Everything That You Need to Know About Jaw Surgery

Jaw surgery can be done to improve facial aesthetics. Corrective jaw surgery or orthognathic surgery is done for realignment of the jaw and teeth so that they can improve in their functions. With the help of the surgery, you can get a better appearance and a better quality of life.

If you are suffering from jaw problems to which your dentist cannot give some relief, then you should look for the oral surgeons near me in Cornelius, Charlotte, Huntersville, Mooresville, and Statesville NC. Getting corrective jaw surgery can be the best solution for you. For jaw surgery, doctors wait till the bone growth stops. For men, it is done after 16 years of age and for women, it is done when the patient is above 2 years.

Why Corrective Jaw Surgery Is Done

Many issues can be solved with the help of orthognathic surgery. If you are considering jaw surgery in Charlotte, Davidson, Kenansville, and Concord NC, then it will give you relief in the following ways:

• Help you make chewing or biting easier
• Better chewing of food
• Reduce the wear and tear of your teeth by minimizing the grinding
• Correcting your bite with proper jaw closure
• Help your teeth to touch when you bite
• Helping you correct your facial imbalance by correcting underbites, overbites, crossbites, and small chin
• Help you in closing your lips
• Helping in reducing jaw or TMJ pain and other problems
• Repairing birth defects and facial injury with broken jaw surgery
• Providing relief in sleep apnea

Risks of Jaw Surgery

Just like every surgery, jaw surgery comes with its share of risks. However, overall this is a safe procedure. You need to find the right oral and maxillofacial surgeon to get through the procedure. The risks of jaw surgery include:

• Loss of blood
• Infection
• Nerve injury
• Fractured jaw
• Relapse of the jaw in the position before the surgery
• More problem with bite and jaw joint pain
• Complications resulting in another surgery
• Losing a portion of the jaw

Once the surgery is over, you might experience the following:

• Swelling and pain
• Problem with eating though temporary
• Time for adjustment with the new facial aesthetics

How to Prepare for the Jaw Surgery

If you are experiencing pain, discomfort, or a bad bite, you need to go to an oral surgeon who will use 3D imaging to get a clear picture of the jaw and decide what should be done to correct the defect. If it is possible to do that without the surgery, it will be the priority of the doctor. If the surgery becomes the only solution, then the oral surgeon will proceed with this.

Expectations from the Surgery

If you are worried about the pain, then don’t worry. Jaw surgery is major surgery and it will be done while you will remain under complete sedation. The minimum scarring will happen in your chin. The surgery will happen inside the mouth.

Aftercare of the Jaw Surgery

Once the tough part, the surgery, is over and you are sent to the recovery room, your healing will begin. On the first day, you will be still groggy due to the anesthesia. You might not feel any pain for the first day. Once the effects start to wear off, you will feel the pain. You will be given instructions regarding the food that you will be taking and the medicines that you are supposed to take. At the same time, you will have to avoid rigorous physical strain to heal and recover faster.

After you go back home, be prepared to experience a lot of swelling and pain. Having a caregiver will help you get better. The caregiver must take care of your oral hygiene when you are recovering. If your jaws are kept wired, then you will experience a lot of drooling. Having ice packs will help you deal with the pain. During this time, be kind to yourself. Even small progress is a big thing for you.

If you are considering having jaw surgery, keep these things in mind and find the right oral surgeon who will help you understand and get through the procedure.