Metal Mouth Message Board

The cheek graft is $500 per side, and I was told it can be done as part of the surgery or without surgery. They use a material called hydroxiappetite. I don't know exactly how it's done (i.e. where the incision takes place, etc). I planned to have a second visit and ask follow up questions.

check augmentation varies from person. some cost $3,000+ depending on how much grafting is needed.

based on the 20+ page FAQ sheet i received from arnett's office after agreeing to the surgery, the cheek graft - or augmentation - is done in steps. think of it as a mold. the hydroxiappetite can be manipulated by surgeons for several weeks after the surgery. this is done to ensure maximum aesthetics results and symmetry. the healing process will alter the shake of your job (duh) and enable arnett/gunson to move the cheek augmentation accordingly.

an implant can rarely be shaved and a botched job requires a new implant or cutting the bone. the real problem is if you aren't staying in SB for several weeks post-surgery, you'll have to rely on your ortho to deal with the shaping.

as many have said before, arnett and gunson are obsessed with aesthetics.

Do you know if it's possible to get the cheek bone graft without the jaw surgery but while still in braces?

@max

cheek bone augmentation is purely cosmetic as far as i know. i dont think it undermines or helps the mechanics of the jaw. so i would assume a procedure like that could obviously be done without under-going jaw surgery. unless of course your jaw is in such a position that a cheek bone augmentation would be impossible without manipulating the jaw itself.

i was told i could get cosmetic work done while in braces, though that was when i was close to finishing my first round.

just ask your ortho and regardless of what he/she says, see a plastic surgeon. it's your face.

Thanks, mate. I meant the hydroxiappetite graft that Gunson does. I think I'd rather do that procedure with him than a plastic surgeon. I was wondering if I could have it done on the cheek area while still in braces. I shot them an email asking about it, but haven't heard back yet.

max, are you gonna have jaw surgery as well? If so I would rather wait and do it all together. If you decided not to go for surgery, then I don't see why you couldn't do the cheek graft while on braces.

the nose changes after surgery if you have upper jaw done because when they move the upper jaw they are also moving the nose base. And the other reason is that they need to cut all the soft tissue inside the mouth around your nose to get to the place where they need to cut the bone. They stitch it back in place once the bone has been advanced to the proper position, but its not the same thing ever again. For some people it may turn out better than it was before though.

Hey all,

Not sure if it's been posted already, but I found an interesting blog with a patient who recently had surgery with Gunson. She posts in high detail.

http://ashleysjawsurgery.wordpress.com/

Finally found a video that shows exactly what I'll be having done.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150649728371123

Tiny picture I know but check this out - absolutely incredible!

Here's a bigger version and yes, amazing result. She had really severe condylar resorption.

Wonder how much advancement she got? Looks like over 30mm total.

That is incredible. I cannot wait.

Here's a link to the video I previously posted. Not sure if the other link worked.

http://video.ak.fbcdn.net/cfs-ak-ash4/v ... ea169e5e7c