Corrective Jaw (Orthognathic) Surgery Greenbrae CA

Orthognathic surgery is needed when the teeth and jaws are so misaligned that they cannot be properly corrected with orthodontics or braces alone. While simple dental misalignment can typically be corrected with braces, true skeletal misalignment does occur and requires surgery in order to achieve an ideal dental and facial appearance and function. This type of surgery is referred to as orthognathic surgery and is a combined surgical and orthodontic approach. If your orthodontist or general dentist notices that your tooth and jaw misalignment is significant enough to consider surgery, they will refer you to Drs. Mynsberge, Ruggles and Yang for a thorough evaluation and treatment plan. If surgery is deemed necessary to achieve an optimal treatment outcome, the process will require both a skillfully trained orthodontist and an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, like Drs. Mynsberge, Ruggles or Yang working in close communication to provide you with the best possible results. After a thorough consultation and discussion of your specific treatment plan, orthognathic surgery treatment will require three phases:

1. Pre-surigcal orthodontics: braces initially worn to align the teeth in preparation for corrective jaw surgery
2. Orthognathic surgery: the actual corrective jaw surgery itself
3. Post-surgical orthodontics: braces worn after surgery to finalize and fine tune the alignment of your teeth

Orthognathic surgery will actually move your teeth and jaws into a new position that results in a more attractive, functional, and healthy dental-facial relationship.

Who Can Benefit From Orthognathic Surgery?

Anyone with a significant misalignment or improper position of the teeth and jaws that cannot be solved with orthodontics alone can benefit from orthognathic surgery. There are a multitude of reasons that jaw growth and position can develop improperly, including:

• Overactivity of the growth centers of the jaws
• Inherited and spontaneous genetic alterations
• History of facial or jaw trauma during development of these bones
• Chronic nasal obstruction and mouth breathing
• Habitual tongue thrusting or thumb sucking
• Craniofacial syndromes, such as cleft lip and/or palate
• Pathological lesions or growths affecting the jaw bones

Despite the reason for the disturbance in jaw development and growth, the improper skeletal alignment of the teeth and jaws can have significant and detrimental long-term effects, including:

• Difficulty with chewing, biting, or swallowing
• Speech problems
• Chronic jaw or TMJ pain
• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Impaired confidence in one’s appearance

If any of the above issues are a direct result of your skeletal misalignment, orthognathic surgery can improve any of the above symptoms by moving your teeth and jaws into a natural and harmonious position.

Before any treatment begins, Drs. Mynsberge, Ruggles or Yang will see you for a consultation, at which time he will perform a thorough clinical examination, review your x-rays, and establish a treatment plan. You will also be able to discuss with Drs. Mynsberge, Ruggles or Yang any negative impacts your jaw misalignment has caused you, your goals and expectations from surgery, the details of the procedures, and the general timeline for your treatment. When you are fully informed about the aspects of your care and you decide that you would be interested in proceeding with your orthognathic surgery treatment plan, Drs. Mynsberge, Ruggles or Yang will submit for insurance approval through your medical insurance carrier so that coverage can be ensured prior to proceeding with any treatment.

Orthognathic Surgery Presentation

To provide you with a better understanding of orthognathic surgery, we have provided the following multimedia presentation. Many common questions pertaining to orthognathic surgery are discussed.

Having trouble? Please make sure you have the Adobe Flash Player plugin installed in order to correctly view this presentation. This software is available as a free download.