Hi, Mike!
There are several types of jaw advancement surgeries, most of which
involve relocating bones and anchoring them in their new positions
with screws and plates. Sometimes sections of bone may be removed, and
sometimes bone may be added (by grafting). Bone is cut and/or drilled,
but muscles and soft tissue (such as the tongue and palate) are
generally not cut during these procedures unless certain specific
deformities of the muscles and soft tissue are being corrected.
Occasionally, teeth may be removed as part of the procedure. Since the
surgery is performed from inside the mouth, there are no visible
facial scars.
"Maxillary advancement is a type of orthognathic surgery that may be
necessary to improve the facial contour and normalize dental occlusion
when there is a relative deficiency of the midface region. This is
done by surgically moving the maxilla with sophisticated bone
mobilization techniques and fixing it securely into place. For most
patients, the use of screws and miniplates have replaced wiring of the
bone and teeth required to hold the jaw stable. Inlay bone grafts can
be utilized for space maintenance and secured with screw and plate
fixation, while onlay bone grafting is used to augment the bony
skeleton and improve facial soft tissue contour."
Tennessee Craniofacial Center: Orthognathic Surgery
http://www.erlanger.org/craniofacial/book/Orthog/Orthog_1.htm
"Maxillo-mandibular Advancement (MMA) or double jaw advancement is a
procedure whereby the upper and lower jaws are surgically moved
forward... The concept is that as the bones are surgically advanced
the soft tissues of the tongue and palate are also moved forward,
again opening the upper airway. The usual movement is about a half an
inch. Since the upper and lower teeth are moved the same amount, the
bite would be similar before and after operation.
The MMA will always alter and often enhance appearance, but is not
disfiguring. The operation is accomplished through the mouth. The
jaws may be briefly wired closed following the operation."
Lexington Clinic: Maxillo-mandibular Advancement
http://www.osasurgery.com/maxillo.htm
"Orthognathic surgery is also known as corrective jaw surgery. It is
used to treat a variety of facial and jaw abnormalities in which the
facial bones and teeth are not correctly developed. This results in
difficulty with chewing, speech, and jaw function. In many cases, the
facial appearance is affected by this problem. Orthognathic means
'straight jaws', and orthognathic surgery corrects these jaw and
facial deformities...
If the upper jaw is in normal position, but the lower jaw is retruded,
the lower jaw is brought forward to its proper position. Small screws
hold the bones in their new positions. Sometimes, the problem is in
both the upper and lower jaws. Here, the upper jaw is brought down and
forwards, and the lower jaw is moved back. A combination of plates and
screws stabilize the surgical result."
Southern California Oral and Facial Surgery Group: Orthognathic Surgery
http://www.scofsg.com/orthosx.htm
You'll find illustrations of several kinds of jaw advancement procedures here:
Princeton Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery: Orthognathic surgery
http://www.princetonoms.com/orthog.html
If you are considering having jaw advancement surgery, you might want
to check out this Yahoo support group:
"The purpose of this group is to offer support and advice for
orthognathic patients and their families. Many members here are health
professionals and/or surgery vets, and are ready and willing to lend
advice."
YAHOO! Groups: Orthognathic Surgery Support
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/orthognathicsurgerysupport/
Google search strategy:
Google Web Search: orthognathic surgery
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=orthognathic+surgery
Google Web Search: jaw OR maxillary OR mandibular advancement surgery
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=%22jaw+OR+maxillary+OR+mandibular+advancement%22+surgery
I hope this helps!
Best,
Pink |
Request for Answer Clarification by
psychopoet-ga
on
17 Aug 2004 16:37 PDT
Pink you are awesome!
Yes I am considering have surgury to correct my overbite. I seem to
mispaced my evaluation chart. I'm going to hold off on rating this
until I can give some spacific terms to look up, if that's ok?
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Clarification of Answer by
pinkfreud-ga
on
17 Aug 2004 16:52 PDT
Just let me know if you want me to look up some medical terminology.
Terms like "maxillo-mandibular" and "orthognathic" are jawbreakers in
their own right. ;-)
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Request for Answer Clarification by
psychopoet-ga
on
17 Aug 2004 17:12 PDT
Orthoganic Surgey
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Clarification of Answer by
pinkfreud-ga
on
17 Aug 2004 17:46 PDT
Do you mean "orthognathic surgery?"
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Request for Answer Clarification by
psychopoet-ga
on
17 Aug 2004 17:55 PDT
yes
Look for anything that talks about moving the lower jaw forward
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Clarification of Answer by
pinkfreud-ga
on
17 Aug 2004 18:13 PDT
The prefix "ortho-" means "straight." It comes from a Greek source.
You see this prefix in many medical words, such as orthodontia,
orthopedist, and orthotic. The Greek word for "jaw" is "gnathos."
Orthognathic literally means "straight jaws." Orthognathic surgery is
the surgical process of repositioning the jaws and teeth. Sometimes
orthognatic surgery is called "surgical orthodontics."
"Orthognathic means ?straight jaws.? Orthognathic surgery is needed
when jaws don?t meet correctly and/or teeth don?t seem to fit with
jaws. Teeth are straightened with orthodontics, and corrective jaw
surgery repositions misaligned jaws. This improves facial appearance
and ensures that teeth meet correctly and function properly...
Orthognathic surgery is a procedure designed to move a patient?s jaws
and teeth into a new position that is more balanced, functional and
healthy. People who can benefit from orthognathic surgery include
those with an improper bite or whose jaws are positioned incorrectly."
Sumter Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Center: Orthognathic Surgery
http://edisto.cofc.edu/~kmcginni/orthognathic.html
"Surgical orthodontics is also known as orthognathic surgery because,
just as an orthodontist repositions teeth, an oral and maxillofacial
surgeon uses orthognathic surgery to reposition one or both jaws. Just
as 'orthodontics' means 'straight teeth', 'orthognathic' means
'straight jaws'. In fact, because moving the jaws also moves the
teeth, orthognathic surgery is usually performed in conjunction with
orthodontics so that the teeth are in proper position after surgery.
The objective of orthognathic surgery is the correction of a wide
range of minor and major facial and jaw irregularities, and benefits
include an improved ability to chew, speak and breathe. In many cases
an enhanced appearance can also result."
eOrthodontic: Surgical Orthodontics
http://www.eorthodontic.com/surgortho.htm
Regarding moving the lower jaw forward, this procedure is called
"mandibular advancement" or "mandibular osteotomy." The word
"mandibular" refers to the lower jawbone, which is called the
"mandible" (the upper jawbone is the "maxilla.") The word "osteotomy"
means "bone cutting."
Google Web Search: mandibular advancement surgery
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=%22mandibular+advancement+surgery%22
Google Web Search: mandibular osteotomy
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=%22mandibular+osteotomy
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Clarification of Answer by
pinkfreud-ga
on
17 Aug 2004 18:19 PDT
Please excuse a typographical error in my clarification response of 17
Aug 2004, 18:13 PDT. I spelled "orthognathic" as "orthognatic" once.
Sometimes my typing fingers outrun my brain. ;-)
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Request for Answer Clarification by
psychopoet-ga
on
18 Aug 2004 11:26 PDT
What I don't understand is how muscles and other soft tissues can be unaffected?
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Clarification of Answer by
pinkfreud-ga
on
18 Aug 2004 12:08 PDT
Muscles and soft tissues are not totally unaffected. There is likely
to be a "bruised" feeling for several days because of the manipulation
and stretching involved. Muscles, being stretchy and fast to
regenerate, adapt rapidly to the newly repositioned jaw.
A friend of mine who had a maxillo-mandibular advancement (double jaw
advancement) told me that at first she felt as if someone had punched
her in the face, and the muscles of her cheeks were quite sore after
the procedure. But she returned to work the day after the surgery,
recovered quickly, and within a week she reported that she had no pain
whatsoever.
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