Am I A Good Candidate For Custom Facial Implants?

 Q: Dr. Eppley,  I am interested in custom facial implants to correct asymmetry and deficiencies from previous corrective jaw surgery. My case is completed in that I have significant nerve damage on the left side and an existing Medpor jaw implant on the same side that doesn’t address the problem.

A: Your description of your mandible/chin concerns is complicated but that is what makes it only treatable by a custom implant approach. Using a 3D CT scan, the shape of the lower jaw can be clearly seen with all of its asymmetries and deficiencies as well as a clear view of the indwelling Medpor implant. An implant can then be designed, most likely as a single piece that wraps around the jawline, after the computer removes the Medpor implant. Surgeries like yours are challenging due to scar tissue and the never easy removal of Medpor but can be very successfully improved with the aid of a custom facial implant approach.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana