You can’t build a great house on a weak foundation
My belief is that a facial surgeon should be able to tackle all layers of the face, from the boney foundation to the upper surface of the skin, in order to best advise you. Because when you only have a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
Orthognatic surgery should be a key skill of the facial surgeon. It entails adaptation of the upper-,lower jaw and chin in order to achieve a harmonious balance of the facial skeleton and a harmonious balance of both jaws for a functional occlusion.
Occlusion basically describes how your teeth come together when you bite down. People are usually more familiar with the terms ‘underbite’ and ‘overbite’ describing the relation of the jaws. If there is a unbalance this will not only leed to disturbed facial harmony but also to functional problems with chewing. It may result in long term damaging of the joints and early tooth loss.
When there is a constriction of the upper jaw, treatment begins with a widening of the upper jaw before continuing orthodontic alignment.
Depending on your malocclusion and facial features the jaws are moved to their perfect position. The surgery is performed digitally beforehand and a splint is 3D printed in order to place the jaws in the perfect planned position.