The Capital Center for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery has recently adopted a ground breaking surgical system that enables our surgeons to perform jaw, or orthognathic, surgery more accurately and with less risk and pain to our patients.

Orthognathic surgery is needed when jaws don’t meet correctly and/or teeth don’t seem to fit with jaws. Teeth will be straightened with braces and then jaw surgery will correct any misalignment in the jaw.  This will improve facial appearance, and also ensure that teeth meet correctly and function properly.

Virtual Surgical Planned Orthognathics

Virtual surgical planning is a process where Dr. Emery map the entire cranio-facial anatomy before jaw surgery using 3-D imaging in order to have an accurate view of the patient’s bone structure.

Then the surgical plan can be created based off the 3-D images. Our Drs. have the ability to show the patient exactly how the surgery will be approached, how their bite will be improved and give them an idea of what they will look like after surgery.

This accuracy makes surgery less painful and safer for our patients. More accuracy provides the surgeon with the ability to make smaller incisions. Smaller incisions means less pain and a potentially easier recovery.

This video provides an excellent illustration of how VSP Orthognathics works and the precision our surgeons are now able to utilize for patients needing jaw surgery.

The VSP Orthognathics system allows the surgeons to:

  • Quantify any abnormalities three dimensionally
  • Define and pre-plan any osteotomies and necessary bone movements
  • Optimize the surgical plan and create more precise surgical splints

Jaw surgery can typically help those whose jaws are positioned incorrectly and those who have an improper bite.

Common symptoms that may indicate a need for jaw surgery are:

  • Protruding jaw
  • Breathing problems
  • Open bite
  • Difficulty in chewing, biting or swallowing
  • Breathing or speech problems