Can a Lefort Osteotomy (Maxillary Surgery) Move The Upper Jaw Back?

Q: Dr. Eppley,I am interested in a LeFort osteotomy. My bite relationship is significantly off, though, and I’m still wearing braces.  I’d suspect my upper jaw exceeds my lower jaw by at least 7-10 mms.  My orthodontist is under the impression that my bite relationship is fine, but I think that either extractions or upper jaw surgery would be necessary to shove my upper jaw back and even out my profile view.  I think the jaw surgery might be a better bet than a chin implant, in this case, since i like my lower jaw position but not my upper jaw position.  Do you perform upper jaw surgeries?  Could you show me an image of what an upper jaw surgery might look like, in terms of shoving my jawline back?

A: I have performed many maxillary (LeFort osteotomy) upper jaw surgeries. You can not really push your upper jaw back more than 1 to 2mms. It may go significantly up (impaction) or forward but it can not be moved any significant amount back as a total jaw unit. You may have the first premolars removed and have the pr maxilla (bone that contains the front 6 teeth) moved back by orthodontics or even by a premaxillary osteotomy but whether that is a reasonable thing to debased on your tooth relationships and facial profile is a questions for your orthodontist and their participation in integral in this process.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana