What Is Jaw Surgery?

Posted March 30, 2026 in Jaw Surgery

8 Min. Read:

Corrective Jaw Surgery

Orthognathic Surgery

Every week, I meet patients from all over the USA and abroad who call in or visit us with one of the following three chief complaints. (Some patients have only one chief complaint, some two, and some have all three chief complaints.)

The chief complaints fall into three categories, outlined below, but not in any particular order.

Table of Contents

• Chief Complaint # 1
• Chief Complaint # 2
• Chief Complaint # 3
• What Jaw Surgery Is
• Why Jaw Problems Occur
• Conditions Jaw Surgery Can Correct
• Who Does Jaw Surgery?
• How Jaw Surgery Is Performed
• Are There Any Visible Facial Scars From Jaw Surgery?
• Benefits of Jaw Surgery
• Are the Changes That Occur With Jaw Surgery Dramatic or Subtle?
• The Importance of Careful Planning
• Patients Traveling From Out of State and From Throughout the USA and Abroad
• Schedule Your Consultation With Jaw Surgery LA

Chief Complaint # 1 

(See below A, B, C, D, E, F, G)

I want to look better. 

Here are some examples:

1. I am not happy with my profile.  

2. I want a stronger jawline.

This can include:

• A weak lower jaw and chin, sometimes with an overbite (class 2)
• A protruding lower jaw, sometimes with an underbite (class 3)

3. I don’t like my smile. 

This can include:

• Too much gum showing (maxillary vertical excess with increased gingival display)
• Too few teeth showing (maxillary vertical insufficiency)
• A narrow smile 

4. My cheeks appear flat.

5. I have deep naso-labial folds when I smile. (These are increased skin creases during smiling, extending from the side of the nose to the corner of the mouth on both sides.)

6. I don’t like my nose. (This can include the size, shape, tip that seems to be slowly hanging down over time, and nose asymmetry, including a deviated septum and sometimes cosmetic asymmetry.)

7. My face looks like it is closing down or collapsing over time. (This is a lower facial height.)

Chief Complaint # 2 

This chief complaint includes one or more of the following:

• My bite feels off.
• My jaws feel out of balance.

The goal is to improve the structure, function, comfort, stomatognathic health, and long-term stability of your teeth and bite.

Here is another example within complaint number 2:

• I experience TMJ clicking, popping, muscle tension, facial pain, or discomfort, and sometimes headaches.

Chief Complaint # 3

This chief complaint includes one or more of the following:

• I wake up in the morning after sleeping, and I don’t feel fully rejuvenated.
• I sometimes feel tired during the day. I attribute it to stress, age, diet, or not enough exercise, but I know it can be from not getting sufficient oxygen at night while sleeping, sometimes from a narrow airway or small partial airway blockage in my nose or throat, or behind my tongue.
• I snore a little at night and know that means I may not be getting sufficient oxygen saturation while sleeping and may not stay in a deep, restful REM sleep for long enough.

Many of those problems can be related to the position of the jaws, and in some cases, the most effective treatment is corrective jaw surgery.

You may be wondering what jaw surgery you should get and who may benefit from it.

How can it can improve health, function, and facial balance:

• Look better
• Breathe better
• Sleep better

What Jaw Surgery Is

Jaw surgery, also called orthognathic surgery, is a procedure designed to correct problems with the alignment and position of the upper and lower jaws. The word “orthognathic” simply means straightening the jaws.

When the jaws are not positioned correctly, it can affect many important functions, including:

• Biting and chewing
• Breathing and sleeping
• Speaking
• Facial balance and proportion 
• Long-term dental, periodontal, and general health

Corrective jaw surgery is designed to reposition the jaws so that:

• The teeth and bite align correctly. 
• The smile is more natural and aesthetic.
• The jaw bones align, and TMJ can remodel as needed in the physiologic centric position.
• The face is more balanced structurally and functionally.

Why Jaw Problems Occur

Jaw disparities can be a result of:

• Abnormal growth and development 
• Physical trauma
• Loss of teeth
• Mouth breathing
• Excessive clenching (especially at night while sleeping) 

Types of jaw problems:

• An underbite, where the lower jaw is too far forward
• An overbite, where the lower jaw is too far back
• A retrusive upper jaw and/or lower jaw
• Facial asymmetry
• Chin asymmetry 
• Jaw clicking or popping
• Myofascial pain or headache

Can orthodontic treatment correct jaw problems?

Sometimes orthodontic treatment can improve bite disparities.

However, if there is a true anatomical skeletal disparity (e.g., the jaw is positioned incorrectly), orthodontic treatment is limited and cannot correct a significant skeletal mismatch.

