Which jaw can be reconstructed?
The lower jaw, called the mandible, or the upper jaw, called the maxilla.
Some repairs also involve the teeth, gums, palate, facial skin, or other nearby tissues.
Reconstructive Surgery • Face
Jaw Reconstruction (Mandibular / Maxillary)
Jaw reconstruction repairs or rebuilds the lower or upper jaw to restore support, alignment, and function after injury, disease, or tissue loss.
Is this the same as corrective jaw surgery?
Not always. Reconstruction repairs damaged or missing structures; corrective jaw surgery mainly repositions existing jawbone.
A treatment plan may combine reconstruction, bite correction, and later dental restoration.
Will I need more than one operation?
Some people do, especially when bone, soft tissue, and teeth all need restoration.
Your surgeon can explain which parts may be completed together and which are safer to stage.
01 · Overview
Rebuilding jaw structure and function
Jaw reconstruction may be considered after a serious fracture, removal of a tumor, bone damage, or a condition present from birth. The repair depends on how much healthy bone and surrounding tissue remain. [1]
The mandible supports the lower teeth and moves during chewing. The maxilla supports the upper teeth and helps separate the mouth from the nose. Damage in these areas can affect the bite, facial support, swallowing, or speech. [1]
Reconstruction is different from a cosmetic chin implant or routine jaw contouring. It is also not automatically the same as orthognathic surgery, which moves existing jawbone to improve alignment. Your care may involve reconstructive and oral and maxillofacial surgeons, dental specialists, and rehabilitation professionals. [2]
- Treatment area
- Lower jaw, upper jaw, or both
- Main goals
- Structural support, bite, and oral function
- Anesthesia
- Usually general anesthesia
- Recovery setting
- Hospital care may be needed, particularly for complex reconstruction
Why does the cause of jaw damage matter?
Trauma, infection, cancer treatment, and developmental differences create different repair needs. Infection control, cancer treatment, prior radiation, and the condition of nearby tissue can all affect the timing and method of reconstruction.
How is the repair planned?
Your team may use scans, dental records, bite measurements, and sometimes computer-assisted planning. The plan considers bone support, tissue coverage, the airway, and whether future teeth or a prosthesis will be possible.
02 · Concerns & Goals
What brings people to a consultation
Changes in your jaw can affect eating, speech, appearance, and everyday comfort. Your team will help identify what can be repaired and which goals matter most to you.
Difficulty biting or chewing
Missing bone, unstable segments, or a changed bite can make eating difficult. Restoring useful chewing may require both surgery and dental treatment.
Changes in facial support
Jaw damage can change the outline of the lower face or support beneath the cheek and upper lip. Reconstruction aims to rebuild support, but perfect symmetry is not assured.
Speech or swallowing changes
Upper-jaw or palate defects can allow air or liquids to pass between the mouth and nose. Other tissue losses may also affect clear speech and safe swallowing.
An unstable or unhealthy jaw
A fracture that has not healed, ongoing infection, or damaged bone may need treatment before or during reconstruction. Pain can have several causes and may not fully resolve after repair.
03 · Options
How the approaches differ
These approaches are not interchangeable. Your surgeon will recommend a plan based on the defect, tissue health, medical history, and your priorities.
Repair and fixation
Repositions and stabilizes existing jawbone.
How it worksThe surgeon aligns usable bone and may secure it with plates and screws, sometimes with a bone graft.
May suitSelected fractures or areas where enough healthy bone remains.
Main tradeoffHardware cannot replace every large defect, and healing depends on bone health, blood supply, and infection control.
Bone graft reconstruction
Uses bone to rebuild a selected area of loss.
How it worksBone, often taken from another part of your body, is secured in the defect and covered with healthy tissue.
May suitSelected defects with adequate surrounding tissue and blood supply.
Main tradeoffThe graft may not fully heal or maintain its volume, and a bone-harvest site adds another area of recovery.
Vascularized tissue transfer
Moves living bone and sometimes skin or muscle with its blood vessels.
How it worksA free flap, often using bone from the lower leg or another suitable site, is shaped to rebuild the jaw. Small blood vessels are connected in the neck.
May suitLarger or more complex defects that need durable bone and soft-tissue replacement.
Main tradeoffThis is a major operation with hospital monitoring, donor-site recovery, and a risk of loss of the transferred tissue.
Staged combined reconstruction
Rebuilds bone, tissue, and dental function over separate steps.
How it worksInitial surgery establishes support and coverage; later procedures may refine the repair or support dental rehabilitation.
May suitComplex defects, cancer-related treatment plans, or situations where immediate complete reconstruction is not appropriate.
Main tradeoffThe full pathway can take many months and may involve several procedures and specialists.
