Custom Jaw and Cheek Implants

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am interested in having a custom jaw and cheek implants. However, I have already had jaw and cheek implants inserted around 4 years ago now. I wasn’t completely satisfied with the results and so thought custom implants would be a better option. My question is, can you still make custom implants for someone with the same accuracy if they already have implants in place? I believe you use a 3D CT scan to base the custom implant on, but will this work for patients with existing implants in place?

A: It may surprise you to know that it is very common to make custom jaw and cheek implants in patients who have existing standard implants in place. Having existing jaw or cheek implants, or any facial implant for that mna in place does not interfere with the visualization of the natural bone or the accuracy of making custom implants on that bone. For the design process the existing implants are digitally removed. Actually having implants in place is very helpful for the new design as those dimensions provide a guide as to how much bigger or smaller the new implant dimensions should be and where any changes are desired.

Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana