Upper jaw surgery: what holds jaw in place?
Quote:
> For upper jaw surgery (palatal expansion/split, and/or dropping one
side
>of the palate more than the other), what holds the palate in position?
>Are there sutures, or are the natural internal structures enough to hold
>things ni place?
If you are referring to a surgically assisted rapid palatal expansion
procedure, the surgeon will separate some, but not all, of the bones that
hold the upper jaw in place. The lateral walls of the nose, for instance,
are not cut. The palate is expanded by an appliance to the desired width
and maintained in position by the same appliance until healing has occurred.
In a total maxillary osteotomy (LeForte I) procedure, the upper jaw can be
segmented and expanded. If this is the procedure that is used, small bone
plates or wires may be used to suspend the upper jaw during the healing
phase. These appliances are quite small and seldom require removal.
Doug Anderson, D.D.S., J.D.
{*filter*}and Maxillo{*filter*} Surgeon
