Dr. Brianne Roby

Micrognathia, also called “small jaw,” is a condition in which the mandible (lower jaw) is underdeveloped or smaller than it should be. Micrognathia is an important feature to notice in infants where other comorbidities or syndromes may lead to airway obstruction.

Mandibular distraction is a common surgical procedure for the treatment of micrognathia in which hardware is placed to lengthen the mandible, thereby improving the child’s ability to breathe and feed.