Can A Custom Mandibular Implant Be Made For My Chin and Jaw Angle Augmentation?

Q: My goal is to make my jawline more defined as well as give it a more square shape. I am hoping to widen my chin in the front and make it protrude more. I am especially unsatisfied with the way my chin looks from a 45 degree angle.  Do you think you can design a one piece custom implant for this? I am looking for something similar to the mandibular matrix system. I have attached pictures for you to see what I mean.

A: Thank you for sending your pictures. I am very familiar with the mandibular matrix system and use it fairly frequently when needed. In looking at your pictures and seeing your goals, I am curious as to why you do not use the matrix system instead of a custom implant. I don’t see in your case the advantages of  a custom implant. It will not provide any better aesthetic outcome and, even though made as a single piece, can not be put in as a single piece. For that style of wrap around jaw implant, it would need to be sectioned into at least two separate pieces to be inserted…maybe even three. So if your thought is that a one-piece implant would be better than three separate pieces, that is erroneous. A custom one-piece jaw implant works best, and should only be used, when it is used for vertical lengthening of the jaw mainly…something that no off-the-shelf mandibular implant can do.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis Indiana