Jaw Reduction

Q: Dr. Eppley, What is outer corticotomy method for jaw angle reduction? Is it just cutting the jaw slightly from the front view? Another thing I don’t necessarily want is screws to hold bones together. 

Also, what is muscle reduction by electrocautery? Isn’t that dangerous to the muscles? Wouldn’t cutting a part if the muscle be more effective?

For my chin, I had attached 2 more pictures. One with Botox into the jaw with NO filler to the chin and another with both Botox and filler. The one you saw before in the first email was without any procedures done. I just want the sides of my chin narrowed not necessarily broken and attached back together with screws if that makes sense. 

Anyway we can cut the muscle and jaw and narrow the chin without any screws and long terms affects? Thank you!

A: The outer corticotomy jaw angle reduction method removes the outer cortex of the jaw angle.  It leaves the shape of the jaw angle but makes it thinner. This is in sharp contrast to the more traditional full-thickness amputation method of jaw angle reduction.This creates the appearance in the front view of some slight narrowing. It does not require plates or screws as the bone is removed.

You never want to cut on or try to take out portions of the masseter muscle as this will lead to visible irregularities on the outside. In addition it can result in both intraoprtstivr anf postoperative bleeding. Electrocautery more uniformly shrinks the muscle and has no risk of bleeding.

The sides of the chin can be narrowed through an intraoral approach by just removing portions of the sides of the chin.  (known as lateral tubercle ostectomies) Like the jaw angles it is done by removing the outer layer of the bone and does not require any plates or screws.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana