Surgery First Approach in Orthodontics

Dentofacial deformities are an array of conditions that result in alteration to the shape of the mouth and face, which can cause facial deformities and dysfunction and have serious social and psychological implications. For severe and complex deformities, orthodontic treatment alone would be insufficient to correct the deformity or would otherwise fail to achieve satisfactory results. In those instances, to obtain an ideal facial profile and for stable occlusion, surgical procedures can be incorporated in the treatment plan.Taking all of the drawbacks of presurgical orthodontics in mind such as prolonged treatment duration, deterioration of patient's profile, masticatory and speech discomfort etc into consideration, a new approach to orthognathic surgery was developed that eliminated presurgical orthodontics but maintained the final result of facial skeletal balance and stable optimal occlusion. This new approach known as the surgery-first/early-orthognathic approach (SFEA) made use of the natural tendency for dental movement toward optimal occlusion, thus allowing for shorter overall orthodontic treatment time.