Should plates be removed after orthognathic surgery?

Years ago,  fixation devices in orthognathic surgery were mainly steel wires, plates and screws to fix the jaws in their new position. Today, fixation is accomplished with the help of titanium plates and screws that are placed internally during surgery. Titanium is a fairly soft metal that has the unique property of being biocompatible, that...

Although our orthognathic surgery patients do not usually report pain during their postoperative period, most agree that swelling is the most important source of discomfort, especially during the first three days, when it reaches its peak, before gradually decreasing. In this aspect, we can distinguish between two types of inflammation: Superficial inflammation: it is the...

Jaw surgery is usually not painful.  There's a widespread misconception that, during jaw surgery, the maxillofacial surgeon will “break your jaw”. This misconception makes the whole procedure seem utterly invasive and is supported by thousands of photos of bruised and swollen people after undergoing orthognathic surgery, so it may be difficult to believe that very...

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