If you have issues with the growth and development of your jaw, or if one sustains serious injuries, then surgery could be necessary to rebuild the smile. In addition to improving the balance of your smile, we also take your esthetics into account too. In today’s blog, your Santa Rosa, CA, oral surgeons talk about our approach to corrective jaw surgery.
When Your Smile Needs Treatment
When should you see an oral surgeon about your jaw? When you have complications with the growth and development of your jaw, this could lead to issues with the appearance of your smile, as well as bite imbalance. Over time, this could strain your jaw joints and lead to issues like TMJ disorder and bruxism (teeth grinding). We want to help you avoid painful complications and instead, be able to smile with confidence. When you have issues with the shape or position of your jaw, let us know right away.
Planning Your Orthognathic Surgery
Our team has years of experience in tackling complex oral health concerns with surgery. In fact, our doctors often work with the Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital Trauma Team, and we follow the same strict guidelines and protocols that an emergency room does in our operating suites. To get started, our team will take detailed digital images of your smile with x-ray and CBCT technology. These panoramic and high-definition images enable our team to assess the current state of your jaw and then plan treatment to correct it.
Rebuilding Your Smile
With orthognathic surgery, our team can alter the position of the jawbones to improve the balance, function, and health of your bite. In addition, throughout this process we take steps to help ensure the beauty of your smile too. With surgery, we can shorten or lengthen the jaw, or move the bones in or out, up and down, as needed to offer improvement. To ensure your comfort during the procedure, we will offer anesthesia and sedation to help you enter a deep state of calm and relaxation, with little to no memory of the procedure.
Jawbone Grafting and Sinus Lifts
Our approach to jaw surgery also includes procedures to strengthen the smile in preparation for dental implant placement! When we lose our teeth, the body will stop sending key nutrients to the jawbone around the lost tooth roots. Subsequently, the bone structure loses mass and density and begins to break down. This weakens the jaw to cause further tooth loss and eventually, an older appearance. You also have bone structure too weak to support dental implants, limiting your tooth replacement options and allowing your smile to continue to break down.
But with grafting, our team can add new structure to the lower portion of the smile. We could take these from other parts of your body, such as the rear of the jaw, the hip, or the knee, or from donor or synthetic sources. We apply this to the weakened portions, which strengthens the smile. When the area has healed, we can move forward with the placement of one or more dental implants, which not only fills the gap in your smile, but helps preserve your smile to keep it intact for years to come!
But what about the upper portion of your jaw? For this, we could conduct a sinus lift procedure. Instead of adding new materials to the smile, our team will essentially raise the sinus floor to uncover new structures that can support dental implants, which brings you closer to have a full smile. With options like All-On-Four, we can secure a complete set of new teeth in either the upper or lower jaw, or both, in only one visit! You leave our office with a complete smile, and renewed confidence in your smile.
If you have any questions about our approach to jaw surgery, or if you need to schedule a consultation with our team, then contact our office today to get started. We look forward to seeing you and offering treatment so you can smile with confidence and enjoy better oral health and bite function for years to come.
Talk to Our Team About Jaw Surgery in Santa Rosa, CA
Our team wants to help restore the balance and beauty of your smile with corrective surgery. You will be able to smile with confidence, enjoy your favorite meals, and avoid complications with the balance and health of your smile. To learn more about orthognathic surgery, then give us a call at Santa Rosa Oral Surgery at (707)545-4625 today!
