The objective of orthognathic surgery is the repositioning of the osseous bases of the jaws. Its consequences are both aesthetic and functional. As adults are increasingly concerned with appearance, orthognathic surgery is today, more than ever, a close collaboration between the orthodontist, surgeon and general dentist. The whole team must be capable of coordinating its approach with an aesthetic objective. For the surgeon, a perfect knowledge of complementary techniques (rhinoplasty, bone grafts, plastic surgery of the face, lipostructure or fillers) makes orthognathic surgery a completely separate surgical speciality. The aim of this article is to establish the philosophy underlying this type of treatment and define relevant fundamental aspects. We propose an esthetic "extra-oral" clinical approach not focused on occlusal anomalies but on classification of tooth positional abnormalities in the smile and the therapeutic options that we have for placing teeth in correct positions in the smile.
© EDP Sciences, SFODF, 2014.