• About Us
  Dr. Stuart Super Dr. James Sunwoo The Team World Education & Training
• Surgical Specialties
  Lower Jaw & Chin Deficiencies Gummy Smile & Long Face Syndrome Large Protruding Lower Jaw & Lantern Jaw Chin Procedures Distraction Osteogenesis Temporomandibular Joint Disorder Dental Implants
• Testimonials
• The Foundation
• FAQS
• Press/Videos
• Contact

People quite commonly have a severe underbite which appears as a "lantern jaw effect or just a protruding lower jaw. The bite or occlusion usually requires orthodontics and surgery to adequately treat this problem. These patients suffer from some eating dysfunction as well as several aesthetic concerns. The cheeks are often flattened severely, the chin is often quite large both in a horizontal direction and a vertical dimension. The surgical correction is often most successful esthetically when both the upper jaw is moved slight forward and the lower jaw moved slightly back. Facial balance is more favorable in these cases because we can produce positive results around the nose, the cheeks the lips and the chin.

The animation below shows the movement of the jaws before and after surgery:

Procedure descriptions:

Maxillary Osteotomy - The osteotomy is approached through an incision in the gingival tissue above the roots of the upper teeth. A surgical bone cut is made horizontally from the left side of the upper jaw to the right side above the roots of the teeth. Than the lower part of the upper jaw is mobilized and repositioned in any direction it needs to be moved and secured with micro titanium plates and screws. These plates and screws act as a positioning device until the new bone grows over them during healing, which takes several weeks.

Mandibular Vertical Ramus Osteotomy - This procedure is performed through small incisions behind the lower third molars and consists of a vertical cut being made on each side of the mandible enabling us to reposition the lower jaw back into a new position. It is a relatively quick procedure and does not require bone fixation, but relies on the jaw being rested for some 4-41/2 weeks in its new position. It has the advantage of allowing the joints to be in a passive position during healing and allows for some minor bite adjustments during the healing phase.