“Is jaw alignment surgery safe?”
I want to have jaw alignment surgery. Is jaw alignment surgery safe?
2 Answers
Every type of surgery has its risks. But the results are amazing if you go through with it.
David Bell
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon
Possible Risks/Complications
● There is a slight chance of long-term or permanent loss of feeling in some areas of the jaws. If this occurs, it is most likely present in the lower lip, chin, or bottom front teeth.
● Titanium (metal) plates and screws are used to place and hold the bones in the new position during healing. Initial bone healing occurs in 6 weeks. After this, the titanium plates and screws are no longer necessary. However, the metallic hardware is usually left in place permanently with no long-term problems. This metallic hardware will not set off the "metal detectors" at airports. In some cases, there may be a reason to remove some or all the metal plates and screws. This usually occurs due to inflammation or a low-grade infection around the hardware. If removal is necessary, it is usually performed in the operating room under general anesthesia as a 10 to 20 procedure.
● Damage to the teeth or gums is possible in scarce circumstances. Root canal treatment or teeth removal may be necessary, but this is also extremely rare.
● Extremely rare cases may need a return trip to the operating room for an adjustment or revision surgery.
● Please note that this list of possible complications is not all-inclusive. There may be other highly uncommon risks such as infection, limited opening of the jaws following surgery, TMJ (jaw joint) problems, a small opening remaining between your mouth and nose or sinus, and a requirement for your mouth to be closed for as much as six weeks after surgery.
● Although complications are always possible, they are rare. In my opinion, all surgeons ought to know their own complication rate and be able to quote these statistics to their patients. My personal complication rate is 1.15%. Multiple studies have demonstrated that the experience of the surgeon is the main determining factor for not only the probability, but the severity of possible complications.
David Bell, D.D.S., M.D.
● There is a slight chance of long-term or permanent loss of feeling in some areas of the jaws. If this occurs, it is most likely present in the lower lip, chin, or bottom front teeth.
● Titanium (metal) plates and screws are used to place and hold the bones in the new position during healing. Initial bone healing occurs in 6 weeks. After this, the titanium plates and screws are no longer necessary. However, the metallic hardware is usually left in place permanently with no long-term problems. This metallic hardware will not set off the "metal detectors" at airports. In some cases, there may be a reason to remove some or all the metal plates and screws. This usually occurs due to inflammation or a low-grade infection around the hardware. If removal is necessary, it is usually performed in the operating room under general anesthesia as a 10 to 20 procedure.
● Damage to the teeth or gums is possible in scarce circumstances. Root canal treatment or teeth removal may be necessary, but this is also extremely rare.
● Extremely rare cases may need a return trip to the operating room for an adjustment or revision surgery.
● Please note that this list of possible complications is not all-inclusive. There may be other highly uncommon risks such as infection, limited opening of the jaws following surgery, TMJ (jaw joint) problems, a small opening remaining between your mouth and nose or sinus, and a requirement for your mouth to be closed for as much as six weeks after surgery.
● Although complications are always possible, they are rare. In my opinion, all surgeons ought to know their own complication rate and be able to quote these statistics to their patients. My personal complication rate is 1.15%. Multiple studies have demonstrated that the experience of the surgeon is the main determining factor for not only the probability, but the severity of possible complications.
David Bell, D.D.S., M.D.
