Can Jaw Widening be Achieved Using Bone Grafts?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I contacted you before about jaw implants. Thank you for doing that morph, but I am wondering how I can get a wider lower jaw, mandible, horizontally, without the use of implants or fillers. You have custom angle implants, but I was wondering if there is a surgery where the bones can be repositioned to achieve a wider jaw, like an osteotomy, which is more natural. I have protruding cheekbones and I also wonder if some bone can be shaved from them and put in, grafted, to both sides of my lower jaw to make it wider and give me a higher facial width. It’s probably not possible but I’m just wondering.

A: In short, there is no other way to achieve jaw widening except by an implant. There is no osteotomy that can widen the lower jaw and bone grafts will just melt away as they have no functional purpose for being there.

Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana