Chin Widening Surgery

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am interested in chin widening surgery.  I would like a wider, more rounder looking chin. I hate the triangular shape of my lower face when I smile.  I would like to stay away from implants. What can I achieve with an osteotomy to make my chin wider.

A: Thank you for sending your pictures. When it comes to chin widening surgery, I can appreciate  your desire to stay away from implants although it is fair to point out that an implant is the simplest and most effective method to achieve what you want. Using a 3D CT scan a custom chin implant can be designed to widen the chin. It can be inserted through an intraoral approach.

While the chin can be expanded by osteotomy, one of its problems is that a step-off may be created at the sides of the chin which would become most apparent when smiling as the soft tissues are stretched back along the bone. This is an aesthetic issue that may or may not be an issue. It can be always be felt but is not necessarily visible. This can be somewhat lessened by the design of the midline osteotomy and the shape of the interpositional graft.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana