This 12 year old boy had  a significantly retruded lower jaw, leading to his lower teeth biting into the palate and gums behind the upper front teeth. The upper teeth were significantly prominent or "bucky" and were a chief cause of schoolyard bullying.

Surgery occurred just prior to school holiday break up, with home distraction proceeding during the first week of holidays. Two weeks into the new school term (which the child attended), the distractors were removed in a half hour Friday morning operation, and the child returning to school after the weekend.

Surgery completed corrected for the under grown lower jaw, and braces were placed before the distractors were removed. Normal orthodontic alignemtn of the teeth proceeded for another 12 months.

Before & after treatment photos showing increased lower facial height & improved bite. The photos are 1:1. By placing a sheet of paper to cover the lower faces, the viewer will see that the nasal profiles are the same size. Remove the paper, and you will see the dramatic change to the size of the lower jaw. The time difference between the two photos is 8 weeks.

Before and after treatment photos showing changes to the bite. The lower teeth are completely behind the upper front teeth, and a degree of forward jaw posturng results, which leads to chronic jaw joint ache. Surgically positioning the jaw forward achieves a nornmal incisor relationship, but orthodotnics is required to guide the teeth into formal and precise inter-dental relationships.

Early treatment for mandibular retrognathia may not be an option for all patients. Here a combination of jaw distraction and correcting orthdontics has improved maxillary incisor flar, and provided lower lip protection to the upper front teeth. Photos are in a 1:1 relationship, and treatment difference is 8 weeks.

Before, during and after x-rays showing how lengthening has occurred between lower 1st and 2nd molar teeth. Natural bone, skin and tissue growth occurs with subtle painless stretching of the jaw in the region demonstrated. Orthodontics then uses the spaces created by distraction to unbuckle and straighten the lower teeth.

Specialist orthodontics provided by Dr Peter Vaughan, Orthodontist, and distraction surgery provided by Dr Paul Coceancig, Specialist Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon.

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