What does combined orthodontic and surgical treatment cost?

What is an attractive smile and a stable, functional bite worth to you? What does a pain-free life or a self-confident appearance mean to you?

Your smile is right in the middle of your face and cannot be hidden. It is also clear that the teeth and jaws play an important role for the whole body. Function and aesthetics therefore have to be combined in one treatment. For this reason, combined orthodontic and surgical treatment (orthognathic surgery) is one of the most demanding treatments in dentistry. It is good to know that the Eltz Institut is setting new standards across Europe in this field.

Combined orthodontic and surgical treatment is an investment in your own health, your own beauty and your own self-esteem.

An investment in your health

There are three medical reasons to correct complex malocclusions:

• Functional reasons: If the misalignment is not treated in time, damage to the teeth and the periodontium (the tissues that support the teeth) can occur, which can lead to premature tooth loss. Furthermore, the misalignment can impair your ability to chew and speak. Finally, it can lead to jaw joint problems (TMJ): a condition that causes pain (e.g. jaw joint pain, headaches, neck and back pain) and muscle cramps.
• Psychological reasons: Because the misalignment is also visually unappealing, it affects the self-esteem and self-confidence of many of those affected.
• Health reasons: The risk of sleep apnoea should not be underestimated. Jaw misalignments can lead to breathing problems during sleep because the airways are narrower than normal. In those affected, breathing often stops several times a night. Snoring is usually the only indicator of this condition. Because of the apnoea, you sleep badly and therefore feel drowsy and tired during the day. In extreme cases, this condition can even be fatal.

Whether you already suffer from it today or only will in the future: from a medical point of view, it is important  to align the jaws correctly – for example, to avoid overloading and overstretching of the jaw joint and wear of the teeth caused by grinding.

An investment in beauty

The results of combined orthodontic and surgical treatment are almost astonishingly beautiful. Beauty, after all, is a question of healthy function. Our focus is always on the function of the masticatory system, the muscles and the jaw joint. Once this has been restored, however, optimal aesthetic results then always follow, almost automatically.

Medical excellence that makes sense

Combined orthodontic and surgical treatment is regarded as the ultimate discipline in the treatment of complex malocclusions. Here, two specialist experts work closely together:  On the one hand, the orthodontist: a dentist who, in addition to their dental degree, has completed several years of training or specialist studies in orthodontics. On the other hand, the oral and maxillofacial surgeon, who must have completed degrees in medicine and dentistry as well as specialist training in oral and maxillofacial surgery. This training path is one of the longest in Austria.

Why Eltz

The Eltz Institut is the right partner for complex misalignments of the teeth and jaws for three reasons. We combine (1) expertise with (2) state-of-the-art technology through (3) precise processes – and in this way create medical magic that sets standards worldwide.

Expertise counts

With complex malocclusions, experience matters more than ever. Our medical team has specialised in combined orthodontic and surgical treatment for many years. Together with the world's best surgeons, we carry out research into new methods in this field. We treat around 100 cases every year. In case you are wondering whether that is a lot or a little: it is the number that many other orthodontists treat in their entire career.

In doing so, we work with the best oral and maxillofacial surgeons in the country. Close coordination is essential here. During treatment, we therefore make sure that both the oral and maxillofacial surgeon and the orthodontist know the essential aspects of the diagnosis and treatment. They must also be in complete agreement about the proposed treatment and how it is to be carried out, so that the patient has full confidence in the treatment at all times.

Technological leadership

The Eltz Institut has a technological infrastructure that is unique for combined orthodontic and surgical treatment: whether 3D scanning or 3D cone beam CT (3D CBCT), 3D printing or special surgical planning software. In the operating theatres, state-of-the-art robotic technology is already being used in some cases. In this way, we ensure the best possible results with the highest possible level of safety.

Precise processes

This is where expertise and technology come together – and medical magic happens.

