Jaw surgery is appropriate after growth stops, usually around ages 14 to 16 years for females and ages 17 to 21 years for males.
The best candidates for orthognathic surgery are typically people between the ages of 18 to 45 who are dealing with one or more of these problems. (The procedure is seldom performed on children under age 18 because the jaw has not stopped growing.
In general, a healthy middle-aged patient is a suitable candidate for jaw surgery provided the necessary precautions such as avoiding mutli-segment surgery and slowing the orthodontic movements are taken.
The right age for jaw surgery is 18 to 25 years old, because the growth of the jaw has reached its final stage at this age and stops.
Medicare and insurance might cover orthognathic surgery in Australia. If you are getting jaw correction surgery to treat a functional disorder (e.g. sleep apnoea, chewing difficulty, speech problems, etc.) then it may be considered as a medical necessity.
Jaw Surgery costs in Melbourne
The cost of orthodontic treatment in Australia could range from $7000 to $10000 for orthodontic/braces treatment only. A single jaw surgery (upper or lower jaw) could cost up to $6000 to $10000.
For 2 jaw surgery, 3 to 4 weeks is recommended to be off work or school. For one jaw surgery, 2 weeks is possible. Soft diet needs to continue for a total of 6 weeks after which time a full recovery to normal diet and activities are expected.
The rate of complications after orthognathic surgery is more than 40%; therefore, it is important that patients receive a detailed explanation on the complications related to orthognathic surgery before they decide to undergo the procedure5.
The corrective jaw surgery can have adverse side effects like numbness, loss of hearing, extreme pain, and increased drooling. Moreover, corrective jaw surgery is ten times more expensive than non-surgical treatments for correcting malocclusions.
Benefits of Corrective Jaw Surgery
While treatment, which may include surgery and orthodontic treatment, may take several years to complete, your results will last a lifetime.
With aging, especially when you turn 50, bone resorption increases. This is normally visible in the jawline, as the angle of the jawline – or the posterior part of the lower jaw – becomes less defined.
Age may bring wisdom but it also brings a greater chance of health problems, and some health problems might require surgery to make you better. In fact, 1 in 10 people who have surgery are 65 or older. While being older makes surgery more likely, it can also increase your potential for risks during procedures.
Corrective Jaw Surgery Risks
Risks include infection, bleeding or the need for further surgery to improve or adjust a result. While patients frequently feel numbness or tingling in various areas of their face and mouth after surgery, the sensation usually goes away as the swelling subsides.
Jaw surgery is usually not painful.
This misconception makes the whole procedure seem utterly invasive and is supported by thousands of photos of bruised and swollen people after undergoing orthognathic surgery, so it may be difficult to believe that very few patients report actual pain.
If only an upper or lower jaw requires surgery, your surgery will typically last between 1.5 to 2 hours. If both upper and lower jaws need orthognathic surgery then the procedure will take between 3 and 4 hours to perform.
Lower jaw surgery recovery and post operative care is generally easier for the patient than the upper jaw surgery. However, it is considered a serious and tedious procedure which demands skills and experience for a good outcome.
Orthodontics can be use to mask the deformities. For example, if the upper or lower jaw is excessive, teeth at the back of the mouth can be extracted to create space for the braces to pull the front teeth backwards, in an attempt to change the facial profile.
However, the extensive bone and muscle manipulation and various movements during surgery may result in postoperative pain, especially in the TMJ. Positional changes of the mandible, maxilla, or both jaws during orthognathic surgery can affect the TMJ, masticatory musculature, and surrounding soft tissue [5, 6].
Following your surgery and throughout the post-operative recovery period, especially if your jaw is wired shut, you could lose as much as 10 percent of your body weight.
As the bones have usually healed in full, taking out the plates out does not make the jaw weaker.
Despite the negative public perception, the many studies on complications of orthognathic surgery have shown that it is a safe operation that seldom has complications1,2. Serious complications including mortality have almost never been reported in scientific journals.
Jaw surgery is a major surgery that can disrupt your life for several weeks and months.
For the first 3-4 days following surgery please limit your activity. It is important that you not confine yourself to bed.
Swelling: You can expect swelling to be the worst in the first week after oral surgery. It's usually most noticeable from three to five days after surgery, then it gradually lessens. Bruising: Bruising often accompanies swelling, and it dissipates as the swelling subsides.
Depending on your type of injury or surgery the jaws can be wired shut for a period of 2-6 weeks.