Please Help Me Out! Mono-Jaw Surgery

[Maxilla4Life]

So for more than two years I have been bothered by the major asymmetry that resides in my left mandible. I have finally come to terms with it and accepted it as a fact of life. Being very depressed about this fact, I found this forum and it gave me some hope. I have decided to fix my mandible in the span of 1 year. The problem is that I don't have any knowledge about Jaw Surgery and I don't know who I should turn to for guidance, so I hope you people can be a great help to me, I really appreciate it.

I'm very satisfied with nearly every aspect of my face, EXCEPT for my left mandible. My left mandible is almost twice as prominent as my right one. I would like to fix this and make sure that my left mandible resembles my right one in size and shape. Without any knowledge, but reading about other cases on this forum, it seems that my case would only need a minor operation compared to some other people here who seek, other more convoluted solutions to their facial problems. I have the impression that my case is pretty basic and shouldn't be a problem to fix, am I right?

I have decided to set up a plan and start saving from now on. All I now need is some guidance. I live in Europe and would like to get some recommendations about which surgeon I should consider, I'm really looking for the best one available. I'm willing to meet a couple of them in consultation, before I decide which one I should go for. I would greatly appreciate it if someone could give me a ball park estimate of the total cost for a Mono Jaw Surgery (is this what it is called?) This would help me to set up a financial goal and give me a better overview of my situation. Please PM if you feel like it instead.

I'm really desperate, before finding this forum I was under the impression that I was stuck with this asymmetry for the rest of my life and it really caused me distress, but now I have hope  .

[beyondconfusedtbh]

Hard to give an exact figure but I’d say at most around 12k. Always best to prepare for the worst case (most expensive) in my opinion. A more detailed plan would help in estimating better though.

[Maxilla4Life]

Hard to give an exact figure but I’d say at most around 12k. Always best to prepare for the worst case (most expensive) in my opinion. A more detailed plan would help in estimating better though.

Thank you! It was kind of the type of estimation I was looking for. I will make sure I have around 20k by next summer. I was really worried that the best surgeons in Europe would charge somewhere around +€20k. Can you recommend me a surgeon that deals with mandible asymmetry? What is the name of the operation I’m in need of anyway?

Is it resonable for me to think that my case is pretty basic and straight forward and that I won’t have to worry about any major complications or hassles? I know it’s hard to determine without actually evaluating my face, but given what I have described it shouldn’t be too complicated to fix, right?

[beyondconfusedtbh]

Is your jaw actually uneven or just the jawline? The latter can be fixed with a chin / side wing osteotomy.

If it’s the whole jaw then I’d think it best to wait for one of the veterans on here to reply lol. By the way, have you made sure to check it’s not just due to masseter hypertrophy (your jaw muscle getting bigger) on one side? It could even be a combination of both

[Dogmatix]

It's never certain to know what you're getting yourself into when you start messing with the jaws. It could be a simple fix, or you could end up remodelling the entire structure. You need to consider the bite etc.
The only way to know is to consult with a surgeon, if you have a time span of one year, you could start consulting now and get an idea of what you're actually looking at, since these procedures is nothing you book the next day any way.

[Maxilla4Life]

By the way, have you made sure to check it’s not just due to masseter hypertrophy (your jaw muscle getting bigger) on one side? It could even be a combination of both

That's my problem, I'm not sure if it's the jawline OR a combination of the jawline and Masseter Hypertrophy. I haven't had any x-rays, because I don't know who I should turn to. If I knew a good Maxillofacial surgeon (there are none in my country) to turn to, I could get an consultation and hopefully establish my problems right there. The right side of my face is perfect just the way it is. I'm very pleased with that side, it's the left side of my mandible that is bothering me. It pops out noticeably, especially when I tilt my head backwards, then you can definitely see a big difference in size between the two sides.

The lower jaw is one piece right? So how would the surgeon even go about fixing only one side of the jaw without touching and potentially altering the other side? Is this even possible to fix? I don't want to get my hopes up, before finding this forum I was completely hopeless, but now I have regained some hope.

[Maxilla4Life]

The only way to know is to consult with a surgeon, if you have a time span of one year, you could start consulting now and get an idea of what you're actually looking at, since these procedures is nothing you book the next day any way.

I understand and that's what I'm going to do. I have 1 year to save the money for the surgery and in the meantime I'm going to go on 2-3 consultations. I just need to know which surgeon I should turn to. How much does a in person consultation cost anyway, any ball park estimations?

[Dogmatix]

I understand and that's what I'm going to do. I have 1 year to save the money for the surgery and in the meantime I'm going to go on 2-3 consultations. I just need to know which surgeon I should turn to. How much does a in person consultation cost anyway, any ball park estimations?

1-500€ for a normal first consultation, depends a lot on what will be done and included in the consultation. If it's just a quick chat, or new x-rays and more in-depth analysis.

[Maxilla4Life]

1-500€ for a normal first consultation, depends a lot on what will be done and included in the consultation. If it's just a quick chat, or new x-rays and more in-depth analysis.

Well, I have never had consultation of any sort so I guess the in-depht analysis option would suit me the best? €500 is the target price then, right?

[Dogmatix]

Well, I have never had consultation of any sort so I guess the in-depht analysis option would suit me the best? €500 is the target price then, right?

I would say you have the wrong mind set for this. If it makes any difference to you if it costs 100 or 500€, then you should stop thinking about this. These are serious procedures. Start by looking into what surgeons are available for you, and then pay whatever fee they take for the consultation and how they handle it. At some point you probably need to do a full cbct scan and eventually a full plan, but not necessarily at the first appointment.

[Maxilla4Life]

I would say you have the wrong mind set for this. If it makes any difference to you if it costs 100 or 500€, then you should stop thinking about this. These are serious procedures. Start by looking into what surgeons are available for you, and then pay whatever fee they take for the consultation and how they handle it. At some point you probably need to do a full cbct scan and eventually a full plan, but not necessarily at the first appointment.

The reason I do this and am concerned with the price is not because 100 or 500 makes a difference to me. It's because I'm concerned the the total price when it's all said and done. I don't want to get my hopes up and actually feel happy that I might fix my flaws, unless I can guarantee that I will be able to afford it. That's why I asked about a ball park estimation for the total cost of everything. I can do ~20k€ as for the total cost, but not more and unless it costs more then I want to know. You mentioned scans and stuff, how much does those cost?

Will doctors like Raffaini, Alfaro, Zarrinbal (or any other Top European Surgeon) charge more than 20k€ to fix my left mandible and make it symmetrical to the my right one? If you answer No, then I will immediately get to work and actually start to plan everything.

[Dogmatix]

The reason I do this and am concerned with the price is not because 100 or 500 makes a difference to me. It's because I'm concerned the the total price when it's all said and done. I don't want to get my hopes up and actually feel happy that I might fix my flaws, unless I can guarantee that I will be able to afford it. That's why I asked about a ball park estimation for the total cost of everything. I can do ~20k€ as for the total cost, but not more and unless it costs more then I want to know. You mentioned scans and stuff, how much does those cost?

Will doctors like Raffaini, Alfaro, Zarrinbal (or any other Top European Surgeon) charge more than 20k€ to fix my left mandible and make it symmetrical to the my right one? If you answer No, then I will immediately get to work and actually start to plan everything.

The answer is exactly as previously. To you it's just a small fix on the mandible, but depending on your situation it may be a much bigger procedure than you can imagine, or not. Impossible to know at this stage. What you're asking for is exactly what the consultation aims to answer for you. It can be both more or less than €20k.

Jaw surgery is complex as it aims to correct the bite as well. If the asymmetry requires some sort of movement of the mandible, well... guess what. The maxilla may need to move as well. Alternative solutions that are not that complex are implants and other pure cosmetic procedures.

[kavan]

The reason I do this and am concerned with the price is not because 100 or 500 makes a difference to me. It's because I'm concerned the the total price when it's all said and done. I don't want to get my hopes up and actually feel happy that I might fix my flaws, unless I can guarantee that I will be able to afford it. That's why I asked about a ball park estimation for the total cost of everything. I can do ~20k€ as for the total cost, but not more and unless it costs more then I want to know. You mentioned scans and stuff, how much does those cost?

Will doctors like Raffaini, Alfaro, Zarrinbal (or any other Top European Surgeon) charge more than 20k€ to fix my left mandible and make it symmetrical to the my right one? If you answer No, then I will immediately get to work and actually start to plan everything.

Extreme asymmetry of ONE side ONLY to the jaw is best addressed with custom implants.

If you are the type who wants to have a bone cutting surgery instead because you want to avoid the most probable solution for extreme asymmetry to one side of jaw (custom implants), then IMO, the trade-off would be residual asymmetry.

Athough I don't give doctor reccommendations on board, nor do I keep track of prices, I can UN-suggest the doctors named here. Grounds being that my suggestion would be custom implants and those doctors are either against them or they are not their specialty.

[Maxilla4Life]

Extreme asymmetry of ONE side ONLY to the jaw is best addressed with custom implants.

If you are the type who wants to have a bone cutting surgery instead because you want to avoid the most probable solution for extreme asymmetry to one side of jaw (custom implants), then IMO, the trade-off would be residual asymmetry.

Athough I don't give doctor reccommendations on board, nor do I keep track of prices, I can UN-suggest the doctors named here. Grounds being that my suggestion would be custom implants and those doctors are either against them or they are not their specialty.

Are you telling me to get implants on the right side of my jaw (the good side), so it can match the left side? I don’t want my right side to match my left side, I’m happy with my right side. I want the left side to match the right side.

I’m sorry but what is risidual asymmetry?

[kavan]

Are you telling me to get implants on the right side of my jaw (the good side), so it can match the left side? I don’t want my right side to match my left side, I’m happy with my right side. I want the left side to match the right side.

I’m sorry but what is risidual asymmetry?

I'm so sorry. I confused what you said in the original post and was thinking in terms of making the smaller side larger to match. Hence suggestion of implants.  Thanx for your clarification that you want the the larger side REDUCED. 

With that clarification (again sorry about the confusion), I RETRACT suggestion for implants. You will need reduction on the larger side.
It would be great to see an X ray to take a look at the bone structure and differentiate that from possible masseter hypertrophy.