Do I Need Jaw Angle Implants After A Sliding Genioplasty?

Q: Dr. Eppley, Interested in jaw implants, I had a sliding genioplasty done 1 and a half year ago.

A: Thank for your inquiry and sending your pictures. As frequently occurs in chin augmentation (regardless of the method used) in the short lower jaw high angle patient, the jaw angles get left ‘behind’ as the chin comes forward. In essence the chin augmentation magnifies the pre existing high jaw angles leaving an incomplete lower third facial appearance. While I don’t know what you looked like before the sliding genioplasty nor what exact chin bone movements were done, your chin appears too vertically long even though the horizontal chin projection may now be adequate. The options are to leave the chin alone and make jaw angle implants to merge into it or vertically shorten the chin with the placement of the jaw angle implants. The other debate is whether the jaw angle implants should be standard or custom made…which actually is not much of a debate.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana