By Alexander Germanis
In the animal kingdom, there are dozens of species naturally adorned with beautiful colors and patterns. But whether it is a light show of chromatophores on a squid or the stripes on a tiger, these colorful patterns do more than just make for a beautiful display; they serve the functional purpose of camouflage in their respective environments.
Aesthetic beauty, melding with functionality, is as important in the human world as it is in the animal kingdom. Achieving that meld is a vital part of what oral and maxillofacial surgeons do — surgeons like those at Doran, Capodice, Efaw and Ocheltree, LLC in Bloomington. These doctors achieve the synergy of form and function through cosmetic and reconstructive surgery.
At the lowest level there are, “the purely cosmetic surgeries,” says Dr. David Efaw, MD, DDS. “Purely cosmetic would be things like ‘turning back the clock’ — someone who wants to have rejuvenative type facial surgery: facelift, eyelids, laser skin resurfacing, or botox.” All these types of surgeries, commonly associated with plastic surgeons, are requested by the patient in an effort to turn back time, as Dr. Efaw states. “And those are typically soft tissue procedures that are done on the face.”
Other soft tissue procedures are performed on the next level: “Lesions on the face, moles, lesions from skin biopsies, things like that,” adds Dr. Thomas Ocheltree, Jr., DMD.
But of the numerous forms of cosmetic and reconstructive procedures, orthognathic surgery is at the highest level. Orthognathic — from the Greek ortho-, meaning straight, normal or in perfect order, and the Greek -gnathous, meaning jaw — is a prime balance of aesthetics and functionality.
Dr. Efaw explains simply, “As an orthodontist sees a child grow, they sometimes realize there is a discrepancy in the jaw and facial growth and it’s not something that orthodontics alone can treat. In other words, the parents bring the child to the orthodontist because they think the child’s teeth are crooked; but the orthodontist says, ‘Their teeth aren’t going to match up and it’s not because the teeth are crooked, it’s because the jaws are not in proportion to each other growth wise.’”
This happens because of how gradual jaw growth can be. When the maxilla, or upper jaw bone, and the mandible, or lower jaw bone, grow at different rates, a misalignment results. And just as a misalignment in the wheels of a car can cause a cascade of problems with how the vehicle performs, a misalignment of the jawbones can result in a plethora of problems. Everything from aesthetics to oral health, chewing, breathing, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain, even speech can be affected by this uneven growth.
Growth discrepancies are not the only culprits of an improper jaw alignment though. Birth defects, hereditary, injuries to one or both of the jaw bones, and even environmental influences can also permanently affect how the two bones line up.
An orthodontist can often recognize these issues and, as Dr. Ocheltree says, “Can even predict the child’s development through x-rays and clinical exams. But a bad overbite or a bad underbite — those can’t be fixed by just moving the teeth within the jaw.” No amount of orthodontia can correct a problem when the problem is that the jaw themselves are too far apart from each other or one is skewed off center. In these cases, orthognathic surgery may be necessary to reposition the jaws before the alignment of the teeth within the jaw can be properly assessed.
Although orthodontia temporarily ceases to be the pressing issue, the family orthodontist still remains involved. Dr. Efaw looks at it like performing a major remodel on the home. “In orthognathic surgery,” he says, “you’re rearranging the face with the orthodontist as architect.” Together, the orthodontist and maxillofacial surgery team carry out the best plan to reconstruct a better functioning and better looking face.
To learn more about orthognathic surgery, how it is performed and its benefits, read “Orthognathic Surgery — Aesthetics and Functionality, Part 2” in next month’s issue of Healthy Cells Magazine®.
Drs. Doran, Capodice, Efaw and Ocheltree provide a full scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery with expertise ranging from wisdom tooth removal and dental implants to bone grafting procedures, corrective jaw surgery, and cosmetic facial surgery. Their office is located at 109 Regency Dr. in Bloomington with satellite offices in Watseka and Lincoln. For more information, you may call 309-663-2526 or visit them online at www.dceooms.com.
Photo credit: dmbaker/iStock