Not Just Cosmetic: How Orthognathic Surgery Can Improve Breathing, Sleep, and Function
When most people think about orthognathic surgery, they picture straighter jaws and improved facial symmetry. But for many of our patients at Textbook Orthodontics, the biggest transformation goes far beyond appearance. Jaw surgery often brings relief from snoring, poor sleep, mouth breathing, speech struggles, and even frequent headaches. If your bite feels “off,” your teeth don’t meet properly, or you’ve been told your jaw affects your breathing or speech, you may be living with more discomfort than you need to.
In this post, we’ll walk you through how orthognathic surgery can improve how you breathe, sleep, and function every day, often in ways that patients didn’t realise were connected to their jaw in the first place.
What Is Orthognathic Surgery and Who Is It For?
Orthognathic surgery is corrective jaw surgery designed to realign the upper and lower jaws. It’s typically recommended when the jaws don’t meet correctly, causing problems with speech, chewing, and overall facial balance. While braces and clear aligners like Invisalign can help align teeth, they can’t reposition the jaws themselves. That’s where surgery comes in.
We often recommend orthognathic surgery to patients who have:
Severe underbites or overbites
Difficulty breathing through the nose
Jaw pain or clicking
Trouble chewing or biting food
Sleep apnoea or chronic snoring
If you’ve lived with these issues for years, it can feel like they’re just part of life. But we’ve worked with many patients in Los Angeles who discovered that their quality of life improved dramatically after treatment.
Better Breathing, Day and Night
One of the biggest surprises for people who undergo orthognathic surgery is how much easier it becomes to breathe. Misaligned jaws can restrict your airway, making it difficult to get enough oxygen during exercise or even at rest. If you’ve always found yourself breathing through your mouth or waking up feeling tired, your jaw structure could be playing a role.
By moving the jaw into a healthier position, we help open up the airway. Patients often report deeper breathing, fewer sinus infections, and a better ability to breathe through their nose after recovery. This change doesn’t just affect physical health; it also improves energy levels and mood.
A Long-Term Solution for Sleep Apnoea
Obstructive sleep apnoea is more than just snoring; it’s a serious condition where breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep. For many people, this happens because the lower jaw collapses back and blocks the airway. If you’ve tried CPAP machines or dental devices but haven’t had relief, orthognathic surgery may offer a long-term fix.
We’ve seen patients go from years of interrupted sleep to finally getting full nights of rest. That has a ripple effect on every part of life, work, relationships, memory, and more. For those dealing with sleep apnoea, the improvement after jaw surgery can feel like waking up to a new life.
Improved Jaw Function and Comfort
Beyond breathing and sleep, orthognathic surgery can also ease chronic jaw discomfort. If your bite has always felt off, or if you avoid hard foods because chewing feels uneven or painful, misaligned jaws could be to blame.
After surgery, our patients often say it feels like their jaws finally “fit.” Every day actions, biting into an apple, chewing a steak, speaking clearly, become effortless. And because the teeth and jaw are now aligned, future dental issues like wear and tear or TMJ symptoms are less likely to develop.
Facial Balance and Confidence: A Welcome Bonus
Although this surgery is not purely cosmetic, improved facial symmetry is one of the first changes people notice. When your jaw is in the right position, your profile softens, your chin aligns naturally, and your smile looks more balanced.
We don’t focus on appearance as the primary benefit at Textbook Orthodontics, but we understand how important it is to feel confident in your face and smile. Many of our patients say their self-esteem improved after surgery, not just because of how they look, but because of how they feel every day.
What to Expect From the Process
Jaw surgery might sound intimidating, but we walk with you through each step. The process usually starts with orthodontic treatment, like braces or aligners, to prepare the teeth. Then, surgery is performed by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, often followed by a few more months of orthodontics to fine-tune the bite.
The recovery period can take a few weeks, and you’ll need to follow a soft food diet for a while. We are here to ensure that your healing process goes as smoothly as possible. With good planning and care, most people find the outcome is well worth the effort.
Final Thoughts
Orthognathic surgery isn’t just about how your smile looks; it’s about how your jaw functions, how you breathe, and how you live. At Textbook Orthodontics, we believe every patient deserves to feel good in their body and confident in their day-to-day life. If you’re wondering whether your jaw concerns go beyond the cosmetic, we’d be happy to chat and explore the options together.
Let’s talk through your symptoms and goals, and see if this path makes sense for you.
