Frequently Asked Questions

Patients suffering from any of the symptoms like wide mouth, cleft lip or palate, shortness of jaw, crooked lower jaw, underdeveloped jaw, problems associated with teeth development, flattened forehead, and cheek must carry their medical reports. Further, associated problems to any family members are important to disclose with craniomaxillofacial surgeons.

Yes, a craniomaxillofacial surgeon in Kochi at Aster Medcity manages the patient’s recovery after surgery with multiple appointment rounds and postoperative care. The surgeon educates patients about precautions to take, updates them with symptoms to watch out for, and thoroughly monitors their progress. 

Consult with a craniomaxillofacial surgeon about your specific condition that requires CMF surgery, its potential causes, required diagnostic tests, available & the best treatment options, expected recovery process, precautions to take, procedures to follow, and personalised treatment that the hospital staff would offer you.

Patients experience facial asymmetry, such as small cheekbones, wide mouth, cleft lip or palate, shortness of jaw, crooked lower jaw, underdeveloped jaw, problems associated with teeth development, flattened forehead and cheek, or missing eyelid/ tissue. These conditions can cause headaches, soreness, dizziness, facial pain, and jaw pain.

A craniomaxillofacial surgeon specialises in treating congenital and cranial deformities of the skull, face, jaws, and other attached structures. The expert craniomaxillofacial surgeon diagnoses and manages conditions such as craniofacial Syndromes, orofacial clefting, sleep apnea, distraction osteogenesis, cosmetic orthodontic surgery, cranial and dental implants, cranial trauma, and oral and maxillofacial surgical procedures.

Following are the common signs and symptoms of pediatric craniosynostosis. An abnormal feeling or disappearing fontanel (soft spot on the top of the head) Asymmetrical, misshapen skull Development of a raised, hard ridge along with the skull Slow or no growth of the head as the baby grows These conditions can be corrected with surgery and can restore.

Craniosynostosis can affect babies in two different ways Isolated craniosynostosis: Isolated craniosynostosis known as non-syndromic craniosynostosis, is the closing of only one suture with no other associated health problems and is the most common kind of craniosynostosis.  Syndromic craniosynostosis: Syndromes are when three or more medical problems occur in a recognizable pattern. When craniosynostosis is part of a syndrome, it is known as syndromic craniosynostosis. In these cases, there are usually two or more sutures that closed too early. Patients also have other health conditions as part of the syndrome.

The skull is formed by several separate bones. These skull bones are connected by specialized structures called sutures. These sutures look like seams or spaces between the skull bones. The sutures are growth centers for the skull bones. Craniosynostosis is present when one or more of the sutures closes earlier than it should cause the skull to grow into an abnormal shape. Babies' brains grow very quickly in the first two years of life. As the brain grows it stretches the sutures which signal the sutures to make new bone. The sutures allow the skull to enlarge and create just enough space for the brain. Normally, these sutures remain open until we reach adulthood, long after the brain and skull have stopped growing. Craniosynostosis causes a baby’s skull to misshapen because the brain continues to grow at the same rate even if one or more sutures close too early.  The remaining open sutures have to grow faster to make up for the closed suture. This extra growth causes a change in head shape. In some cases, the remaining open sutures can’t grow fast enough to keep up with the brain’s growth causing abnormally high pressure in the skull, which can have negative effects on brain health. These include learning delays, blindness, and, rarely, death, if untreated.