Guest guest Posted March 16, 2004 Report Share Posted March 16, 2004 Believe it or not, this is a pretty common recommendation. I am also planning to have upper moved forward. My surgeon recommends medpor cheek implants. This is something I've agonized over for over 3 years but I'm leaning toward having it done. I figure the surgery is going to be brutal enough in and of itself, and I may as well come out of it with a better, not worse, facial proportion. Ask your surgeon about the medpor implants. They are a hard, porous polyethylene material which means infection chances should be less and also cause less bone resorption than other types of implants. They are fixed with small titanium screws and coupled with the connective tissue ingrowth are very stable if you happen to take a whack on the cheek. The key is to find a surgeon who has extensive experience in using a particular type of material. One size doesn't fit all; if using an alloplastic type of implant, there will be a lot of carving to contour the implants to your face. This is much more art than science so make sure your surgeon has a firm grasp of plastic surgery techniques. I am fortunate to be under the care of a surgeon at a major university who, in addition to his maxillofacial skills, also heads that hospital's plastic surgery department. But do research and be prepared to grill your doc about the type of implants and about his/her techniques. Remember, we only have one face. -Todd > I am about to have my upper jaw advanced and lower moved back. My > surgeon has suggested that once he moves my upper jaw forward, it > might make my cheek bones " disappear " or at least make them look much > smaller than before (didn't have much to start with). Therefore, he > has suggested cheek implants. They are pretty expensive and > obviously not covered by insurance, so I'm not sure whether I should > do it or not. They're not bone--they're the same material that they > use in artificial knees and hips. I'm also worried that they might > move around if I get headbutted by my 3-year-old (his favorite > activity). Any body have any info on this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 17, 2004 Report Share Posted March 17, 2004 Thanks Todd. I met with the surgeon today, and he is planning on using the kind you are talking about (glad you told me the name since I didn't write it down and have already forgotten what they're called). He said they are a lot more stable (i.e. don't shift around) than the other types since they are screwed in. He really did make me feel a lot better about the whole thing, as did talking to my sister--she had upper jaw and cheek implants (old silicone kind) in '89, and highly recommended the implants to me yesterday. If I had big cheekbones now, I wouldn't consider it, but I have small cheekbones that will probably look smaller after my jaw moves forward. I'd hate to not do it and then get irritated every time I look in the mirror (I'm the type who kicks herself for things for years!). It sure is great to get advice from so many people--I was SO prepared for my pre-op today thanks to all the info on this site. Thanks again! --Amy > > I am about to have my upper jaw advanced and lower moved back. My > > surgeon has suggested that once he moves my upper jaw forward, it > > might make my cheek bones " disappear " or at least make them look > much > > smaller than before (didn't have much to start with). Therefore, > he > > has suggested cheek implants. They are pretty expensive and > > obviously not covered by insurance, so I'm not sure whether I > should > > do it or not. They're not bone--they're the same material that > they > > use in artificial knees and hips. I'm also worried that they > might > > move around if I get headbutted by my 3-year-old (his favorite > > activity). Any body have any info on this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 18, 2004 Report Share Posted March 18, 2004 Yeah, it sounds like your situation is a little different than mine since it's moving my upper jaw that will cause the problem. My underbite is bad enough that my face is going to look very different anyway, so I didn't think the cheek implants really would add to that problem. I also had the opposite concern--that I would still be looking in the mirror 20 years from now and saying " I should have listened to the surgeon because my cheekbones are gone " It's a hard decision to me because nothing else was really a decision-- surgeon and ortho said only surgery would fix my bite, so I didn't really have to decide about that. The implant thing sucks because it's MY decision, so if it's wrong, it's my fault! Good luck with your decision. > > > > I am about to have my upper jaw advanced and lower moved back. > > My > > > > surgeon has suggested that once he moves my upper jaw forward, > it > > > > might make my cheek bones " disappear " or at least make them > look > > > much > > > > smaller than before (didn't have much to start with). > Therefore, > > > he > > > > has suggested cheek implants. They are pretty expensive and > > > > obviously not covered by insurance, so I'm not sure whether I > > > should > > > > do it or not. They're not bone--they're the same material that > > > they > > > > use in artificial knees and hips. I'm also worried that they > > > might > > > > move around if I get headbutted by my 3-year-old (his favorite > > > > activity). Any body have any info on this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 18, 2004 Report Share Posted March 18, 2004 Hi, all; my dentist (who spear-headed my moving forward with the surgery) suggested that I have cheek implants as well. I was unsure if I wanted to do that, and spoke to my ortho who said he would not suggest it for me. He said that if I wanted to do it later, I could, and that it could be done with collagen implants that would not require surgery of that kind. I have no idea about cosmetic surgery nor if this is indeed true, but wanted to communicate it to you anyway for you to maybe research. If it is true, then maybe it would be an option that would allow you to wait until after the surgery to make that decision. Hope it helps! Christy > > > > > I am about to have my upper jaw advanced and lower moved > back. > > > My > > > > > surgeon has suggested that once he moves my upper jaw > forward, > > it > > > > > might make my cheek bones " disappear " or at least make them > > look > > > > much > > > > > smaller than before (didn't have much to start with). > > Therefore, > > > > he > > > > > has suggested cheek implants. They are pretty expensive and > > > > > obviously not covered by insurance, so I'm not sure whether I > > > > should > > > > > do it or not. They're not bone--they're the same material > that > > > > they > > > > > use in artificial knees and hips. I'm also worried that they > > > > might > > > > > move around if I get headbutted by my 3-year-old (his > favorite > > > > > activity). Any body have any info on this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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