Custom Jawline Implant

Q: Dr. Eppley, Could you provide the service of creating a custom implant (or suggest someone who can)? I live in New Zealand and recently had surgery using off the shelf implants. They haven’t worked well and I would like to have them removed. Ideally I would like to replace the implants with a custom implant. I saw the custom implant in the case Study “Total Jawline Enhancement with Custom Implant” on your website.. Could you produce something similar if the required CT scans etc where sent to you?Is it possible to pay for just the custom implant (service) without the surgery? I thought the surgeon in Australia who put the implants in could replace them with the custom implant. Is that possible?

A:This is a question I have been asked many times. That request is not possible for two very specific reasons. First the designer and manufacturer for custom implants is not going to permit that to occur as it violates the import regulations for medical devices in many countries. Secondly and of equal importance, custom implants are larger and require considerable experience in surgically implanting them. It is not as simple or as easy as putting in standard implants. The best design custom jawline implant will be irrelevant if it is not placed properly.

Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana