What You Need to Know Before Getting Double Jaw Surgery?
Posted on 4/12/2021 by Dr. Michael Allard |
 A double jaw surgery, also known as Bimaxillary Osteotomy, is an oral surgery that is performed on both your upper as well as lower jaws. It is a corrective surgery that helps treat misaligned jaws and bad bites.
Your dentist may recommend getting a double jaw treatment to correct your bad bite if other non-surgical methods like braces, retainers, or tooth extractions have failed to treat it. The surgeon may also decide to change the shape and size of your jawbones if it is necessary by surgically removing pieces of your jaw bone.
Double jaw surgery is a corrective as well as cosmetic surgery that can improve your jaw functions and give your face a more defined appearance. It can help treat a small chin and gummy smile (gums are exposed while smiling).
Here are some things that you must know before getting double jaw surgery:
Side Effects
Like all other major surgeries, double jaw surgery, too, has some adverse side effects. It may lead to numbness in your face and oral cavities. After the surgery, there might be a dulling of senses in your lips, nose, eyes, cheeks, and mouth. Some patients mention feeling the same sensation of “pins and needles” as the one your experience when your foot falls asleep. Others feel a warm, tingly sensation that can be remedied by using cold compresses or topical pain relief medications.
Along with numbness, patients may also experience excessing drooling, temporary hearing loss, swelling of the face, stiffness, blocked nose, and inability to chew food properly for 4 to 8 weeks.
Pain and Discomfort
Double jaw surgery is extremely painful as your jawbones are being reconstructed to correct the misalignment, shape, size, and bad bites. During the surgery, the surgeon will administer general anesthesia to numb your who body and make you fall asleep. But after the surgery, as the anesthesia wears off, you will feel the excruciating pain.
To help relieve this pain and reduce your discomfort, your surgeon will prescribe you topical pain reliefs in the form of tablets or capsules. It is to be noted that sometimes, patients can experience excessive bleeding during and after the surgery. Excessive bleeding occurs when blood vessels in the face and neck are damages as a result of the surgery. Your surgeon will either give you a blood transfusion if your blood loss is extreme or apply pressure or bone wax on the surgical area to stop the bleeding.
Typically, you will experience pain and discomfort for up to 4 weeks or more after the surgery.
The Cost
Double jaw surgery is an extremely costly oral surgery. According to Healthline, a double jaw surgery typically ranges between $40,000 and $56,000 or even more depending on the reputation of the surgeon, hospital, and your treatment requirements.
Follow up Surgeries
In some cases, patients require a follow-up surgery if the first surgery produced unsatisfactory results. After the patient has recovered from the first surgery, the surgeon will examine the results and if there is a need or the patient is unhappy with the surgery, the surgeon will suggest undergoing a follow-up surgery.
At Arrowhead Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Dr. Michael Allard and Dr. Allard can help you correct the alignment, shape and size of your jaws through a double jaw surgery. Call us at (623) 738-2564 to schedule your appointment today.
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