However, jaw surgery (orthognathic surgery) can.

Conditions Jaw Surgery Can Correct

Corrective jaw surgery can improve:

• Severe overbites 
• Underbites
• Deep bites
• Open bites
• Facial asymmetry
• Difficulty chewing or biting
• Temporomandibular joint problems 
• Obstructive sleep apnea (to improve breathing and sleep) 

Who Does Jaw Surgery?

Jaw surgery is a highly specialized art and science best done by a team of specialists, including:

1. A double board-certified surgeon who is board-certified in oral and maxillofacial surgery AND board-certified in plastic surgery
2. An experienced board-certified orthodontist with 20 or more years of experience working with patients, specifically doing the orthodontic preparation for orthognathic surgery
3. A board-certified otorhinolaryngologist (ENT) as needed
4. An experienced board-certified oral maxillofacial and craniofacial surgeon
5. A board-certified anaesthesiologist with experience working with patients undergoing orthognathic surgery
6. A team of ancillary medical specialists, including an experienced RB

How Jaw Surgery Is Performed

The process usually involves three stages, which are outlined below.

Stage 1

The orthodontic treatment precedes the surgery in this stage.

Orthodontic appliances (braces) or clear aligners like Invisalign® are used to move the teeth so they fit together after surgery. 

The duration of this phase of treatment may be as little as four weeks or as much as six to nine months, depending upon how severe the malocclusion is.

Stage 2

Stage 2 is the jaw surgery.

The surgical procedure repositions the upper jaw, the lower jaw, or both.

The time in surgery usually ranges from one hour to five hours, depending upon the complexity and extent of surgery needed.

Stage 3

This stage of orthodontics occurs following jaw surgery to refine the bite and achieve the final teeth and bite alignment.

This stage can range from four weeks to six to nine months, depending upon the complexity of the malocclusion.

Are There Any Visible Facial Scars From Jaw Surgery?

The surgery is usually performed inside the mouth, so there are no visible facial scars, and modern protocols, developed over many years, allow patients to recover much faster than many years ago.

Benefits of Jaw Surgery

Successful jaw surgery by an experienced team of specialists can be a most rewarding experience for patients and for the surgical team. An effective surgery can deliver the following benefits:

• Look better
• Breathe better
• Sleep better

Patients can experience improvement in one or more of the following areas:

• Improved bite (static and dynamic occlusion)
• Improved function and stability
• Better breathing and airway space
• Improved facial balance and aesthetics
• Improved smile
• Reduced lip strain 
• Improved jaw position and TMJ function
• Improved long-term dental, stomatognathic, and general health.

Are the Changes That Occur With Jaw Surgery Dramatic or Subtle?

Facial changes that occur with orthognathic surgery may be subtle, whereby patients report that friends don’t even notice the difference, though patients report that they notice and love the aesthetic AND functional improvements. 

However, if patients have significant facial disfigurements or disparities, changes can be significant. The changes designed are based upon what you, the patient, wants and what your team of specialists recommends based upon what you want, and also based upon what they can achieve.

The Importance of Careful Planning

Is jaw surgery 100% predictable and guaranteed? No. Orthognathic surgery is an art and science.

Therefore, jaw surgery is best performed by a team of experienced specialists.

One important part of jaw surgery is careful planning and preparation. A comprehensive consultation with the chief surgeon and establishing a congenial professional relationship is helpful. 

The surgeon will include a detailed cephalometric analysis, 3-D imaging of the jaws,  teeth, bite, TMJ, airway, sinuses, and a static and dynamic analysis of the face. You can ask to see the computerized surgical treatment objective that the surgeon will Rx, to help clarify what you may prefer and what your surgeon recommends, based upon your preferences and what your surgeon can attain. 

Patients Traveling From Out of State and From Throughout the USA and Abroad

Every week, we talk to and visit with patients who are considering jaw surgery but live out of state within the United States and abroad; however, they are interested in doing their surgery with our team.

We have a concierge team to assist you with many of your needs. Patients often comment on how responsive we are and what a pleasure it is to work with our team.

Here is an example of an email we just received from a patient flying in from the Midwest for jaw surgery:

Choosing Jaw Surgery Los Angeles JawSurgeryLosAngeles.com is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. 

I struggled with a lifelong congenital issue that became more difficult with age, and the surgery has been truly transformative. 

Despite being 55, the healing process was remarkably fast.

Schedule Your Consultation With Jaw Surgery LA

If you’re ready to learn more about jaw surgery and how it can restore your health and confidence, call Jaw Surgery LA at (310) 857-2088 or fill out our online contact form today.