Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon Questions Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon

Do you need braces for underbite surgery?

I am a 21 year old female. I want to know if you need braces for underbite surgery?

7 Answers

Yes they are used to help align/refine your bite.
Pre-surgical orthodontics are often needed to properly align the teeth to the underlying skeletal base depending upon the amount of dental compensation that may be present. Orthodontics performed preoperatively can enhance the chances of attaining a stable anesthetic postoperative result.
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Yes, surgical cases require braces on the top and bottom.
The short answer is: Yes. Usually, if you have an underbite, your teeth have tried to compensate for the jaw discrepancy and have tipped in ways that somewhat camouflage the underbite. When you get surgery, your teeth actually have to be decompensated (all that tipping needs to be undone) in order for the surgeon to be able to actually put your jaws in the right place. Also, during surgery, the surgeons will often use your brackets to stabilize their stents. And after surgery, it is often necessary to wear elastics to keep the teeth coming together in the right position while your bones and muscles heal because your proprioception during this healing process is dramatically different than what it used to be (and the best way to wear rubber bands is to have braces).
That may be TMI, but hope it helps!
Yes braces if you need surgery. Ortho and oral surgery consults are needed.
If your underbite is significant and would need Jaw Surgery: then ideally braces are needed. An Orthodontist has to work with an Oral Surgeon to set up a plan for you. This team work is very important to get good results. Typically patients will need braces before, during and after surgery: usually it takes 2 to 3 years depending on the surgery
Whether or not you will need braces for your surgery may depend on how your teeth line up or are positioned in their respective jaws. Some patients, although not common, may undergo surgery to correct their bite (malocclusion) without orthodontic treatment. In an ideal scenario, most patients undergoing surgery to correct their malocclusion will be treated with braces before and after surgery. Your surgeon and/or orthodontist you are seeing would be best qualified to advise you if you can undergo surgery to correct your underbite without braces.