What Is The Best Way To Treat Facial Asymmetry?

Q : My jaw is asymmetrical. It is tilted and is also bigger on one side. I have read some of the articles you have written on facial asymmetry and wanted to ask you about how best to correct my problem?

A: Jaw or mandibular asymmetry is often a major cause of facial asymmetry. Often the entire side of one’s face is different if one looks for it carefully. Sometimes it is the lower face (jaw) that is the most significant part, other times the cheek, orbital, and forehead bones are equally involved and part of the problem. It is critically important to assess both sides of the face from top to bottom with photographs and measurements from different angles to get an accurate assessment.

In most cases of minor to moderate facial asymmetry, camouflage techniques are used. This means the use of facial implants to lengthen and broaden the smaller and flatter facial prominences. These are good options for jaw angles and cheeks. Chin asymmetry is often better done with osteotomies where the bone can be differentially lengthened between the vertically shorter and normal sides. Soft tissue deficiencies can be simultaneously improved by fat injections.

If significant facial asymmetry exists and one’s occlusion (bite) is very tilted, another consideration is orthognathic surgery. In younger patients this may be a better option if one is prepared to go through several years of preparatory orthodontics and then jaw surgery to directly treat the primary bone, differential bone growth.  

Dr. Barry Eppley