A NEW
FOUND SMILE

Patient with facial deformity and OSA underwent
life transforming advanced Plastic Surgery

A 30-year-old woman from Nagaland, who was facing difficulty in opening of mouth since her birth, was going through a terrible time. She could not chew food or maintain oral hygiene as she couldn't open her mouth properly. This disorder is medically referred to as the “Ankylosis of TM (Temporomandibular) Joints.” There can be different causes for the problem. As the problem in this case was congenital, the most likely reason could have been trauma to her joint, during birth.

Earlier, she had undergone several surgeries at various other hospitals without much favourable outcome to her situation. She reached out to BLK Super Speciality Hospital looking for a successful correction of Ankylosis and also to reconstruct her facial deformity.

The patient was admitted to BLK Centre for Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery where the expert team of doctors evaluated the complexity and criticality of her case. Post investigation it was

found that the patient was suffering from a combined problem of facial deformity and severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea (AHI = 60). After a thorough investigation, the expert team decided to rectify the problem with Joint Replacement and Orthognathic surgical procedures.

She was finally planned for Bilateral


"She was operated for bilateral TM Joint Replacement and Orthognathic surgeries (Upper Jaw Osteotomy and Chin Advancement Surgery with Bone Grafting)."


TM Joint replacement and Orthognathic Surgery (Jaw Correction Surgery). These two advanced procedures are generally performed in two different stages. However, the BLK team planned to undertake these procedures simultaneously. The procedure was planned manually (using cephalometric analysis) and through virtual means to quantify the degree of correction needed in both jaws. Her dental models were prepared, and a mock surgery was done on models to prepare the guide for the surgery. The surgery took over 12 hours.

The patient recovered very well and was discharged after three days of hospital stay. The patient now has a much-improved mouth opening, and is able to eat her meal with ease.