Corrective Jaw Surgery in Provo, UT

What Is Corrective Jaw Surgery?

Corrective jaw surgery, also called orthognathic surgery, repositions the upper jaw (maxilla), lower jaw (mandible), or both to correct skeletal discrepancies that cannot be fixed with braces alone. These discrepancies affect how your teeth fit together (your bite), how you breathe, chew, and speak, and the overall balance of your facial features.

Conditions Treated with Jaw Surgery

Corrective jaw surgery addresses a wide range of conditions including: open bite (front teeth don't touch when back teeth are closed), underbite (lower jaw protrudes beyond upper jaw), overbite (upper jaw significantly overlaps lower jaw), crossbite (upper and lower teeth don't align side to side), facial asymmetry (one side of the face is noticeably different from the other), obstructive sleep apnea related to jaw position, and chronic jaw pain or TMJ dysfunction caused by skeletal misalignment.

The Surgical Process

Corrective jaw surgery is performed in a hospital setting under general anesthesia. Dr. Jenkins works in close coordination with your orthodontist — most patients wear braces for 12–18 months before surgery to align the teeth within each jaw. During surgery, the jaw bones are precisely repositioned and secured with titanium plates and screws. Most patients spend one night in the hospital and return to normal activities within 2–4 weeks, with full healing and final bite refinement completed over 6–12 months.

Life After Jaw Surgery

The results of corrective jaw surgery are permanent and transformative. Patients consistently report dramatic improvements in chewing function, breathing, sleep quality, speech clarity, and confidence in their appearance. Because the surgery addresses the underlying skeletal cause of the problem — not just the symptoms — results are stable for life.

Why Choose Riverwoods?

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