Masseter Muscle Disinsertion

Q: Dr. Eppley, After having read your in depth knowledge on jaw implants I wanted to get your opinion on what has happened to me. I have recently had jaw implants removed and I feel as though the masseter muscles have not been reattached correctly – they do not wrap around the angle of the mandible, instead they just go straight down. This has led to a strange look when I clench my teeth – a distinct difference of the masseter muscle and and bone angle itself. Can this be remedied? Will it resolve by itself over time? The implants I had were Medpor RZ. Thank you for your time.

A: What you have is disinsertion of the masseter muscle from the jaw angle. This is why when you clench your teeth the muscle bulges above the lower border of the mandible higher up on the ramus. While there is a procedure to try and reattach the muscle back down lower onto the edge of the bone, it has a low rate of success and leaves an external neck scar to do it. It is probably best to accept that this new position of the masseter muscle as permanent.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana