Sliding Genioplasty
Also known as chin osteotomy, chin advancement
Moves your actual chin bone rather than adding plastic on top of it. The better option over an implant for most meaningful advancements.
US $6,000–15,000. Often bundled with orthognathic surgery at lower marginal cost.
How it works
The surgeon cuts the lower jaw below the tooth roots and repositions the freed chin segment forward, backward, up, down or rotationally, fixing it with titanium plates and screws. Because it moves bone with its muscle attachments intact, the soft tissue follows naturally.
How it's used
Performed by a maxillofacial surgeon. Requires CT imaging and cephalometric analysis. If your bite is also off, address the underlying jaw relationship with orthognathic surgery first — a genioplasty can camouflage a small discrepancy but not fix a real one.
Trade-offs
In favour
- Moves real bone — no implant to shift, erode or become infected
- Can correct in three dimensions including vertical height and asymmetry
- No foreign material left behind
- Very stable long-term result
Against
- More invasive than an implant
- Higher cost
- Requires a maxillofacial surgeon rather than a general plastic surgeon
- Longer recovery
Risks and side effects
- Mental nerve injury causing lower lip and chin numbness — usually temporary, occasionally permanent
- Infection of hardware, rarely requiring removal
- Asymmetry
- Damage to tooth roots if the cut is placed poorly
- Chin ptosis if soft tissue is mismanaged
Recovery
Week 1: significant swelling, soft diet, intraoral incision care. Weeks 2–3: swelling dropping, back to work. Weeks 4–6: normal diet resumes. Numbness of the lower lip may persist for weeks to months and usually resolves.
How good is the evidence?
Long-established maxillofacial procedure with excellent stability and predictable outcomes.
Sources
Sources point to guideline bodies and literature searches rather than single papers, so they stay accurate as the evidence moves.