FACIAL ANALYSIS?

[Lazlo]

What I want to know is is there some sort of analysis that can be done of your face where it shows where there are asymmetries adn then this provides the doctor with a guide for how to make those irregularities symmetrical using whatever procedures?

Like it seems it would be quite easy, you take a pic or an x-ray of your skull. A computer fills in the assymmetries or comensates for them and shows the doctors the areas that need movement or filling and then the doctor can choose their preferred techniques, osteotomy, fillers, fat, ha whatever to make those corrections and you achieve near perfect symmetry (i kknow I know not all beautiful people are symmetrical, assymmetry is normal, but some people have noticeable asymmetry detracting from their looks, so for them).

[Vic]

The best way is to get a cone beam/ct scan done of your head and get a 3D model built and from that you can see exactly what the bone looks like under the soft tissue. What size your cheekbones are and the position they're in etc.
That's what I had done and I took it with me when I saw Dr Z and he just planned the surgery straight off that, because it shows the exact shape of the jaws and position of bite, chin, width & length of mandible and maxila.

[Lazlo]

The best way is to get a cone beam/ct scan done of your head and get a 3D model built and from that you can see exactly what the bone looks like under the soft tissue. What size your cheekbones are and the position they're in etc.
That's what I had done and I took it with me when I saw Dr Z and he just planned the surgery straight off that, because it shows the exact shape of the jaws and position of bite, chin, width & length of mandible and maxila.

yeah i think that's a great idea, i'm not sure there's a one-to-one correlation between that and your soft tissue appearance but for sure it's the main part. how did you pay for the 3D model dude? And where did you have it done?

[Vic]

I had it done at the this x-ray imaging place in London called Cavendish imaging. Costs about £400

[molestrip]

It's a tough problem because they're not trying to make you normal but to make it fit together with the existing facial deformities. One reason I was interested in the guys in Houston is that this is the kind of modeling they do and they had one publication where they took a database of normal people and used it to identify what a normal version of a deformed person should look like. Reading the paper again I realized that the program actually came from UNC I think, though they do a lot of 3d modeling there too. It's not standard practice but still in the academic domain. I think we'll get there but it's going to come from the commercial domain, companies like Medical Modeling and Dolphin will do it because their budgets are way bigger. They're struggling with soft tissue modeling currently.

[mike888miller]

how did you feel that having the 3d model helped you in your discussion? did you make the jaw removable? i find this idea absolutly fantastic, had thought about it also.

ideally you would have 2 models, one only cranial and the other of your actual head. both pre and post.

i find the computer generated 3d pics so s**tty they dont really help with anything.

[mike888miller]

just came across this, pretty awesome. i wish i knew which companies do these 3d jaws.

[molestrip]

There's two companies that make these models, it's not hard to do if you have a DICOM. Few hundred dollars at most.

[Vic]

Yes, the lower jaw is detachable from the upper jaw and skull