Surgical Procedures of the Chin

An aesthetically pleasing and harmonious facial profile is becoming more and more important to patients. It is not always possible to create a harmonious facial profile by shifting the jaw bases alone. A genioplasty is a versatile surgical procedure that allows vertical, sagittal, and transverse changes to be made to the chin without affecting the dental occlusion. It can be undertaken in isolation or in combination with other procedures i.e. orthognatic surgery or rhinoplasty to achieve a greater facial harmony or enable lip closure. As the alteration of the bony chin is accompanied by an alteration of the muscles of the lower third of the face, a chin plasty has also a functional aspect. Before surgery, a detailed preoperative soft and hard tissue analysis should be performed. A genioplasty can shorten or lengthen the lower third of the face, can correct a poorly projected or over-projected mentum, and can widen or narrow the chin. Depending on the indication, different techniques can be used. It can be performed in the “gliding technique” (disc osteotomy) for vertical and sagittal reduction or augmentation or in the “stamp technique” for sagittal augmentation or vertical reduction and a narrowing technique that can also be used as a wing technique. By relocating the bony parts of the chin together with the inserting muscles, not only facial symmetry can be improved but also a functional improvement of lip closure is achieved. This might be a decisive aspect within the framework of orthodontic surgery.