One of the requirements for an aesthetic facial appearance is dentoalveolar decompensation. To date this has been the remit of the orthodontist. In a lot of cases however orthodontic movement alone has its limitations. The introduction of mandibular and maxillary anterior dentoalveolar osteodistraction together with the recently developed mandibular border
osteotomy, also known as the wing osteotomy, has enabled us together with orthodox orthodontics to achieve perfect dentoalveolar proportions.
This has lead to a new understanding of the complex surface anatomy of the face and consequently to a new facial surgical planning philosophy. The intention of this presentation is to illustrate these new treatment modalities and emphasize the indications.