Orthognathic Surgery – Demystifying Orthognathic Surgery – A new vision

Vol. 14 – Number 53 – 2021 Orthognathic Surgery Page 35-44 Demystifying Orthognathic Surgery – A new vision Luiz Felipe Rossi Tassara¹ “I believe that the patient does not have to be convinced to have surgery. The patient has to be enlightened of his needs to be operated on.” Luiz Felipe Rossi Tassara The goal of writing a column on Orthognathic Surgery for orthodontists arose from the limitation of specific bibliographies on the subject. The vast majority of orthodontic bibliographies devote only a small portion of their content to surgical cases, while the bibliographies on surgery basically show surgical techniques. Thus, we decided to develop a column for our orthodontist colleagues with the purpose of uniting the specialties and showing the great benefit that orthosurgery patients have when they realize their great dream. Orthodontics and Surgery have a synergy, both seek a common point, which is the correction of a facial deformity, that is, to cure the patient of a skeletal alteration that he or she has. This interaction between the two specialties has actions from both, and they complement each other. The orthodontist works by placing the teeth within the bone base and the oral and maxillofacial surgeon repositions the bone bases, promoting harmony and facial symmetry to the patient. The approach of both specialties aims to increase the possibilities of obtaining more favorable results that are not achieved if planned in isolation. The need for cooperation between orthodontist and surgeon, speaking the same language and understanding the limitations of each specialty, gave birth to this column. The Orthognathic Surgery for Orthodontists column is the result of my fascination with orthodontics and surgery. I sincerely hope that the column will serve to complement the knowledge of more experienced professionals, and to motivate young orthodontists to enter the diagnosis, planning and treatment of orthosurgical cases with excellence. We will start by demystifying orthognathic surgery and will present 8 reasons for orthodontic surgery treatment. 1. The patient has a severe maxillary mandibular discrepancy that is impossible to treat with orthodontics alone. 2. Compensation of severe dentofacial deformities compromises periodontal health and long-term stability. 3. The patient complains about aesthetics and has great improvement in self-esteem and quality of life after surgery. 4. Improved breathing pattern. 5. Comfortable TMJ situation/articular stability. 6. Orthodontic preparation is more efficient and diagnosis has evolved. 7. Because the surgical results are predictable, the risks are reduced and the post-operative is less uncomfortable. 8. The rate of approval by the operated patients is high. ¹ Residency in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Traumatology, PUCBH, MSc in Orthodontics, UMESP, Professor of Orthognathic Surgery and TMJ Surgery, Simetrium, Fundo, Brazil, Coordinator of the CTBMF Improvement Course, Odontocenter, Fundo, Brazil. DOI: 10.24077/2021;1453-3544