Jaw Surgery & Who Needs It

Jaws grow at different rates. They can also experience injuries and be impacted by birth defects. Cases like these can leave one with improperly aligned teeth and jawbones. As a result, problems that can arise include chewing, sleep, speech, and appearance issues.
 
While seeking orthodontic treatment can straighten your teeth, it can't fix the alignment of your jaws — jaw surgery (or orthognathic surgery) can. At Atlantic Oral Surgery, our jaw surgery process helps correct the positioning of your lower jaw, upper jaw, or both.

Before we proceed with any jaw surgery, we evaluate:

Any of these issues can start at birth due to hereditary or environmental influences, or after facial trauma. If we feel any of the problems above are concerns for you, we'll perform a complete x-ray and consultation process. From there, we'll figure out a jaw surgery that can help you.
 
Dr. Ponquinette uses modern computer techniques to show you how your surgery will be approached. He also educates you so you know the extent of the treatment you're prescribed and communicates with your dentist.

Before we proceed with any jaw surgery, we evaluate:

In addition to dental implants, wisdom teeth removal, extractions, and jaw surgery, we offer many other procedures, including:

Bone Grafting

Bone grafting can repair implant sites with inadequate bone structure. Whether this is due to gum disease or an injury, we can fix the bone for better oral health. We fill the tissue banks with existing bone tissue, either from your jaw, hip, or tibia (below the knee). Bone grafting restores your health and appearance.

Facial Trauma Correction

Facial trauma correction provides your mouth with long-term reconstruction after injury. These procedures not only improve the physicality of your oral health but your emotional well-being as well. Our oral and maxillofacial surgeons have the training and skills to manage and treat any facial trauma.

Pre-Prosthetic Surgery

Some patients need minor oral procedures before receiving a partial or complete denture. Doing so not only ensures a smooth surface for things like dentures but a maximum level of comfort. We must remove excess gum and bone tissue to ensure that a patient's dentures fit correctly.

Distraction Osteogenesis

Distraction osteogenesis (or DO) is a new method used to treat deformities and defects within the oral and facial skeleton. It's a procedure covered by most insurance companies.

Oral Pathology

Any alteration to your mouth lining's appearance could be a warning sign of health problems like oral cancer. We provide oral pathology treatment for problems like these to ensure that your whole mouth is healthy.

TMJ Disorders

TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorders are a family of problems that cause jaw pain or a clicking sound whenever you chew. The good news is that these issues are common and treatable. At Atlantic Oral Surgery, we provide assistance and procedures to help you open and close your mouth.

Cleft Lip & Palate

During pregnancy, separate areas of the baby's face develop individually and then join together, including the left and right sides of the roof of the mouth and lips. Sometimes, these parts do not join together, resulting in a cleft. We treat cleft lip and palate to ensure proper oral health. The palate surgery is performed when the child is between 7 and 18 months old to close the separation and provide a proper shape to the mouth.

Impacted Canines

We treat impacted canines that are stuck in the jaw and cannot erupt into function. The procedure begins with an x-ray and continues with a small operation. In that operation, we lift the canine teeth above the gums so they can correctly function.