Making an assessment regarding augmenting the mandible can be a little tricky, and sometimes more complex than people think. The mandible can be lacking in size and projection in different parts of the bone. The chin is only one part of the mandible and many people who have it and insufficient or facial skeletology imbalance with a small mandible will have deficiencies in various parts of the mandible.The overall size of the mandible is generally determined by how the dental occlusion comes together. This represents the relationship between the mandible and the maxilla.Most individuals who have an under sized mandible, will have a significant overbite occlusion. The relationship with the upper and lower teeth has little to do with the chin, because the chin sits in front of the incisors. To assess the chin, follow the contour of your lower lip. Be careful attention when it comes to the little fold or crease at the bottom of the lower lip called the labiomental angle. If someone has a deep labiomental crease or sharp labiomental angle then anterior or forward, augmentation of the chin needs to be done carefully. It’s important to differentiate if the lack of projection is in the tip of the mandible, or the chin itself or further back in the body of the mandible. I suggest having multiple in person, consultations with local, oral surgeons and plastic surgeons. Some plastic surgeons are comfortable doing a sliding genioplasty while others will prefer using implants. Each of the procedures can accomplish similar outcomes and both procedures has certain inherit advantages, and disadvantages. Best, Mats Hagstrom, MD