Does The Shape of the Ramus Prevent Jaw Angle Implants From Being Placed?

Q: Dr. Eppley, Would the “shape” of what i guess is my ramus be a problem for attaching jaw angle implants? All the x-ray that I find on Google seems to have a L or two straight lines form so I don’t know if this is normal. I hope that the attached pics explain better what i mean. 

A: Everyone’s bony jaw angle is not square, it is round. Thus to make a more square or pronounced jaw angle it takes a special designed implant, usually a vertically lengthening implant, to be precisely positioned over the bone so that some of the implant is not on the bone to create the new jaw angle shape. That is not easy to do and get it perfectly positioned for symmetry between the two sides. That is the challenge in many standard jaw angle implant placements and accounts for why asymmetry is the number one aesthetic issue in jaw angle implant surgery.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana