Jaw surgery

This is also called orthognathic surgery. It is for skeletal problems braces cannot finish on their own — an underbite, an open bite, a jaw that grew unevenly, or an airway that is crowded because of jaw position.

The bones are usually held with small plates and screws. Jaws are not routinely wired shut for weeks the way older stories describe. It is major surgery. It is planned with imaging, time, and an orthodontist. It is not a weekend cosmetic procedure.

Dr. Chad Curtis is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. That training includes the jaws and operating-room care. We discuss surgery only when it fits. We will not invent case counts, and we will not push this when braces, restorative dentistry, or implants would solve the actual problem.

People who may need this evaluation include older teens and adults with a bite that braces cannot finish, difficulty chewing that is skeletal rather than dental, or sleep-related concerns that should be evaluated with the physicians who manage that diagnosis.

• An underbite or open bite that persists after orthodontic treatment
• A jaw discrepancy your orthodontist wants a surgical opinion on
• Difficulty chewing that is not explained by missing teeth alone
• A second look at a plan you were given elsewhere

If your goal is a single missing tooth, start with implants. If your goal is wisdom teeth, start on that page. A biopsy or cyst in the jaw is a different conversation — see oral pathology.

An evaluation includes an exam, photographs, and imaging. If surgery is on the table, planning with your orthodontist comes next. Teeth usually need to be aligned in the jaws for many months before an operating-room date, then finished after the bones move.

Surgery is done under general anesthesia, typically in a hospital. Many patients go home the same day or after one night. The office’s location on the Good Samaritan Medical Center campus is relevant when a case belongs in a hospital rather than the chair in Suite 5200.

If your case is better treated by a colleague who does this work every week, you will hear that recommendation with a name attached.

The first weeks bring facial swelling, bruising, and a non-chew or very soft diet. Many people return to school or desk work around two to three weeks. Soft or solid food is often delayed until the surgeon and orthodontist agree the bones can take it.

Numbness of the lips, chin, or palate can last weeks to months. That risk is discussed before you agree.