Double-jaw surgery, also known as orthognathic surgery, is a complex surgical procedure aimed at correcting jaw and dental anomalies. This type of surgery is often recommended for patients with severe jaw deformities that cannot be corrected through braces or other orthodontic methods.
Objectives of double-jaw surgery
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Improving Jaw Functionality: This includes enhancing chewing, speech, and breathing.
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Correction of Malocclusion and Teeth Alignment: Ensuring a proper bite and alignment of teeth.
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Aesthetic Enhancement: Particularly in cases where jaw deformities significantly affect facial features.
The procedure typically involves the following stages
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Preoperative Planning: Thorough diagnosis using computer tomography to determine the extent and nature of jaw deformations.
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Surgical Intervention: The surgeon makes incisions in the upper and/or lower jaw bones and repositions them correctly. In 90% of cases, the bones can be secured with plates and screws.
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Recovery Period: Recovery after the surgery can take several months. During this time, patients may need to follow a soft food diet and regularly visit the doctor for monitoring the healing process and bite adjustments.
While double-jaw surgery is a complex procedure with a challenging recovery, it can significantly improve the quality of life for patients by addressing functional problems and enhancing their appearance.
Brief surgery information
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Duration of Surgery: 3 hours
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Type of Anesthesia: General anesthesia
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Hospitalization: 2-4 days
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Return to Normal Life: Within 2-4 weeks
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Clinic Visits: 4-5 times
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Stitches Removal: Day 14
Why patients consider double-jaw surgery
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Correction of Malocclusion: One of the primary reasons people choose double-jaw surgery is to correct malocclusion, which cannot be fixed through regular orthodontic correction. This may include crossbite, protrusion of the jaw, or other complex anomalies.
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Improvement in Chewing and Speech Function: Misaligned jaws can hinder chewing, swallowing, and even speech. Surgery can help restore these essential functions, improving the patient’s quality of life.
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Relief from Chronic Pain and Discomfort: Improper jaw alignment can lead to chronic jaw pain, headaches, and temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ). Surgery can significantly reduce or eliminate these symptoms.
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Aesthetic Enhancements: Double-jaw surgery can also greatly enhance facial appearance, resulting in more harmonious and balanced facial features. This, in turn, can boost a patient’s self-esteem and confidence.
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Correction of Deformities due to Trauma or Congenital Conditions: Patients with jaw deformities caused by trauma or congenital conditions such as cleft lip and palate may require double-jaw surgery to restore normal jaw form and function.
Candidates for double-jaw surgery
Candidates for this surgery typically have the following characteristics:
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Completed Jaw Growth: The surgery is usually recommended after the jaws have fully developed, which typically occurs in late adolescence or early adulthood.
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Good Overall Health: Patients should be in good physical health to undergo the surgery and subsequent recovery.
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Lack of Harmful Habits: Patients should not have harmful habits that could interfere with the healing process.
Why choose South Korea for facial surgery
South Korea is renowned worldwide for its excellence in cosmetic procedures and surgeries. Local doctors are considered some of the most educated and competitive in the world, with only 0.01% of medical school graduates becoming plastic surgeons. Additionally, South Korea’s medical equipment and facilities are on par with those in the USA and Germany, ranking it among the top three countries with the best technical equipment in clinics.
All procedures related to facial surgery are performed in accredited clinics that have permission to treat foreign patients and employ in-house anesthesiologists. Surgeons who operate on our patients have between 15 to 30 years of experience, specializing in facial surgery procedures, and limit themselves to performing a maximum of two surgeries per day. To help you plan your trip to South Korea for surgery, please fill out the questionnaire.
How to prepare for facial surgery in South Korea
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Fasting: Refrain from eating or drinking for 10 hours before the procedure. Take a shower before coming in for surgery.
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Medication: Avoid taking medications like Aspirin, Ibuprofen (including brands like Advil or Motrin), and other drugs that may increase the risk of excessive bleeding for two weeks prior to the surgery. Tylenol is prohibited only within three days before the operation.
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Smoking: Quit smoking, including hookah and electronic cigarettes. Smoking reduces blood flow to the skin and can slow down the tissue healing process. Your doctor may recommend quitting smoking before the surgery, and some surgeons may decline to operate on patients who smoke due to the high risk of complications. Avoid being near smokers, including friends and family, and refrain from visiting designated smoking areas.
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Medical History: Review your medical history and be prepared to answer questions about current and past illnesses, as well as any previous surgeries you have undergone. Inform the medical team about any medications you are currently taking or have taken recently. Please do not withhold this information from your surgeon and coordinators.
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Consultation and Desired Result: Schedule a consultation with your surgeon and show them photos of your desired results. Clear communication about your expectations is essential for a successful outcome.
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Medical Tests: If you have had medical tests conducted within the last month, you may bring them with you. Otherwise, all necessary tests will be performed in South Korea.
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Transportation: Arrange for someone to drive you to the clinic or assist you after the surgery if you plan to arrive by car.
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Essentials: Prepare items that you may need during your recovery, such as personal hygiene products, water, a chocolate bar, or your mobile phone.
By following these guidelines, you can ensure a smooth and successful experience with facial surgery in South Korea. For further information or to start your journey, please fill out the QUESTIONNAIRE.
Surgery process
Before the surgery, you will have at least 2 consultations with the surgeon and undergo tests to gain access to the procedure. On the morning of the surgery, the surgeon draws a design on your face, answers your questions, and hands you over to the medical coordinator. You are taken to the restroom where you are asked about your well-being, the time of your last food and water intake is checked. Then, you are escorted to the operating room, where you are helped onto the operating table, your hands and legs are secured to ensure your safety and prevent involuntary movements during the surgeon’s work, and a catheter is inserted into your arm to administer medications and anesthesia.
Once the anesthesiologist puts you to sleep, the surgeon makes a small incision in your mouth and begins reshaping the bones. To expedite healing as planned, small titanium screws are installed, which can be removed if desired, after 1-2 years post-surgery.
After the surgery is completed and sutures are applied to your face, a special bandage is placed to protect the surgical area, keep the tissues in place, and reduce swelling. The patient wakes up and is escorted to the recovery room for further recuperation.
What to expect after surgery
After the surgery, a translator or medical nurses wake you up and assist you to your room. Most patients do not remember this moment and feel like they woke up in a warm bed, thanks to the anesthesia’s effects.
In the first 10-20 minutes after waking up, you may feel chills, but this quickly passes. There is a warming mattress on your bed to make this period more comfortable. Some level of discomfort may be present due to the use of painkillers and medications during the surgery. Typically, the pain is most intense right after waking up, but the medications start to take effect. You can also request a painkiller injection 1-2 hours after waking up.
Apart from discomfort, you will feel your face starting to swell, not only the jaw but also the eyelids and nose. This is normal, as the body initiates the regeneration process. You may also feel discomfort from the compression bandage. Many clients complain that it presses on the neck under the chin. You can adjust the bandage slightly or ask for a cotton pad to be placed under it, but do not remove it. It stays on for 2 weeks, so patience is required.
A few minutes after waking up, you will be given a cold compress. You can apply it not only to the cheek areas but also to other parts of the face. The more you use the compress during the first week after surgery, the faster the swelling subsides.
You will remain in the clinic for another 2-4 days after the surgery, with a catheter in your arm for medication administration. Every day, the coordinator and medical nurses will check your condition. If you do not experience symptoms like dizziness and nausea, you can prepare for discharge: change clothes, collect medications, and receive post-operative recommendations.
By the evening of the first day, the pain may intensify. Be sure to place several pillows under your head to reduce swelling and take the painkillers prescribed by the surgeon, as they contain pain relief. Over the next three days, swelling will increase, and eyelids and nose may swell. Do not worry and continue applying cold compresses and following rehabilitation rules. Remember that for 4 weeks, solid food is prohibited, so prepare porridge, soups, juices, smoothies, and chocolate in advance to get through this period.
On the 7th day, the swelling will gradually start to decrease. Do not forget to rinse your mouth every 2-3 hours and after each meal to avoid infection.
By the end of the week, you will look much better. Try to walk as much as possible and continue sleeping in an elevated position.
After 14 days, the surgeon will remove the sutures. This may be a little uncomfortable, as the skin in the mouth is thin and delicate, but this process will quickly end, and you will enjoy the results for a lifetime.
Book a consultation with the clinic coordinator or plastic surgeon today! You can book a consultation by filling out the QUESTIONNAIRE or contacting us on any messenger at +82-10-4214-9603.
Recovery process and post-operative procedures
Immediately After the Procedure: Right after the procedure, you will have a compression bandage on your face, and you may experience moderate pain. You will spend the first 2-4 nights in the clinic under the observation of medical staff. Your face will begin to swell, and you may feel pressure under the bandage. Unfortunately, you will have to endure this discomfort for several days.
