly those who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) due to jaw misalignment, can also benefit from MMA. Whether the patient must breathe through the mouth or is able to breathe through the nose while awake, if they suffer from jaw-related obstructive breathing at night, repositioning the jaws to open up the airways can restore better, safer breathing while asleep. IT could even eliminate general snoring.
Jaw Surgery to Correct TMJ
There are many reasons a patient may suffer from TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorder, including:
- Jaw misalignment
- Teeth clenching or grinding
- Injury
- Arthritis
Among several others.
If a patient’s TMJ disorder is caused by malocclusion or jaw misalignment, corrective jaw surgery to fix the alignment can relieve TMJ pain and restore proper joint function.
If the TMJ is caused by injury, arthritis, clenching, grinding, and other non-alignment issues, some procedures can ease the pain of TMJ, including:
- TMJ replacement surgery, a procedure that replaces the current joint with a prosthetic joint.
- Open TMJ surgery, a procedure that allows the surgeon to examine the joint and make corrections, such as restoring the cartilage disc or treating the joint surfaces.
- Arthroscopy, a minimally invasive procedure that is similar to open TMJ surgery but allows for smaller incisions at the surgery site.
Jaw Surgery to Correct Broken Bone or Injury-Related Damage
There are a thousand and one ways to experience trauma to the face, resulting in a broken jaw or significant jaw damage. The impact of a car accident, major fall, physical altercation, sporting accident, and so many other events can result in a broken jaw bone, joint damage, or other jaw-related issues that require correction.
Jaw surgery is often a solution to correct the damage, depending on the nature of the incident and the damage suffered.
Are you experiencing a complication and think you might need jaw surgery? Talk to Athens Oral Surgery Center about your treatment options today.
Our team will evaluate the condition of your jaw and create a surgical treatment plan to resolve the issue, restore proper functions, and relieve any pain.
Schedule a jaw surgery consultation with our team today! 706-549-5033
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