Jaw alignment surgery and reconstruction after tumor removal address different problems. Ask which parts of your plan rebuild missing tissue, correct the bite, or replace teeth. [2] [3].
Will reconstructed bone support dental implants?
Sometimes. Bone position and quality, tissue coverage, radiation history, oral hygiene, and overall health all matter. Implant planning is best discussed early, even when implants would be placed much later.
Does reconstruction always require bone from my leg?
No. Some repairs use existing jawbone, a smaller graft, or another donor site. When living bone transfer is needed, the choice depends on the size and shape of the defect and the health of potential donor sites.
04 · Results
What may improve and what may remain
Structural healing
A stable repair is an early priority.
- Your team checks wound healing, bone alignment, and any transferred tissue.
- Bone healing and safe loading during chewing take longer than the initial wound recovery.
- Additional treatment may be needed if bone does not unite or hardware becomes exposed.
Everyday function
Eating and communication may improve gradually.
- Diet progression depends on the repair and swallowing safety.
- Speech, swallowing, or jaw-motion therapy may be part of recovery.
- Useful chewing may depend on later dentures, implants, or other dental work.
Appearance and longer-term goals
Facial support may change as swelling settles and reconstruction matures.
- Scars, differences between sides, and changes in sensation may remain.
- Later procedures may address contour, tissue bulk, or dental access.
- Results depend on the original damage, tissue health, and any ongoing disease treatment.
Early recovery is not the same as complete bone healing. For jaw surgery, final healing and orthodontic or dental treatment may continue well beyond a return to everyday activities. [2]
05 · Recovery
Planning your recovery
Recovery at a glance
- Stay after surgery
- Determined by Your Surgeon
- Initial recovery at home
- Varies by Individual
- Return to desk work
- Varies by Procedure and Work Activity
- Light daily activities
- Based on Individual Recovery
- Strenuous exercise
- Based on Surgeon Clearance
Returning to work does not mean fully healed. Follow your surgeon’s instructions; strenuous activity requires clearance.
Recovery varies widely between a limited repair and a major bone-and-tissue transfer. Your team should provide instructions tailored to your jaw repair, airway needs, nutrition, and any donor site.
Step 1 · Day of surgery
Treatment day
The team monitors breathing, bleeding, pain, and the repair. Major reconstruction may involve drains, tube feeding, or temporary airway support; these are not needed for every patient.
Step 2 · First days
Early monitoring
Hospital care may include frequent checks of transferred tissue, nutrition support, and help with movement. Discharge depends on your procedure and ability to manage safely outside the hospital.
Step 3 · Following weeks
Protected healing
Follow-up visits assess wounds, bite, nutrition, and bone healing. Your team determines mouth care, diet texture, and whether jaw exercises are appropriate.
Step 4 · Following months
Rehabilitation and restoration
Eating, speech, jaw movement, and donor-site function may need ongoing rehabilitation. Dental restoration or further surgery is considered when healing and other treatment allow.
Planning everyday activities
ActivityGeneral planning contextWhat affects the plan
Work or schoolPlanning context: Timing depends on the extent of surgery, fatigue, communication needs, and job demands. [2]What affects it: Returning to work does not mean the bone is fully healed.
Eating and chewingPlanning context: A modified diet or temporary feeding support may be needed.What affects it: Your surgeon and swallowing team determine when it is safe to change food texture or load the repair.
Exercise and liftingPlanning context: Restrictions may protect both the jaw and the bone-harvest site.What affects it: Clearance depends on wound healing, bone stability, and the type of activity.
DrivingPlanning context: Discuss driving once you can move safely and are no longer impaired by medication.What affects it: Pain, restricted head movement, fatigue, or leg surgery can affect safe vehicle control.
Use your surgical team's instructions rather than a general recovery calendar. Ask your surgical team whether compresses are appropriate and exactly how to use them.
Before your procedure
- Review scans, dental health, bite concerns, and your priorities with the reconstruction team.
- Share all medications, supplements, allergies, and previous anesthesia problems; ask which medicines need a specific plan.
- Discuss nicotine use and a cessation plan, because nicotine and smoking can interfere with healing.
- Ask whether nutrition support, dental treatment, or speech and swallowing assessment is needed before surgery.
- Arrange transportation, help at home, and support for any donor-site limitations.
- Confirm your individualized fasting instructions, hospital plan, and contact numbers for urgent concerns.
Will my jaws be wired shut?
Not necessarily. Plates, screws, elastics, or temporary fixation may be used depending on the repair. If jaw opening will be restricted, your team should explain eating, mouth care, and exactly what to do if vomiting or breathing trouble occurs.
What happens if bone is taken from another area?
That area needs its own wound care and activity plan. For example, lower-leg bone harvest can affect walking during recovery. Ask about mobility support, therapy, and possible lasting weakness, discomfort, or changes in sensation.
06 · Safety
Risks and what your clinician assesses
Swelling, bruising, fatigue, soreness, temporary changes in sensation, and difficulty eating normally can occur. The amount and duration depend on the repair. New, severe, or worsening symptoms should not be assumed to be routine recovery.
Bleeding and infection
Bleeding, a collection of blood, or infection may require medication, drainage, transfusion, or another operation.
Bone or hardware problems
Bone may heal slowly, fail to unite, or heal in an unwanted position. Plates or screws can become exposed, loosen, or need removal.
Graft or flap loss
A bone graft may fail to take. A transferred flap can lose its blood supply and require urgent surgery; some or all of it may be lost.
Nerve and functional changes
Numbness, altered sensation, weakness, bite changes, jaw stiffness, or persistent problems with chewing, speech, and swallowing may occur.
Wound and donor-site problems
Wounds can open or leak saliva into nearby tissue. Scars, contour differences, and donor-site pain, weakness, or reduced movement may remain.
Anesthesia and major-surgery complications
Breathing problems, blood clots, and heart or lung complications are possible. The risks depend on your health and the length and complexity of surgery.
Discuss these risks and your individual health history with your surgeon. [2]
What your clinician assesses
- The size and location of the defect, bite, dental health, and available healthy tissue
- Infection, previous radiation, cancer treatment needs, and prior jaw operations
- Nutrition, nicotine use, diabetes, circulation, and heart or lung health
- Potential donor-site health, rehabilitation needs, and support during recovery
07 · Costs
What makes up the Total Procedure & Care Cost
Compare written estimates for the same planned scope, including the jaw repair, donor-site surgery, hospital care, and any staged dental or rehabilitation treatment. Coverage and out-of-pocket costs depend on your benefits and authorization requirements.
Surgeon
Surgical care
Surgeon services for reconstruction and any planned donor-site or associated procedures.
Ask your surgeonAsk which specialists, stages, and possible later procedures are included.
Facility
Anesthesia and facility
Anesthesia, operating-room services, and planned hospital care.
Ask your surgeonAsk how inpatient stays, additional monitoring, and unplanned care are billed.
Supplies
Supplies and follow-up
Items such as appliances, wound supplies, imaging, follow-up visits, and rehabilitation.
Ask your surgeonConfirm whether dental prostheses, implants, nutrition support, and therapy are separate.
TRC
Patient Services
Any separately billed coordination or administrative support described in your care plan.
Ask TRCAsk whether these services have a charge, what they include, and whether they are optional.
Your written estimate should explain the services included, any separate charges, and payment terms.
08 · Questions
Common questions
Can reconstruction be done when a tumor is removed?
Sometimes reconstruction is performed during the same operation. In other cases it is delayed or staged because of your health, the defect, infection, or the cancer treatment plan.
Will my face look the same as before?
Reconstruction aims to restore support and an acceptable shape, but the face may not look exactly as it did before. Tissue loss, scarring, swelling, and radiation can affect appearance.
Are replacement teeth included in jaw reconstruction?
Not automatically. Rebuilding bone and replacing teeth are related but separate parts of care. Ask about dental options, timing, coverage, and which specialist will coordinate them.
Who should evaluate me?
An oral and maxillofacial surgeon or a reconstructive surgeon experienced in jaw defects can assess your needs. Cancer-related cases often involve a head and neck cancer team along with dental and rehabilitation specialists.
0 consultation questions in your plan
View in My TRC workspaceMy Aesthetic Plan
Prepare for your consultation
Bring these to help your consultation:
- A clear reconstruction plan with priorities, alternatives, and likely stages
- An individualized recovery plan covering nutrition, airway needs, activity, and urgent contacts
- A written estimate and coverage review that include dental and rehabilitation needs
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Choices stay in this visit until saving to your account completes. Nothing is sent to a clinician.
Sources
- [1]MedlinePlus — Jaw Injuries and DisordersJaw anatomy, fractures and other jaw disorders, and problems affecting jaw function.
- [2]Mayo Clinic — Jaw surgeryDistinction between jaw repositioning and other repairs; surgical planning, general jaw-surgery risks, diet restrictions, and the difference between early recovery and complete healing. It does not describe every risk specific to free-flap reconstruction.
- [3]MedlinePlus — Oral CancerOral cancer treatment, reconstructive and rehabilitation needs after treatment, and resources on restoring eating and speech, including prosthetic care.
Photographs are illustrative scenes, not patients, staff, facilities or outcomes. This information does not replace a personal assessment by your treating clinician.