How Often Do Jaw Angle Implants Need To Be Revised And Why?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I have some questions about jaw angle implant surgery.

1) If I have a jaw implant surgery, do you custom make the jaw implant for my specific jaw? Is custom making an abnormal activity for jaw augmentation practitioners or something that is done with regularity at most clinics?

2. Which material do you normally use as implant and from which brand? Why do you do this type or these types of implants?

3. What are  the best/worst properties with these type of implants?

4. Approx. how many jaw implants have you done in 2012 and 2013 and what are the total number of jaw implants you have done?

5. If you were to say a number of the total people that have underwent jaw implant surgery, how many have come back of the total number and been displeased with the result?

6. What were they not happy about? and what do you do in such an situation?

A: In answer to your questions:

1) I would need to see photos of your face to make an assessment of whether you need standard or custom jaw angle implants. It has been awhile since I have seen your pictures. Regardless, using custom jaw angle implants is done by a very few surgeons in the world.

2) Depending upon what dimensional changes need to be done, the implants could be made from either silicone (widening the jaw angle only) or Medpor if vertical lengthening of the jaw angle is needed.

3) I do dozens of cases of standard and custom jaw angle implants every year.

4) To you on the outside, the different materials of the implants are irrelevant. Your current choices of jaw angle implants is based on what dimensional changes you need so you really don’t have much choice when it comes to vertical lengthening jaw angle implants because only one manufacturer (Medpor) makes them.

5) The revision rate of jaw angle implants is not insignificant and averages around 20%. This is the hardest facial implant to surgically place.

6) Asymmetry is the biggest reason for revision of jaw angle implants. In some cases, the result may be too much or too little for their aesthetic liking.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana