Surgically Assisted Orthodontics in Milwaukee WI

Orthodontics helps you achieve a beautiful smile. It also works to improve the overall functionality of your teeth and jaws. In some cases, orthodontics alone cannot appropriately address space issues or misaligned teeth, and a surgical procedure may be necessary to assist in your treatment.

During your orthodontic treatment or the orthodontic treatment of your child or family member, your orthodontist may prescribe specific oral and maxillofacial surgery procedures to be performed to assist in providing you with the smile you are looking for. These procedures include removal of impacted teeth, placement of a temporary anchorage device (TAD), removal of teeth -other than impacted- to allow for additional spacing, exposing teeth (usually canines), and placing buttons on them to provide traction to move the teeth into the arch space, and orthognathic or corrective jaw surgery.

Here’s what you should know about the different oral and maxillofacial procedures to assist orthodontic treatment.

Depending on the complexity of the prescribed procedure, Dr. Khader will talk to you about the anesthetic options for your care; local anesthesia, sedation, or general anesthesia. Here are the most common surgical procedures to assist orthodontic treatment at Community Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. 

Impacted wisdom teeth often require removal, but other tooth extractions may be necessary to create more space for orthodontic tooth movement or alleviate tooth crowding. Suppose a primary tooth has not fallen out or a permanent tooth erupts beside a primary tooth instead of pushing the baby tooth out. In that case, Dr. Khader will remove the primary tooth to provide space for the permanent tooth to descend.

An impacted tooth is one that is blocked from erupting and may need to be exposed to facilitate completion of the orthodontic treatment. Impacted cuspid (or canine) teeth are the second most commonly impacted teeth (after third molars, or wisdom teeth). These impacted canine could:

• Come in at an angle, pushing against teeth and causing cavities.
• Fail to fully erupt, remaining instead either partially or fully below the gum line.
• Cause bacteria to become trapped beneath the gum and lead to infection and gum disease.
• Cause the development of cysts and tumors in the jaw bone.

Impacted canine (or other teeth) can be treated with a combination of an orthodontic and a surgical approach. Your orthodontist will make space for the tooth to erupt (come into the arch), and your oral and maxillofacial surgeon will remove any primary (baby) teeth that may be in the way and will place a small device (often referred to as a button or a bracket) on the impacted tooth. The device can then be used by your orthodontist to bring the tooth into the arch through traction.

During orthodontic treatment, your orthodontist may require a temporary anchorage device (TAD) to assist with orthodontic movements such as space closure, molar straightening, or occlusal corrections. Your oral and maxillofacial surgeon will be able to place these devices in the clinic with local anesthesia. Treatment usually lasts a few months, and once the desired direction has been achieved, the anchor can be easily removed.

When a discrepancy in the teeth and jaw positions are too large, your orthodontist may advise you to have a combined surgical and orthodontic treatment. The surgery is called orthognathic surgery. In this surgery, the jaw position is corrected to assist in achieving a long term stable result that provides you with the smile and function that you desire.