[Orthognathic surgery: a team effort]

Patients in daily practice can be asking us about the problems they experience with their occlusal relationship, facial esthetics and joint dysfunction. If this dysfunction is present in a harmonious facial balance, the treatment plan should be classically dental (building-up plate to free the joint, occlusal equilibration, amalgam reconstructions, crown and bridgework, orthodontics). If the dentist observe a facial imbalance, whether it is antero-posterior, vertical or transversal, the treatment should be in cooperation with an orthognathic team (orthodontist and maxillo-facial surgeon). If the clinical problem is exclusively esthetic, without any relation with dental malocclusion and/or joint dysfunction, the treatment planning can be plastic surgery only.