Orthognathic Surgery

Orthognathic surgery, or jaw surgery, is surgically moving the jaws to the correct position. If you are an adult with a severe overbite, underbite, crossbite, or severely gummy smile, you may greatly benefit from jaw re-alignment.

The orthodontist is the team leader of any orthognathic surgery team. Dr. Kuzmic carefully analyses your skull to determine the precise amount of surgical correction necessary. You then have 1-2 years of orthodontics to prepare the teeth so that they will fit perfectly together after the surgery.

• Healthy, Functional bite
• Facial and Dental Symmetry
• Smile Line Correction 
• Short or Long Face Correction

If you are an adult with a severe underbite, overbite, or crossbite, then jaw surgery may be the best option for you. If you have a large jaw discrepancy, we are sometimes able to compensate by moving the teeth, but this may not lead to as ideal of a result. After thorough review of your comprehensive orthodontic records, Dr. Kuzmic will present all treatment options, as well as the pros and cons to each.

Typically, jaw surgery is covered by medical insurance, not dental insurance. The oral surgeon that will be performing the surgery will run your pre-approval. We strongly recommend that patients maintain their medical insurance throughout treatment to ensure coverage for the procedure, as it is very expensive out of pocket.

In most situations, yes. A surgeon can correct a jaw disharmony in a couple hours that would take an orthodontist several years, if it was even possible to do so.

Every patient recovers differently depending on the type of surgery and the amount of movement necessary. Typical full recovery time is between 3-6months. Patients are required to be on a soft diet for 4-6 weeks, which is the hardest part.

Yes. Dr. Kuzmic needs to place the teeth within each jaw in the perfect spot so that they will fit together well and give you an amazing smile post-surgery.