Will Jaw Surgery Change my Facial Appearance?

Will Jaw Surgery Change my Facial Appearance?

Nov 17, 2022

Abnormal jaw development or face trauma can cause severe discomfort and affect oral functions such as speaking and chewing. If your jaw problems don’t respond to less invasive correction techniques like orthodontics, your dentist may recommend jaw surgery.

Orthognathic surgery, corrective jaw surgery, or jaw surgery corrects conditions or irregularities of the jawbone, teeth, and lower face. These corrections realign your bite, eliminating discomfort and transforming your facial appearance. In this article, let’s learn why you should get jaw surgery and how it could alter your facial appearance.

Do you Need Jaw Surgery?

Generally, jaw surgery is recommended at the jaw has fully developed (14-16 years for females and 17 – 21 for males). The best way to know whether you need or qualify for surgery is to book a consultation with your dentist. Primarily jaw surgery is performed for medical, reconstructive, and cosmetic reasons. Based on your condition, it can be done in the lower or upper jaw or chin.

A dentist or oral surgeon can recommend jaw surgery to:

  • Improve a poor bite
  • Correct related to speech and swallowing
  • Reduce excessive wear and damage to teeth
  • Correct complex teeth misalignments like open bites and underbites
  • Repair jaw and facial injuries
  • Correct jaw or facial congenital disabilities and imbalance
  • Correct temporomandibular joint disorder and other jaw problems
  • Treat obstructive sleep apnea

Will jaw surgery change my facial appearance?

Generally, jaw surgery improves a few aspects of your smile and overall quality of life. The primary goal is to improve your cosmetic and functional issues related to the jaw. As far as your facial appearance, here is what to expect:

  • Jaw surgery can move and reshape some parts of your face. Based on your needs, the surgeon can cut, mold, or move forward and backward the jawbone. Since the jaw supports your facial muscles, these changes can change certain aspects of your lower face, giving you an entirely new look.
  • Jaw surgery changes your chin. During chin surgery, the surgeon can use new bone tissues from other body parts like the hip, ribs, or leg—the new bone grafts to the existing bone surrounding the chin. The existing bone gradually fuses with the implanted bone, which can dramatically change the width and length of your chin, which you can notice on the face. You are likely to have a more symmetrical and better-proportioned appearance.
  • Jaw surgery corrects an overbite. Bite misalignments like overbites can significantly affect your appearance. Corrective jaw surgery moves realign the jaw backward or forward, giving you a youthful and more pronounced smile.
  • Jaw surgery can improve the proportions of different parts of your face, like a large nose. Since the jaw is the primary foundation for your facial muscles, jaw surgery can improve the appearance of your face. For instance, moving the jaw backward or forward can change the contour, placement, and shape of your chin, nose, teeth, lips, mouth, and face.
  • Jaw surgery can improve a gummy smile. You might have a gummy smile if your teeth look too short or have excessively notable gum tissues. Normally, gums should be evenly-shaped and complement the upper lip. Excessive gum tissues can affect the balance of your smile, making you feel unattractive and self-conscious about smiling. Jaw surgery can correct a gummy smile, giving you a balanced, natural, and beautiful smile.

Risks

Normally, you will experience minor symptoms like pain and swelling after surgery. Fortunately, these symptoms should fade away after some time.  The surgeon might prescribe some medications to manage these symptoms.

However, like most surgeries, jaw surgeries do come with risks. Working with a highly skilled surgeon will reduce the risk of post-surgery complications.

These complications can include the following:

  • Infection on the surgical site
  • Jaw fracture
  • Bleeding
  • Nerve injury
  • Problems with bite fit
  • Loss of a portion of the jaw
  • Jaw relapsing to the original position
  • Jaw joint pain and swelling

Schedule an appointment today

Are you interested in jaw surgery in Andover, MA? Contact Andover Cosmetic Dental Group for more information.

Our dentists in Andover, MA also welcome patients from the below nearby areas:

  • North Andover
  • Lawrence
  • Methuen
  • Tewksbury
  • North Reading
  • Middleton
  • Wilmington
  • Dracut
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