Orthognathic Surgery & Facial Harmonization: Regain Balance and Function

A jaw misalignment doesn't just affect the way your teeth line up — it directly impacts chewing, breathing, the health of your temporomandibular joints (TMJ), and the support of your facial tissues.

Combining advanced maxillofacial surgery with digital technology, orthognathic surgery repositions the bony bases of the face with millimeter precision, restoring lasting functional occlusion and revealing the natural harmony of your profile.

3D Virtual Planning: Digital Excellence

Every surgical step is fully simulated, validated, and prepared in advance through a complete digital protocol:

  • Multimodal data fusion: Precise integration of Cone Beam CT imaging (CBCT, for bone and nerve anatomy), intra-oral optical impressions (for micrometer-level occlusal precision), and 3D facial photography (to anticipate how soft tissue and the lips will respond).
  • Personalized Virtual Surgical Planning (VSP): 3D simulation of bone movements, optimization of the upper airway, and fabrication of custom 3D-printed surgical splints to transfer the virtual plan to the operating room with total accuracy.
  • Dr Yousefpour's specific expertise: Complete mastery of the digital workflow and advanced 3D simulation software, allowing dental occlusion, skeletal symmetry, and the dynamics of the facial soft tissues to be aligned to the millimeter.

Our Procedures: Indications, Expertise, Recovery & Precautions

1. Le Fort I Maxillary Osteotomy

The Le Fort I osteotomy involves mobilizing the entire upper jaw to reposition it in all three planes of space (advancement, vertical impaction, lowering, or correction of asymmetry).

  • Indications: Anterior open bite (teeth that don't touch), vertical maxillary excess ("gummy smile"), antero-posterior deficiency (a hollowed-out profile), or facial asymmetries.
  • Dr Yousefpour's specific expertise: Use of piezoelectric (ultrasonic) osteotomy for micrometer-fine bone cuts that preserve the sinus and vascular mucosa, combined with 3D guidance for precise vertical positioning of the midface without affecting nasal aesthetics.
  • Recovery: Noticeable swelling of the maxilla and lips for 7 to 10 days. Nasal congestion is common during the first week. Soft/blended diet for 4 to 6 weeks. Return to everyday activities after 2 to 3 weeks.
  • Possible complications: Nosebleeds (epistaxis), transient numbness of the upper lip and nostrils, post-operative sinusitis, delayed bone healing.

2. Mandibular Osteotomy (Bilateral Sagittal Split Osteotomy)

This technique advances, sets back, or realigns the lower jaw through a sagittal bone cut in the ascending rami, without affecting the dental arch itself.

  • Indications: Retrognathia (a receded jaw, a receding profile, often associated with sleep apnea), prognathism (a protruding jaw, crossbite), and lateromandibular deviations (a deviated chin).
  • Dr Yousefpour's specific expertise: Rigorous three-dimensional mapping of the inferior alveolar nerve's path on CBCT, and atraumatic dissection assisted by high-precision instrumentation, minimizing the risk of paresthesia and ensuring physiological condylar adaptation within the TMJ.
  • Recovery: Swelling of the cheeks and lower face, with possible bruising on the neck. Temporary limited mouth opening (trismus) requiring gentle rehabilitation exercises. Light guiding elastics worn (without strictly locking the jaws together). Semi-liquid then soft diet for 6 weeks.
  • Possible complications: Numbness or paresthesia of the inferior alveolar nerve (temporary loss of sensation in the lower lip and chin; recovery generally takes several months, and some residual, though uncommon, numbness may persist), delayed healing, transient temporomandibular joint disorders.

3. Transverse Expansion & Palatal Distraction (DOME / SARPE)

In adults, since the bony sutures of the palate are fused, surgically assisted maxillary expansion allows the palate to be widened in a stable way, combining a minimally invasive osteotomy with a mechanical palatal distractor.

  • Indications: A narrow palate (bilateral or unilateral crossbite), severe dental crowding, increased nasal resistance, and obstructive sleep apnea.
  • Dr Yousefpour's specific expertise: Targeted, minimally invasive corticotomies and release of the pterygomaxillary suture under direct visualization, ensuring symmetric, parallel expansion without tipping the teeth outward, while immediately improving nasal airflow.
  • Recovery: Moderate discomfort in the palate and a feeling of nasal pressure during daily activation of the expander (for 10 to 15 days). A temporary gap between the front teeth (diastema) appears, which your orthodontist will later close. Soft diet during the activation phase.
  • Possible complications: Asymmetric tooth movement, localized gum tissue necrosis, mechanical discomfort from the device, partial relapse of the transverse expansion.

4. Miniscrew-Assisted Rapid Palatal Expansion (MARPE)

The MARPE protocol uses an expander anchored directly into the palatal bone with temporary miniscrews, allowing purely skeletal expansion while protecting the gums and tooth roots.

  • Indications: Transverse maxillary deficiency in adolescents at the end of growth or in young adults, as a minimally invasive alternative or complement.
  • Dr Yousefpour's specific expertise: Personalized 3D digital planning of the miniscrew anchor placement, based on bicortical bone thickness measured on CBCT, ensuring maximum primary stability of the device and full transfer of expansion forces to the maxillary skeleton.
  • Recovery: A simple recovery, with mild pain well controlled by standard pain relievers, and a stretching sensation at the base of the nose. No social downtime required.
  • Possible complications: Loosening or inflammation around a miniscrew anchor, failure to open the midline suture in mature adults, requiring additional surgical assistance.

5. Functional and Aesthetic Genioplasty

Genioplasty is an osteotomy of the chin (the mentum) that allows the bony chin to be moved in any direction — advanced, set back, lowered, vertically impacted, or re-centered.

  • Indications: Retrogenia (a receded or weak chin), progenia (a protruding chin), chin asymmetries, or lip incompetence (difficulty closing the lips at rest without straining the chin muscles).
  • Dr Yousefpour's specific expertise: Joint analysis of the bony profile and soft tissue using high-fidelity 3D morphing, combined with custom rigid fixation, allowing the jawline to be redefined, the mylohyoid muscles to be better supported, and spontaneous, tension-free lip closure to be achieved.
  • Recovery: Moderate swelling of the lower face, with a compression dressing kept in place for a few days. Temporary numbness of the lower lip and chin tip for a few weeks. Rapid return to work after 7 to 10 days.
  • Possible complications: Residual loss of sensation from the mental nerve, residual asymmetry, bone resorption at the cut lines.

Informed Consent: A Shared Medical Decision

Orthognathic surgery is part of a combined medical-surgical treatment, closely involving both the maxillofacial surgeon and your orthodontist.

Informed consent is a fundamental step in your care. Before any procedure, a dedicated consultation transparently covers:

  • The expected functional, respiratory, and aesthetic benefits.
  • The stages of the 3D digital planning and exactly how the operation will unfold, with a view of the virtual simulations.
  • The post-operative course, the pain-management protocol, and the appropriate dietary guidelines.
  • The surgical risks and uncertainties specific to your anatomical situation.

A detailed, personalized consent document is provided to you, giving you all the time you need to reflect before confidently committing to your treatment journey.

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