What is Surgical Orthodontics? Just as orthodontics repositions teeth, surgical orthodontics (also known as orthognathic surgery) corrects jaw irregularities to improve the patient's ability to chew, speak, and breathe and for improved facial appearances In other words, surgical orthodontics straightens your jaw. Moving the jaws also moves the teeth, so braces are always performed in conjunction with jaw correction. This helps make sure teeth are in their proper positions after surgery. Who needs Surgical Orthodontics? Dr. Pappel will consider surgical orthodontic treatment for patients with improper bites and those with facial aesthetic concerns. Jaw surgery is done in conjunction with orthodontic treatment. Depending on the type of jaw surgery, jaw surgery is usually done when jaw growth is complete which for girls is 16-18 years of age and for boys 16-20 years of age. Pre-surgical tooth movements can begin one to two years prior to these ages.If Dr. Pappel has established that surgery may be needed or recommended, he will then send you to an Oral Surgeon for an orthognathic consultation, where surgical procedures will be discussed. How does it work? During your orthodontic treatment, which usually last 18-24 months, your wear braces and visit our office for scheduled adjustments to your braces. As your teeth move you may think your bite is getting worse rather than better. However, when your jaws are placed into proper alignment during orthognathic surgery, the teeth will then fit in their proper positions.Surgery is performed in the hospital with an oral surgeon and can take several hours, depending on the amount and type of surgery needed. When you have completed surgery, you should be able to return to school or work within two weeks. After the necessary healing time (about eight weeks) Dr. Pappel "fine tunes" your bite. In most cases braces are removed with 6-12 months following surgery. After your braces are removed, you will wear a retainer to maintain your beautiful new smile. Can Invisalign be used with Jaw Surgery? Yes, with Dr. Pappel's extensive training, he has developed a treatment plan that can be used with the Invisalign System of clear aligners. Invisalign is used for pre-surgical alignment and 2 months before surgery, Dr. Pappel will need to put braces on so that surgeons can use hooks on the braces to keep the jaws stable during healing. Two months post-surgical, Dr. Pappel will remove the braces and new set of Invisalign aligners are used to "fine tune" your bite.
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