What Is Maxillofacial Surgery? Ask Your Athens Oral Surgeon

Maxillofacial surgery addresses a wide range of medical and cosmetic conditions affecting the mouth, jaw, face, head, and neck. It includes procedures like jaw realignment, cleft palate repair, facial trauma reconstruction, and cosmetic enhancements such as rhinoplasty. This specialty blends oral surgery with advanced facial reconstruction to restore both function and appearance. At Athens Oral Surgery Center, board-certified expertise ensures patients receive comprehensive care for conditions that impact everything from daily comfort to long-term health and facial harmony.

If you’ve ever visited Athens Oral Surgery Center, or spent time on our website, you may have noticed that our surgeon, Dr. Jon Tomlinson, is board certified by the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (ABOMS).

Of course, the “oral surgery” part of that title is easy to understand – an oral surgeon operates on the mouth, jaws, teeth, and tongue. But what is a maxillofacial surgeon?

Oral surgery and maxillofacial surgery are closely linked, and most providers – including our own Dr. Tomlinson – perform both types of procedures. In this article, we’re breaking down what falls under the umbrella of maxillofacial surgery and giving some examples of maxillofacial procedures.

What Does “Maxillofacial” Mean?

“Maxillofacial” comes from the Latin word “maxilla,” which refers to the human upper jaw, and the English word “face.” So, the word itself means “pertaining to the face and upper jaw.” But when you look at the actual practice of maxillofacial surgery, you can see it involves a little more than that.

What Is Maxillofacial Surgery?

“Maxillofacial surgery” is a term that encompasses a lot of ground. This area of practice involves a huge number of potential procedures ranging from the removal of dangerous cancer tissue to the cosmetic repair of a crooked nose.

According to ABOMS, “Oral and maxillofacial surgery is the specialty of dentistry that includes the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, injuries, and defects involving both the functional and esthetic aspects of the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region, which includes areas relating to the mouth, jaws, face, head, and neck.”

Some of the most common types of procedures performed under the broad scope of maxillofacial surgery include:

Reconstructive Surgery

There are numerous conditions that can affect the appearance of the face or function of the jaws. Two of the most common are cleft lip and cleft palate. Correcting these congenital deformities is an important step towards allowing these individuals to lead a normal, healthy life.

Reconstructive surgery can also restore a person’s appearance and underlying facial structures in the aftermath of facial traumas such as:

Traumatic injuries and facial fractures
Tissue removal associated with cancer or other tumors
Tissue loss due to a degenerative disease

Facial Trauma Surgery

Victims of vehicular accidents, sports injuries, simple slips and falls, and even assault can experience fractures in the bones that make up the structure of the face. From the damaged cartilage of a broken nose to the agony of a shattered zygomatic arch (cheekbone), facial traumas can be debilitating.

A maxillofacial surgeon uses special tools and techniques to reassemble the damages facial structure and begin rebuilding the patient’s appearance and ability to perform everyday tasks.

Orthognathic (Jaw) Surgery

Conditions ranging from TMJ to obstructive sleep apnea can develop as a result of a misaligned jaw. When the lower jaw is too short, too long, or excessively “weak,” it can cause a host of medical issues.

A maxillofacial surgeon can perform any of a number of orthognathic procedures (commonly called jaw surgery) to strengthen, lengthen, or shorten the jaw and correct the cause for these painful, annoying, and even dangerous health conditions.

Cosmetic Surgery

Many maxillofacial surgeons also perform cosmetic procedures to help reshape a patient’s face into a more desirable form. While most cosmetic procedures are elective surgeries that a patient chooses to undergo, some cosmetic procedures may also be addressing an underlying fault in the facial structure.

Rhinoplasty (nose shaping), facial contouring, and rhytidectomy (face lift) are just some of the cosmetic procedures a maxillofacial surgeon may be able to perform.

Oral Surgery

As noted above, maxillofacial surgeons are also oral surgeons. These providers can perform procedures such as jaw bone grafting, dental implants, sinus lifts, TMJ surgeries, and a wide array of other procedures to treat dental and medical conditions affecting the mouth, jaw, and neck.

What Happens During Maxillofacial Surgery?

As opposed to many oral surgeries, which typically take place at a clinic or a surgeon’s private practice, maxillofacial surgeries are usually performed in a hospital.

Additionally, while some oral surgeries are performed under various levels of sedation, including local anesthetic, nearly all maxillofacial procedures require general anesthesia, so you’ll need a ride to and from the hospital.

After a final assessment of your vital signs, you’ll be taken to the operating room and the anesthesiologist or anesthetist will administer the medications that will help you sleep peacefully and painlessly through the procedure.

During the operation, the surgeon will make small incisions in the affected area and perform the required procedures to correct your dental or medical issue. Once the surgery is over, you’ll move to the recovery room where you’ll gradually awaken from your anesthesia.

In some cases, you’ll be free to go once you’re awake, cogent, and have been observed for a while to make sure you’re not experiencing any severe complications from your operation. In others, you’ll need to stay in the hospital for a few days while your surgeon and other providers monitor your recovery.