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Craniomaxillofacial Surgery

The University of Kansas Health System offers comprehensive craniomaxillofacial surgery, which involves the correction of jaw and facial deformities. Approximately 2-4% of the general population has a condition that can benefit from these specialized treatments.

Our board-certified, fellowship-trained specialists provide evidence-based care.

Who can benefit from craniomaxillofacial surgery?

  • People born with cleft craniofacial abnormalities, including cleft lip and palate
  • People with head and neck tumors or trauma
  • People with chronic sleep apnea
  • People with severe TMJ and without other viable treatment options
  • People with dental facial tumors
  • Caregivers seeking consultation for pediatric abnormalities

Conditions craniomaxillofacial surgery may correct

Craniomaxillofacial surgery procedures correct conditions related to the head, face, skull and neck, including the following you may not have known about:

  • If you cannot tolerate your continuous positive airway pressure equipment, our doctors can treat your sleep apnea by advancing the upper and lower jaws to make more room for airflow in your throat.

  • If you have a problem with your jaw alignment, our experts can reposition your jaws to help you eat, speak and breathe better.

  • If you've noticed swelling in your jaw that's related to a tumor or your dentist found a tumor in your jaw bone, we can remove the tumor and reconstruct your jaw.

  • We treat children and adults with speech, jaw, nasal or breathing concerns related to a cleft or craniofacial difference.

  • If you can't breathe through your nose and nasal decongestants are not helping, or if you have previously broken your nose, we can correct the structure of your nose to help you breathe better.

  • If you cannot move part of your face due to previous trauma, a tumor or a condition you were born with, we can help restore movement to your face.

  • To repair a temporomandibular joint that is worn down or missing, we offer replacement options. Repairing this joint, which connects to the jaw, relieves pain and restores function.

  • If you are missing skin, muscle, nerves or bones around your face, we can replace these missing tissues using various surgical techniques. These include microsurgical reconstruction to help improve your facial and dental function.

  • We can repair broken facial bones to help them heal.

  • We can help remove skin cancers around your head and neck or reconstruct wounds after the cancer has been removed.

Craniomaxillofacial surgery services include

  • Diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other diseases affecting the mouth and maxillofacial area
  • Microvascular head and neck reconstruction
  • Jaw surgery, or orthognathic surgery, which corrects irregularities of the jaw bones
  • Chin surgery, or osseous genioplasty, to improve the appearance of the chin
  • Geniohyoid muscle advancement to treat sleep apnea
  • Surgically assisted rapid palatal expansion, which expands the maxillary arch
  • Total temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disease alloplastic reconstruction for severe TMJ disease, when no other treatment option is available
  • Obstructive sleep apnea surgery
  • Maxillomandibular advancement for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea
  • Craniomaxillofacial trauma reconstruction
  • Midface advancement surgery including LeFort 3 and monobloc
  • Nasal airway surgery, or functional rhinoplasty
  • Mohs reconstruction and facial flaps
  • Skin cancer excision and reconstruction
  • Cleft lip and palate repair

We offer a variety of appointment types. Learn more or call 913-588-1227 to schedule now.

Why choose us

  • We offer the region's largest team of surgeons. We perform more surgical procedures than any other plastic surgery team in Kansas.
  • We perform more plastic surgical procedures in the Kansas City metro and in Kansas than any other plastic surgery team.
  • Your multidisciplinary care team may include dentistry, otolaryngology (ENT), dermatology, pulmonology, rheumatology and allergy.
  • As the teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Kansas Medical Center, our team is involved in research and clinical trials, which advance care and treatments.

Our specialists

Michael Lypka

Michael A Lypka, MD

Plastic Surgery

Board certifications: Plastic Surgery, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Fellowship: Craniofacial Surgery