Jaw Angle Reduction

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am  looking for a surgeon who has proper training to do “mandible angle reduction”surgery. (This is a form of plastic surgery, aesthetic not reconstructive, to reduce the square jaw angles for patients who do not have jaw angle deformities but just wish to reduce square jaw angles.) However, I am not sure what training a doctor should have to perform this type of surgery.

a) Is it enough for a plastic surgeon to attend a 3 day forum for “ Surgical-Orthodontic Approach to Dentofacial Deformity”, to  perform “mandible angle reduction”and cut people’s square jaw angle bones?

b) Would attending a 3 day forum on “Surgical 0rthodontic Approach to Dentofacial Deformity” be RELEVANT to equip a plastic surgeon to perform “mandible jaw angle reduction?

c) I cannot find information on line about “Orthodontic Approach to Dentofacial Deformity” so I have no knowledge/understanding. What is this about? Orthodontic is a branch of dentistry so I cannot quite see how this 3 day forum relates to doing mandible jaw angle reduction.

d) What training should a plastic surgeon have, which would be relevant or adequate to perform “ mandible jaw angle reduction” ?

A: The question you are asking about what qualifies a surgeon to perform jaw angle reduction surgery is not a simple one as that training/experience could be gathered from a  variety of different experiences. Any surgeon that would perform this procedure would be trained and very experienced in facial bone surgery. This could come from a plastic surgeon with craniofacial surgery training or an oral and maxillofacial surgeon with good orthognathic surgery experience. Jaw angle reduction surgery, while simple in concept, is technically challenging as is all surgery of the mandibular ramus due to the limitations of surgical access.

I can speak about the forum you have mentioned in the context of your question since I have not seen or attended the program. Although that is clearly a course in orthognathic surgery of which aesthetic jaw angle reduction would not typically be a part of that course curriculum.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana