Total mandibular alveolar osteotomy: an alternate choice to other surgical procedures

Patients whose facial esthetics are not severely compromised but who need surgical intervention for the correction of a dentoskeletal problem can be treated by repositioning of the whole mandibular alveolar segment in the direction needed to allow for such correction. The challenge to achieve efficient and relatively stable results with the use of combined orthodontic and surgical methods has been met by the use of various surgical techniques. The lower total alveolar osteotomy is another viable surgical technique that could be considered when treatment is being planned in an orthognathic surgical case. Its indications, contraindications, advantages, and disadvantages are described, and cases are reported to exemplify problems that can be corrected with this approach.