What Can be Done For How I Look When I Open My Mouth After Orthognathic Surgery?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I have make bimaxillary and sliding genioplasty orthognathic surgery and you can see in the photo the final result. 

When mouth is closed I can accept it, when I open the mouth and the TMJ work its like I don’t like my surgery result as it immediately appears with a  double chin, superior lip have problem specially in the attachment with the nose, inferior lips don t have the necessary bone support and give me stupid expression, finally even the cheeks are floppy.

Thank you.

A: Thank you for sending your pictures and x-rays. As best as I can tell from them and reading your concerns, you have aesthetic satisfaction with the mouth closed but not with opening.This is completely normal as orthognathic surgery is done for the static closed mouth position as this helps set the jaws in alignment. Surgery is not done for how it may look in opening as the facial soft tissue changes with that movement. This is not abnormal nor is there anything wrong. You may benefit by other soft tissue procedures which were not meant to be done at they same time as your orthognathic surgery.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana