Customization of hardware has always been a part of jaw surgery. We bend each plate and adapt each screw to your individualized anatomy. For TMJ surgery, replacement devices are fabricated by hand to fit your individual anatomy. These are all invaluable and have been a mainstay of contemporary orthognathic surgery
Over the last 5-10 years, hardware companies have been promoting 3d printed hardware. This type of hardware can be a very useful tool in complicated surgical situations such as cancer or trauma reconstruction. Dr. Bobek uses this type of hardware during jaw surgery with some inverted L osteotomies, some revision surgeries, and with some inferior positioning of the maxilla surgeries.
The trouble with the 3d printed hardware is cost. Jaw surgery can be very expensive and increasing the absolute cost of hardware by 5, 10, or even 15 thousand dollars seems wasteful for routine surgeries. American healthcare is plagued with cost overruns and it is our belief that the large hardware companies are marketing these devices to make more money. We value transparency in cost and being good stewards with all of our resources.
There has been no evidence that 3d printed hardware improves surgical outcomes or decreases surgical time for routine orthognathic surgery. Again, it is very useful in complicated scenarios, but we just cannot justify the cost for the vast majority of jaw surgeries. At Seattle Jaw Surgery, we will consider your situation from all aspects – quality, cost, risk and benefit. Come see us to see which kind of hardware is best for you!
