Anterior maxillary corticotomies.
The technique of surgical subapical osteotomy with multiple corticotomies is discussed. A patient with multiple diastemas was presented and concomitant with their surgical orthodontic procedures an adjunctive tongue reduction was performed. The surgery performed on the maxilla was completed in a two-stage operation with that of the tongue completed in the second stage. The tongue revision on the case was performed at the time of the definitive repositioning of the teeth. Patients with anterior maxillary mandibular procedures should be evaluated for the reduction of tongue size concomitant with their surgical orthodontics if a tongue thrust habit, or a markedly encroached floor of the mouth space becomes present. The authors are cognizant of the problems of surgical tongue reduction encountered by many people but have found these, so far, to be inconsequential enough to perform surgical reduction with little hesitation.
D000293:Adolescent; D002508:Cephalometry; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008437:Maxilla / Q000601:surgery*; D010027:Osteotomy; D011182:Postoperative Care