Specialties

Maxillofacial Surgery

At Phoenix Face we are medical experts in Maxillofacial surgical field.  Uniting dentistry and medicine to create a care plan that’s unique and right for you. From correcting cleft lip to corrective jaw surgery, we are committed to providing you with the absolute best care and ensuring your satisfaction every step of the way.

Cleft Lip and Palate

Cleft lip and palate occurs 1 in 600 live births in the United States, making it the most common birth issue.  A child born with cleft lip and/or palate may develop challenges in a variety of areas including: feeding, hearing, speech, language and tooth development, facial growth, learning and psychosocial issues.  Therefore, it is critical that the child be assessed and cared for by a team of specialists.  At Phoenix Face, we will dedicate our focus to helping you and your child receive all aspects of care that they deserve.  Dr. Lam will coordinate your child’s care with a multitude of other specialists that are essential to treating cleft lip and palate.  Specialty team members include speech language pathologists, nutritionists, pediatric dentists, orthodontists, lactation consultants, geneticists, pediatric ENT surgeons, and social workers.

Cleft Lip Treatment

Cleft lip surgery is usually performed when the child is about ten weeks old. The goal of surgery is to close the separation of the upper lip and reconnect the muscles that form the lip.  This is done in the hospital and most patients can go home the next day.  We will see you and your child regularly in the office during the healing process.

Cleft Palate Treatment

Cleft palate surgery is usually performed when the child is between 9 to 18 months old. This depends upon the individual child and his/her own situation.  The goals of cleft palate repair are to create a barrier between the mouth and the nose for proper function. For some patients, ear tubes will be placed by a pediatric ENT surgeon at the time of palate repair.  We will help coordinate this for you if your child needs this procedure.  Like cleft lip repair, this is done in the hospital and most patients can go home the next day.  We will see you and your child regularly in the office during the healing process.

The alveolus, which is the bone that holds the teeth, is generally repaired when the child is school age (usually between 6-9 years of age).  The procedure often involves placement of bone from the hip into the alveolus to provide strength to the upper jaw and aid in tooth development and eruption. It may also be done in teenagers and adults as an individual procedure, or combined with corrective jaw surgery.

At Phoenix Face, Dr. Lam, offers complimentary prenatal consultations for expectant parents, providing them opportunities to meet with the team, have questions answered, and to learn how to use specialized feeding techniques and bottles.  That way, parents can feel fully prepared and be excited for their baby’s arrival.

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  • Orthognathic Surgery

Orthognathic Surgery

Orthognathic surgery (corrective jaw surgery) in conjunction with orthodontic therapy helps to realign the upper and lower jaw relationship.  This treatment option is often used to address unequal growth of the jaws that lead to overbites, underbites, and crossbites.  Addressing jaw alignment allows for proper teeth alignment which in turn may address issues such as chewing difficulty, speech difficulty, obstructive sleep apnea, TMJ disorders, and facial disharmony.

Orthognathic surgery can be used to treat conditions that are congenital, such as cleft palate, and acquired, such as post-traumatic injuries.  The bones of the upper and lower jaws are segmented, repositioned, and fixated using titanium plates and/or screws with very little to no visible scars on the face.  Orthodontic braces or Invisalign are part of the treatment process and are facilitated by an orthodontist.

At Phoenix Face Maxillofacial Surgery, we take a multidisciplinary approach to your treatment.  This means we will coordinate with your orthodontist, dentist, and primary care physician to optimize your experience and treatment outcome.

What you can expect if you are a candidate for Orthognathic Surgery:

  • This can be a long treatment process that includes Pre-Surgical orthodontic therapy.  This means some period of time in braces before surgery is performed on the jaw(s).
  • You should also expect Post-Surgical orthodontic therapy, which occurs after a period of healing from surgery.  Though, this is usually shorter in duration than Pre-Surgical orthodontics.
  • The entire treatment process can be done with traditional orthodontic braces, Invisalign, or a combination of.  Together with your orthodontist, we will determine which approach is best for you.
  • The surgery is performed in the hospital and most patients go home within 2 days after the procedure.
  • Patients typically may be off work/school from 2-5 weeks after surgery.
  • Return to normal chewing function may take several months and full
    function may take one year.
  • Weekly appointments with Dr. Lam are necessary the first 5 weeks after surgery.
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Facial Trauma

Injuries to the face can involve a single site or several areas of the craniomaxillofacial complex including the upper face (skull and forehead), mid-face (orbit, ears, nose, and cheeks), and lower face (upper and lower jaws, mouth, and teeth). Injuries can be superficial and involve only skin or extend to and involve the underlying bone. At Phoenix Face Maxillofacial Surgery, we are well versed at treating all areas of the face in patients of all ages. This means any injury you or a loved one may have had to the face, whether recent or in the past, can be treated by our team of experts. We understand that injuries to the face not only affects the face, but also many other aspects of life as well. Therefore, we are committed to you even beyond your initial injury and recovery. If there are any long-term needs or delayed reconstructive treatment that may be needed to address your injury, we will be by your side every step of the way.

Dr. Lam is on staff at a local hospital to provide coverage for and treat facial injuries, including, facial lacerations, facial bone fractures, jaw fractures, and dental trauma.  His background in craniofacial surgery, oral and maxillofacial surgery, and dentistry provide him the optimal foundation to treat simple to complex injuries of the face, mouth, and jaws.  Some injuries require additional areas of expertise including neurosurgery, ophthalmology, head and neck surgery, plastic surgery, and dentistry.  Dr. Lam, will help coordinate this complicated network of expertise to provide you with the optimal care needed to address your injury.

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Pediatric Facial Surgery

Benign cysts and tumors of the face, mouth, and jaws

Cleft lip and palate

Ankyloglossia (Tongue-Tie)

Ankyloglossia, also known as tongue-tie, is a condition that results in impaired tongue movement.  This is due to restrictive tissue on the undersurface of the tongue either being too thick, too short, or inserted in an improper position.  Impaired tongue movement can affect breastfeeding and has also been linked with speech disorders, dental malocclusion, and gingival recession.  If you are concerned that your baby or your child may have ankyloglossia, please contact our pediatric maxillofacial team at Phoenix Face Maxillofacial Surgery and we will help answer your questions so that your child gets the appropriate care they deserve.

Baby Ear Deformities Correction

Baby ear deformities are most commonly congenital auricular anomalies resulting from the baby’s head and ear positioning within the uterus.  Most often the tissues of the ear are all present, however, due to pressure one or both ears are irregularly shaped.

Treatment of Baby Ear Deformities

Most baby ear deformities can be treated non-surgically when diagnosis and treatment are instituted early.  This is due to the cartilages of the ear being soft and malleable during the first couple months of life.  Surgical correction is often used to treat severe cases or those being treated later in life after the tissues of the ear have matured.  Our pediatric maxillofacial surgeons at Phoenix Face Maxillofacial Surgery offer non-surgical treatment options to help correct baby ear deformities.

Pierre Robin Sequence

Pierre Robin Sequence (PRS) is usually a constellation of micrognathia (small lower jaw), glossoptosis (posteriorly positioned tongue), and airway obstruction.  This may cause difficulty in breathing, sleeping, feeding, and growth.  Infants with PRS are also frequently found to have cleft palate.

Treatment of PRS

Most cases of Pierre Robin Sequence can be managed without surgery. In less severe cases, positioning techniques during feedings and sleep will improve the position of the tongue and allow an infant to breathe well until they outgrow the problem. In more severe cases, surgery may be needed to help improve the airway.  Several surgical options have been used with frequency including Tongue-Lip Adhesion and distraction Osteogenesis (DO). Distraction osteogenesis is often used for the more severe cases that require significant increase in airway patency.  The surgical procedure of DO involves expansion of the lower jaw in a forward direction, this causes the lower jaw to pull the tongue forward and improve airway obstruction.  Our pediatric maxillofacial surgeons at Phoenix Face Maxillofacial Surgery will help determine if your child is a candidate for this procedure.  We will involve all the necessary team members including pediatricians, neonatologists, pediatric ear nose and throat (ENT) surgeons, speech language pathologists, and geneticists to optimize your child’s care and overall outcome.

Surgical treatment is done within the hospital and usually requires some length of stay up to two weeks.  During this time, we will be with you every step of the way.  If you have any questions regarding PRS or how we can help and your child, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

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