Days 1-2: Swelling reaches its peak, spreading across the entire face, and the bone tissues may ache. These are the most challenging days following the surgery, and you will need patience. Try to get as much rest as possible and remember to stay hydrated and eat to maintain your strength.
Days 3-7: You will be discharged to go home. Swelling is still at its peak. Avoid any sports or activities that require bending your head down. Continue to sleep with your head elevated.
Days 7-14: Swelling begins to decrease, discomfort subsides, and you gradually return to your normal life. Regular long walks are recommended for faster recovery. Sutures and bandages are removed. Do not smoke for at least 15 days after the surgery; infection could lead to a repeat operation. Vaping, hookah, and other forms of smoking are strictly prohibited. If additional swelling occurs due to a lapse, immediately contact your coordinator and do not conceal the cause of infection.
Days 14-21: Continue to avoid intensive workouts and physical exercises. Consume liquid food and regularly clean your teeth and rinse your mouth. The risk of oral cavity infection is much lower at this stage, but continue to follow the rehabilitation rules, refrain from smoking, and avoid alcohol.
Days 21-30: Your face may periodically swell, depending on the side you slept on; the swelling may shift left or right daily, do not be alarmed, it is normal. Even with the slowest recovery, patients return to work at this stage, and it is not noticeable that surgery was performed, but the face continues to be swollen, especially in the mornings. Be patient and wait for the results.
Days 31-60: Swelling noticeably decreases. You can start chewing harder food, slowly increasing the quantity and load. You can gradually begin exercising.
Days 60-90: You can swim in the sea, sunbathe, do regular exercises, and lead a normal life. During this period, your face may still swell in the mornings, especially after consuming alcohol; do not worry, the swelling will completely subside a year after the operation.
1 Year After the Operation: Complete the rehabilitation process.
Frequently Asked Questions
- On average, the surgery takes about 3 hours. Faster doesn't mean better.
With a properly performed surgery, sensitivity will fully return within three months after the operation (usually within 1-2 weeks).
Incisions are made inside the oral cavity, and after a few months, you won't even feel them with your tongue, and there will be no noticeable scars on the outside.
If you don't want your colleagues to know about your surgery, we recommend taking 4 weeks off. If that's not a concern for you, you can return to work as early as 2 weeks after the surgery.
Most surgeons agree that patients should be at least 18 years old. In some cases, the surgery may be performed slightly earlier with the consent of a guardian.
The final results can be seen a year after the surgery, but the face will already look normal within 15-20 days.
You should wait at least 1 year after childbirth and after finishing breastfeeding.
Not before 4 weeks. Before that, it's important to consume liquid food.
If the surgery is performed by a specialist in orthognathic surgery, and if you follow all the rehabilitation rules, the likelihood of needing a revision surgery is very low.
You need to walk more, avoid spicy and salty foods, eat pumpkin-based foods, take additional supplements to reduce swelling, and receive laser procedures at the clinic.
They are made of titanium, the same material used for dental implants. It is completely safe for the body.
Absolutely none. You won't feel them under the skin, they are not magnetic, and they won't interfere with MRI scans or airport security checks.
If desired, they can be removed 1-2 years after the surgery. Less than 5% of patients choose to do this; most live with them for life.
Yes, it is possible.
We do not recommend combining it with other procedures. Two-jaw surgeries are the most complex plastic surgeries, and it's best not to burden the body.
Surgeons agree that any time of the year is equally comfortable for patients. The most popular seasons for plastic surgeries are spring and autumn, so we recommend booking at least 1-2 months in advance during these times.
Before & After
Step 1: Fill out the QUESTIONNAIRE
First and foremost, you need to fill out a form. This will help us and the surgeons better understand your expectations and review your medical history. In the form, be sure to provide your personal information, details about any previous surgeries, and your current health condition. Unfortunately, patients with HIV infection are not eligible for plastic surgeries in Korea.
Step 2: Attach photos
Attaching photos of the areas of your body or face that you would like to have corrected is a crucial step. This allows us to make a preliminary cost estimate and direct you to a specialist who can address your concerns.
Step 3: Submit and wait for confirmation
After submitting the form and photos, your application will be reviewed, and we will contact you to confirm details and schedule a consultation.
Step 4: Prepare for the consultation
Prepare a list of questions you would like to ask the coordinator and surgeon during the consultation. We recommend bringing a phone with notes or a notepad to help you stay organized and obtain all the information you need. Additionally, you can always ask any questions you have in a personal chat created for discussing the details of your trip.