Can I Get Vertical Lengthening Jaw Angle Implants That Won’t Change The Way My Face Looks From The Front?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I was talking to you about chin shortening a while back but I gave up on the idea. The more I look I feel like a custom jaw implant would be better. In the pic I drew is pretty much how I’d like it. Keeping the angle just making it straight and pushing the corner back some. Only thing is I don’t really want it to change the front of my face so its like vertical length implants thats on your website. (Dont want the wide square look) Let me know what you think.

A: It appears you have figured out that the real problem is not that the front of the lower jaw is too long but that the back of the jaw is too high. That would create a more proportionate and balanced face. The only caveat I would say is that you may want to bring the back down a bit but you don’t want to make the corner of the jaw angle go back. That is a recipe for creating the problem known as ‘implant reveal’ often confused with masseteric muscle dehiscence but it appears the same. The anatomy of that muscle is that its length is tied to were it naturally attaches to the bone. Thus as the jaw angle comes down a bit it needs to largely keep that same more rounded shape…otherwise the implant will stick out from behind the muscle like a square lump.

It is a common misconception that a square jaw look comes from a square bony shape…which is incorrect. Even the most square male jaw angle you have ever seen (Non-Asian) the jaw angle bone shape is not square.

Also every vertical lengthening jaw angle implant will make the face from the front change shape…you can’t avoid that. It can only be mitigated somewhat by not having too much width in the vertical drop down.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana