Jaw Surgery & Orthodontics in Jacksonville

No. Jaw surgery is performed by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon at a hospital or ambulatory surgical center. Bold Bite Orthodontics handles the pre-surgical and post-surgical orthodontic phases in-office and coordinates directly with the surgeon’s team on diagnosis, 3D virtual surgical planning, splint design, and post-op elastic protocols. Surgical partners include Dr. John Landis and Dr. Zane Khan, with Beaches Oral Surgery as an additional referral relationship when scheduling or geography calls for it.

The decision is driven by measurements on the Vatech Green CT scan, an iOrtho aligner simulation of the proposed final bite, and an iTero or Allied Star digital scan — set against what the patient actually wants corrected. Most patients prefer a non-surgical path when one exists, and Dr. Cao respects that preference whenever camouflage can produce a stable, healthy long-term bite. When the skeletal discrepancy is large enough that tooth movement alone cannot deliver the result safely, surgery is named as the right answer at the consult rather than months into treatment.

Total end-to-end treatment typically runs 18 to 24 months: 6 to 18 months of pre-surgical orthodontics, a recovery period of 6 to 8 weeks after the osteotomy itself, and 6 to 12 months of post-surgical orthodontic finishing. Severe cases can extend to roughly 30 months. Select cases qualify for a surgery-first approach that shortens the timeline, but surgery-first is not appropriate for every diagnosis.

Rarely, with modern titanium plate fixation. Most patients wear only light orthodontic elastics (rubber bands) after surgery to guide the bite into its new position — the mouth can open, speak, and be cleaned, just not chew solid food for the first few weeks. Any wiring decision is made by the oral and maxillofacial surgeon based on the specific osteotomy.

The orthodontic portion is quoted at the free consultation after the CBCT scan and clinical exam — surgical cases vary more than routine cases, so a single list price is not accurate to publish. Bold Bite offers in-house 0% APR financing from $200 per month, Cherry and CareCredit third-party financing, a 5% pay-in-full discount, and stacked military, teacher, family, first-responder, healthcare-worker, and college-student discounts where eligible. The surgical fee itself is billed separately by the oral and maxillofacial surgeon — Bold Bite does not mark it up or pass it through.

The surgical portion is frequently covered by medical insurance (not dental insurance) when the case documents functional problems such as difficulty chewing, breathing, or sleeping. The orthodontic portion runs through dental insurance orthodontic benefits where the plan includes them. Bold Bite verifies both medical and dental benefits as a courtesy before treatment begins and files claims as a courtesy on behalf of the family. Call (904) 595-6869 and Bold Bite can review specific coverage before the consult.

Jaw growth must be effectively complete before orthognathic surgery — typically around age 16 for females and age 18 for males. A CBCT scan confirms growth status. For younger patients still growing, Dr. Cao and Dr. Greenberg evaluate whether growth-modifying appliances such as MARPE palatal expansion, Herbst or MARA functional appliances, or reverse-pull headgear can reduce the severity of the skeletal discrepancy and potentially avoid surgery altogether.

Yes. For severe obstructive sleep apnea where CPAP has failed or cannot be tolerated, maxillomandibular advancement is coordinated with the oral and maxillofacial surgery partner and documented alongside a formal sleep study and ENT evaluation. The airway outcome is measured on the same CBCT AI-assisted analysis Bold Bite uses at every new-patient screening. See airway orthodontics.

In most surgical cases, braces provide superior control for pre-surgical tooth positioning because the surgeon needs precise bracket locations for surgical hooks and for post-op elastics. Some mild or carefully selected cases allow an aligner-based pre-surgical phase — Bold Bite runs Invisalign and Angel Aligners routinely, including Invisalign and Angel Aligners. The clinical priority is the surgical result, so Dr. Cao recommends braces when they produce a better outcome and aligners when the case allows.

That reaction is normal. During the consultation, Dr. Cao and Dr. Greenberg walk through the 3D virtual surgical planning images so patients can see exactly how the jaws will be repositioned before anything is scheduled. Modern orthognathic surgery is performed through intra-oral incisions (no visible scars), uses rigid internal fixation instead of wiring, and has well-documented high success rates when the pre-surgical orthodontic preparation has been done carefully. Dr. Cao is fluent in Vietnamese for families where the surgical conversation benefits from that option.