Chin Enhancement
Many patients are unhappy with the appearance of their chin and neck, and come to our office looking to enhance these areas. A prominent chin and neckline is considered a sign of strength and intelligence in many cultures, and so is desired by some people without these characteristics. A majority of patients report an increase in self-confidence and self-esteem after surgery.
A weak chin is usually the result of an underdeveloped lower jaw (mandible), which also causes problems with how the teeth come together (overbite). This is best corrected by a combination of orthodontics and surgical advancement of the mandible (orthognathic surgery).
In patients with a normal dental relationship, the chin can be enhanced by surgery known as mentoplasty.
An artificial chin prosthesis (implant) can be placed in front of the bone to make the chin more prominent, or the bone of the chin can actually be cut and fixated in a more forward position, using wires or screws. An overly prominent chin can be corrected by the same method, except that the bone is moved backward.
The procedure of cutting the bone of the chin is called a genioplasty.
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