Category: Jaw Surgery

What To Know Before Your First Visit

Posted on by sccsa
plastic surgery candidate

Whenever you decide to pop into your surgeon’s office for a consultation, there is probably a list of things you’ll need to bring with you to make sure you and your surgeon share the right information with one another. Every piece of information counts and these are the keys to success when consulting so that Dr. Elias has all the information he needs to determine whether the surgery is the right one. When you set up your appointment for a consultation with Dr. Elias at Southern California Center for Surgical Arts, we will tell you which items to bring so that you’re fully prepared.

While these pieces of information are helpful to determine the fit of the surgery, they also allow you to better prepare with any questions you might have for Dr. Elias. To start, we like for every patient to bring in a list of their current medications and any X-rays taken by referring physicians. Any reconstructive surgeries with a particular medical history are best performed with all information ready to go.

The questions you have are addressed during your first meeting with Dr. Elias, and we encourage you to bring them, so you feel ready to move forward with surgery. We are only as successful as your experience from the first moment you walk in until your procedure is complete. We also want you to know that you have the opportunity to check out all of our before and after photos, so you know what to expect.

Recap of what to bring with you on your first visit:

  • List of your most current medications
  • Copy of your insurance information
  • List of questions you have for Dr. Elias
  • Referral slip and any previous radiographs, CT scans or MRI if needed

Am I a candidate for surgery?

One of the most common questions that we have and address is whether or not you will be the best candidate for the surgery. As long as you are healthy and a nonsmoker without prior conditions that could affect the outcome of the surgery, you’re a great fit! Certain procedures do have requirements such as those for liposuction since we encourage patients to have tried healthy weight loss before looking into fat reduction. For a surgery like this, if we remove excess fat from the body it doesn’t mean you cannot gain the weight back. Liposuction requires that you make a lifestyle change to keep the weight off and it’s important that we don’t offer you a surgery that will have risks if it’s not necessary.

What lifestyle changes will I need to make?

We want you to achieve the results you want from your surgical procedures, and that means only offering you the right surgery for your lifestyle. As mentioned before, we like to make sure that clients are paired accurately with their surgical procedures and that we don’t perform an unnecessary surgery or that we do it at the right time. Liposuction candidates are encouraged to make a lifestyle change such as committing to a healthier diet with daily exercise to maintain a healthy weight or be quite close to the reduced weight they’re hoping to achieve.

Any facelift procedure will not last as long as you expect unless you stop smoking. Smoking isn’t the best thing for your skin and will cause increased aging even after you’ve asked for a surgical lift and tightening of the skin. Being realistic about what is possible and the lifespan on a procedure is important, but that begins with your lifestyle. So make these decisions with care, and we can help with the rest.

Now you know what you need to bring with you and what to expect from surgical procedures at SCCSA, so give us a call and make your appointment today at 818-616-6685.

Benefits of Correcting your Jaw

Posted on by sccsa
Benefits of Correcting your Jaw

Dr. Husam Elias takes every opportunity he can to share the benefits of orthognathic surgery with his patients. With years of experience in the field or maxillofacial plastic surgery, Dr. Elias takes great pride in offering each patient the ability to reduce pain, improve their appearance through cosmetic procedures and other treatments. For any patient that has ever suffered from dental malalignment or issues with the functionality of the teeth, corrective jaw surgery is something you should seriously consider. Of course, before any recommendation is made, Dr. Elias meets privately with each patient to explain the details of the procedure and the benefits of correcting your jaw.

Daily Activities Malalignment Interrupts: Eating, Drinking, Talking

There are a variety of complaints that are directly related to the alignment of the jaw and teeth whether or not you’re aware of the connection. For example, did you know that some of the chronic headaches you experience could potentially be relieved by reducing pressure on the jaw and connecting structures? Corrective jaw surgery has many benefits for our patients. Some of the first things we look for when discussing the procedure with our patients are problems with their daily activities such as eating, drinking, talking and issues smiling or expressing themselves properly.

When the jaw is malformed, the teeth cannot meet the way they need to so that food can be chewed well to provide nutrients for the body. Depending on the setting of the jaw, these simple daily tasks for most people are very difficult for those with these added obstacles from the incorrect bone formation. The off balance of the teeth and bite according to the setting of the jaw can be corrected with this surgical procedure to allow you to perform these necessary functions of life. Modifications to the upper and lower portions of the jaw will be made so that we can achieve this.

Benefits of Corrective Jaw Surgery:

  • Improvement in restful sleep
  • Reduction in tension headaches
  • Improvements in chewing
  • Relief from joint pain
  • Clearer speech
  • Aesthetic improvement in facial symmetry
  • Reduces breathing obstruction
  • Balances pressure on all teeth to save their strength as a group

Why Misalignment Happens

It’s unfortunate that misalignment of the jaw happens, but it does in some. Why does misalignment happen to some of us, but not others? One of the most common reasons that this occurs is your genetics. If you’ve had people in your family with cleft lip, additional teeth, or an incorrect formation of the jawbone, these are all hereditary. Other things that we may be socially prone to in development are things like social crutches in childhood like continuing use of a pacifier or sucking of the thumbs. These little comforts for children can often cause jaw irregularities and trouble with all of the above activities in the future.

It’s important to understand why these things are necessary to stop before they cause even more problems. They really do have an effect on our formation in childhood, so to avoid surgeries make sure your children remove these potential problems at the right time. In addition to this, external injuries to the jaw could cause serious damage, but these can be repaired.

How Dr. Elias Can Fix It

Dr. Elias can figure out the cause of the issue and provide a skilled treatment plan on how best to go about correcting this malformation of the jaw or injury to the area. During your consultation, Dr. Elias will take detailed imagery, every type of facial measurement as well as custom molds from your dental structure. At this time he will work with you to create 3D images or simulations to show you any particular modification made whether it’s a functional correction or cosmetic change. If you have blockages in the airway, Dr. Elias will set about restructuring these areas or create a plan to add bone grafts, remove excess bone and recreate the perfect jaw.

Call Southern California Center for Surgical Arts to schedule your consultation for corrective jaw surgery with Dr. Elias today and live better at 818-616-6685.