Are Implants The Best Way To Fix My Jawline Deformity?

Q: Dr. Eppley,  I have suffered a jaw angle deformity since I had jaw surgery two years ago. There is a big notch along the border of my lower jaw in front of the jaw angles. I think jaw angle implants would make a massive difference. It is something that’s high on my list to do providing I can find someone who will do a good job and providing there isn’t any major risks with my prior surgery. I was thinking fillers as a temporary fix until I can find someone who can perform the surgery as I would much rather have a permanent fix. 

How would you build up the bone? What’s involved in that? 

How does notching come about?  Was that a complication from surgery? Was it something I was born with?

A: Without question, jaw angle implants are the solution to your problem. The only question is what size and shape should they be. Most likely, off-the-shelf inferolateral border jaw angle implants will be satisfactory. Ideally, custom jaw angle implants are the best but that adds some expense to the procedure.

Injectable fillers are fine if you are not planniing to have the surgery anytime in the next six months or so. But if you are then I would not do them so they do not interfere/obscure the surgery.

Notching of the inferior border after sagittal split mandibular osteotomies can occur from a variety of reasons including a non-union, bad osteotomy split, too much rotation of the posterior mandibular segment, inadequate bone fixation, and the shape of one’s natural mandibular ramus anatomy.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana