Do I Need Regular Or Custom Jaw Angle Implants?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I believe I need jaw implants from the gonial to the chin area. I have had a sliding genioplasty at the chin several years ago.  I have a short jaw bone that angles upward from the chin area to the bottom of the ear. I need to bring this to a more horizontal angle.

A: Thank you for your inquiry. It sounds like you have a pretty good handle on what you need. Ideally you need custom jaw angle implants that extend from the jaw angle right up to the chin area. Such an implant is not available as a stock or off-the-shelf implants. Off-the-shelf jaw angle implants will not reach the chin area, at best they will reach to the mid-body of the mandible behind the cut or notch from the prior osteotomy. That is an acceptable approach if one can accept an indentation between the chin and the jaw angles. But a completely smooth transition from the chin back to the jaw angles requires a custom implant approach based on a 3-D model mandibular model made from a CT scan. This is the best and only way to get a jawline that is completely harmonious fro one side to the other.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana