Lichen planus is an inflammatory condition that can affect the lining of the mouth as well as the skin. The cause is not fully understood. It is common and affects up to 2% of the population. Lichen planus is most frequent in middle age and women are affected slightly more frequently than men. Although there is no known cure treatment can be given to make the symptoms better.
It has not been possible to correct your teeth and how they bite together with orthodontics alone. This is because the bones of your face and jaws are out of balance with one another. Surgery will change the relationship between your lower jaw and upper jaw and will correct these problems. The surgery will take place under a general anaesthetic, ie you are going to be put to sleep completely.
It has not been possible to correct your teeth and how they bite together with orthodontics alone. This is because the bones of your face and jaws are out of balance with one another. Surgery will change the relationship of your upper jaw to the lower jaw and will correct these problems. The surgery will take place under a general anaesthetic: ie you are going to be put to sleep completely.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a method of building up a detailed picture of your body and its organs. Unlike CT (computerised tomography) it does not use X-ray radiation but instead magnetic fields are used to build up the pictures.
A neck dissection is an operation to remove lymph nodes from the neck on one or both sides.
A biopsy is a procedure where a small piece of tissue is removed from an area so that it can be looked at closely under a microscope. The biopsy may aim to remove an area completely (an excision biopsy). This is usually only appropriate for small lumps or swellings. Occasionally only a small piece of an abnormal area is removed to confirm a diagnosis (an incisional biopsy).
Arthroscopy is a form of keyhole surgery in which a small telescope is inserted into a joint. This allows the inside of the joint to be examined in great detail. It can diagnose as well as treat problems within the jaw joint.