Temporalis Tendon Transfer

Stanford Facial Nerve Center

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(650) 736-3223

The temporalis muscle is situated on the side of the head, and is one of four major muscles used for chewing. It attaches to the jaw bone(mandible), and helps to close the jaw when chewing. The muscle, and its bony attachment, can be cut through a skin incision that is placed in a natural skin crease between the lip and cheek. The tendon and bone are then attached to the muscles at the corner of the mouth. This results in the corner of the mouth being pulled upwards in a more symmetric position. This procedure provides a very long-lasting suspension of the face, and immediately results in improved symmetry at rest, and often improves speechand eating. There is mild to moderate discomfort in the jaw after this procedure, but this improves with time. This is also a relatively quick procedure that can last for years. Please see Before and After Galleries for examples.