Jawline Asymmetry Correction

Q: Dr. Eppley, I need information and various options of how to reduce a jawline. (jawline asymmetry correction) I am 23 year old and one side of my jaw bone is larger than the other. As a result my face appears crooked or more angular. I had orthognatic surgery two years ago because one side of myteeth was not meeting and as result I could only chew on the other side. Now I have function on both sides of my mouth to chew food properly. However, the bone on the side of the jaw is larger than the other side and it needs to be balanced. Needless to say, I am not happy with my face and have self confidence issues. I would appreciate it if you can provide any information on what can be done. Thank you.

A: For jawline asymmetry correction, I would need to see pictures of your face from the front and side views to do a proper assessment. However having reconstructed cases just like your description I can speak as to the general issues involved. The question becomes whether the longer side of the jawline needs to reduced, the shorter side needs to be lengthened or whether it is a combination of both to get the best aesthetic result. This can be aesthetically determined by computer imaging. Surgically, the key issue is the location of the inferior alveolar nerve in the bone which often is pulled down lower on the longer side and can limit how much vertical reduction can be done. This question is best answered by a simple panorex x-ray or more ideally by a 3D CT scan.

In most cases of significant jawline asymmetry the combination a vertical reduction on the longer side and a vertical augmentation (by a custom made implant) on the ‘shorter’ side is usually needed.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana