Facial Aesthetics & Jaw Surgery

Your jaws are the foundation for your entire face. When the foundation is out of alignment, your bite, lips, chin, cheeks, and nose adapt to the misaligned structure.

At Carolinas Center for Oral & Facial Surgery, corrective jaw surgery rebuilds that foundation for facial balance, proportion, and features that are unmistakably yours.

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Consultation between a cosmetic jaw surgeon and a patient

The Foundation for Facial Harmony

People often describe the feeling before jaw surgery as “something is off, but I can’t put my finger on it.” A chin that recedes, lips that don’t quite close at rest, or a facial profile that feels unbalanced.

Facial aesthetic and soft tissue concerns are typically linked to the skeletal foundation that is in the wrong position. Orthognathic surgery can reposition the jaw to enhance facial harmony.

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Jaw surgeon with skull model showing jaw surgery

Aesthetic Concerns Rooted in Jaw Position

Many of the facial features people consider refining are directly tied to the underlying jaw position. The list below covers the patterns we see most often.

Profile & Projection

A chin that appears weak, recessed, or undersized
A lower jaw that projects too far forward of the upper jaw
A flat midface where the cheekbones should provide support
Reduced upper-lip projection relative to the lower lip

Smile & Lip Position

Excessive gum show when smiling or a “gummy smile”
Too little tooth display when smiling at rest
Lips that don’t close comfortably without conscious effort
An upper lip that feels thin because the underlying bone has dropped back

Symmetry & Proportion

A chin or jaw that rests noticeably to one side
A lower face that reads as too long, too short, or out of proportion
Asymmetry in the lip line, smile, or cheek fullness that mirrors a skeletal pattern beneath

How Jaw Surgery Can Change Facial Appearance

Corrective jaw surgery can enhance facial balance and harmony in several ways.

Moving the upper jaw forward can enhance cheek support, improve upper lip fullness, and create a more balanced profile.
Repositioning the lower jaw can strengthen or soften the appearance of the jawline and chin, helping the facial features look more proportional.
Adjustments to the vertical position of the jaws can affect facial height, tooth and gum display when smiling, and how comfortably the lips come together at rest.

The degree of facial change is relative to the correction needed. Small movements produce subtle softening and refinements, while larger movements to the jaw’s position produce a more dramatic reshaping. In every case, the goal is to create a healthier bite, improved function, and facial balance that looks natural and uniquely you.

Using advanced 3D imaging and digital surgical planning, our team can help you understand the expected changes and visualize your results before surgery, giving you greater confidence throughout the treatment process.

ccofs-square_cosmetic_jaw_surgery_before_image

Related Procedures

In many patients, repositioning the jaws delivers a complete aesthetic result on its own. For others, related procedures and facial implants can further bring the chin, cheeks, or jawline into harmony with the corrected jaw position.

Genioplasty (Chin Surgery)

Genioplasty repositions the chin bone itself, allowing three-dimensional correction — advancement, reduction, or vertical adjustment — that implants alone cannot achieve. Performed alongside jaw surgery, genioplasty aligns the chin with the new jaw position.

A weak chin profile is often tied to airway and bite issues as well, so chin augmentation can also help with snoring and TMJ dysfunction.

Malar Augmentation and Cheek Implants

Precisely shaped cheek implants restore midface projection and correct cheek asymmetries when the underlying cheekbone is deficient, which is a pattern common in patients with upper-jaw retrusion.

Unlike fillers which add temporary volume to soft tissue, facial implants augment the skeletal foundation of your face for results that are stable, long-lasting, and natural-looking.

Jawline Contouring and Jaw Implants

When the jawline remains too wide, too prominent, or asymmetric after skeletal correction, angle reduction or osteoplasty of the jawline can refine the lower-face silhouette to match the corrected jaw position.

Jaw implants can add width and angularity to the lower third of the face, sharpening a soft or sloping jawline and producing a stronger transition from ear to chin.

Why a Maxillofacial Surgeon for Facial Aesthetics

The face is a very coordinated and connected system. The bone supports the soft tissue, and the soft tissue moves with the bone. Effective treatment requires an understanding and treatment plan for both.

Oral and maxillofacial surgeons train specifically in this interplay, and our team of renowned fellowship-trained surgeons bring the highest-level skills and expertise to every reconstructive and orthognathic surgery. They plan the skeletal movement, predict the soft-tissue response, and execute both with the same expert hands. It’s what has made CCOFS the trusted choice for jaw surgery.

Meet Our Surgeons

Cosmetic Jaw Surgery in the Carolinas

CCOFS isn’t a cosmetic surgery practice that occasionally performs jaw surgeries. We’re an advanced oral and maxillofacial surgery group whose corrective jaw and facial surgery has, for decades, delivered the kind of facial change patients are looking for — naturally and as part of a coordinated, functional plan.

With unmatched experience and our AAAHC-accredited surgical centers, you will receive the highest quality hospital-grade care in a safe, and comfortable outpatient setting.

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Your Cosmetic Jaw Surgery Journey

Aesthetic-focused jaw surgery follows the same staged path as bite-focused jaw surgery, with focused attention on soft-tissue processes and predictability.

Consultation & Facial Analysis

We capture clinical photos, cone-beam CT imaging, and a facial analysis of proportions, symmetry, and soft-tissue support. You’ll describe the changes you’d like to see, and your surgeon will explain what jaw repositioning can and cannot achieve.

Virtual Planning & Outcome Simulation

Using advanced digital surgical-planning software, your surgeon animates the planned bony movements and projects the soft-tissue response. You’ll preview the expected change in lip closure, chin projection, midface support, and overall proportion before any date is set.

Combined Planning for Adjunctive Procedures

If genioplasty, cheek augmentation, or jaw contouring will complete the aesthetic result, those movements are planned from the outset so everything is integrated into one coordinated surgical plan.

Surgery

Your surgical procedure is performed in our AAAHC-accredited centers under general anesthesia, typically over a few hours. Most patients return home the same day. Light elastics, not wires, will guide your bite during recovery.

Recovery & Final Aesthetic Result

Jaw and tooth-position changes are visible immediately. As swelling resolves over the first weeks, improvements in lip closure, facial contour, and balance become progressively clear. Soft-tissue adaptation continues over several months until the final, settled result is established.

Insurance & Financing Options That Work For You

When it comes to aesthetic jaw surgery and facial implants, some of the most asked questions about treatment are related to cost. Our experienced team has the answers you need.

Insurance coverage for facial surgery depends on the reason for the procedure. When treatments are medically necessary, to reconstruct facial structure following trauma, congenital deformity, or for other health conditions, insurance coverage may be available. Our insurance coordinators will help you maximize your benefits and handle the necessary pre-authorization paperwork on your behalf.

Cosmetic-only procedures are typically not covered by insurance, and we offer financing options through CareCredit and Sunbit if needed.

Our goal is to ensure that cost never stands in the way of the care you need.

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I had upper and lower jaw surgery three weeks ago. I am very pleased with the results & recovery thus far. Dr. Farrell & his team provided excellent care and services which are second to none. If you want the best treatment, you will find it here.

Eric

I had such a great experience with Dr. Franco and his team. I was under his care for almost two years throughout my double jaw surgery journey. Dr. Franco is truly an expert at what he does and always made sure I fully understood each step of the process while easing any concerns I had along the way. I am beyond happy with my final results and would highly recommend Dr. Franco and his team to anyone considering treatment.

Isabel