• 5D diagnostics: "Planning makes perfect", as the saying goes. The orthodontist and the oral and maxillofacial surgeon therefore need to gain a precise overview of the initial situation before they treat the teeth and jaws. We are particularly thorough here and have developed our 5D diagnostics. The five dimensions of our diagnostics are: digital 3D cone beam CT, digital scan, digital panoramic X-ray, digital cephalometric X-ray, digital extraoral and intraoral facial photos.
• Software: Only a few centres in Europe are technically able to carry out the next steps. We import the data sets created during diagnostics into special software (Dolphin) and combine them. Specifically, we integrate the 3D scan of the teeth into the three-dimensional image of the jaws from the 3D CBCT and then “drape” the patient's photo over this digital bone structure. Teeth (3D scan), bone (3D CBCT) and skin (photos) are now precisely combined in a single data cube.
• Virtual surgery: Now the orthodontist simulates the orthodontic treatment and the surgeon operates on the patient virtually. We can marvel at the results and discuss them directly with our patients.
• 3D printing: Based on this virtual operation, we use our modern 3D printers to print exact splints of the final result of the operation. Splints are a kind of template or dental splint that is placed in the patient's mouth during the operation. They enable the surgeons to achieve the planned position of the jaw as precisely as possible.
• Digital wires: In addition, based on the planned result, we produce exact robot-bent wires that are fitted at the patient's first orthodontic appointment after the procedure.

Fair value for money

The costs of combined orthodontic and surgical treatment are made up of several items: planning, orthodontics and jaw surgery.

The first step is always a no-obligation consultation at the Eltz Institut. The consultation is free of charge.

In the second step, a digital cephalometric X-ray, a digital panoramic X-ray and the surgical photo documentation are taken. On this basis, your situation is measured and analysed orthodontically. A provisional treatment plan is also drawn up and discussed with you in person. The outcome of this phase is whether a compromise treatment without surgery is possible or whether combined treatment with surgery is necessary. You will find out the cost of this at the free consultation.

If combined orthodontic and surgical treatment is pursued, a digital scan of your teeth is taken in the third step and a model of them is printed on our 3D printers. The data is then imported into special software, and both the surgical and the orthodontic movements are simulated. This is followed by a joint consultation with you, the oral and maxillofacial surgeon and the orthodontist. The procedure is discussed using the digital models and the digital simulation and demonstrated on a skull model. Educational videos are also shown. The exact treatment protocol is now defined. We also discuss these costs with you in advance.

In the fourth step, the actual treatment now takes place. Here, a distinction must be made between the costs of the orthodontic treatment, including virtual surgical support, and the costs of the jaw surgery. 

• The orthodontic treatment is generally based on the autonomous fee guidelines of the Vienna Dental Chamber. In addition, there are the costs of virtual surgical support, which comprises several steps. It includes taking a 3D CBCT and merging all the data (scan of the teeth, bone from the CBCT and skin from the surgical photo documentation) in special software. We create what is known as a piggyback occlusion and then carry out the treatment digitally. On this basis, we also print digital splints (a kind of template) and produce exact robot-bent wires. Finally, after the orthodontic treatment, our retention package ensures optimal stability with special retainers or wires. We also secure the result for 12 months with our retention guarantee. The costs for the orthodontic treatment, the virtual surgical support, the special retention package for surgical patients and the retention guarantee can also be paid interest-free in 36 monthly instalments.
• The costs of the jaw surgery procedure are covered by insurance in Austria. One note is in order, however – and we would like to point out beforehand that we have neither a financial advantage nor a disadvantage if you have private insurance. We observe among our patients that those with private insurance have the advantage of being able to coordinate the timing of the operation better. This is important because the orthodontic treatment and the jaw surgery need to be optimally timed in relation to each other. It does happen that procedures in public hospitals are cancelled at short notice (often for good reasons, such as emergencies that have to be fitted in) and then postponed by months. If you are considering private insurance, you must be insured before your initial consultation with us. Otherwise, the insurance will not pay anything.