#109 – Dr. Steven Sullivan – “Custom Plates Make an Inadequate Surgeon Adequate”

Ronald Ead Ronald Ead · August 3, 2026 ·

Dr. Steven Sullivan (DDS, FACS, FACD), current professor and Chair of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of Oklahoma, with 5,000+ double jaw and TMJ surgeries, on why he refuses custom plates. Mandible-first sequencing, condylar seating, segmental LeFort, chimp lip, MIOS, genioplasty design, and his 90-90-90-10-10 rule for vetting your own surgical plan.

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TIMESTAMPS

00:00:00 Intro

00:03:11 Who Is Dr. Steven Sullivan

00:03:56 Maxilla First or Mandible First?

00:05:06 Wire Fixation to Rigid Fixation

00:09:51 What “Seating the Condyle” Means

00:13:10 Why VSP Can’t Predict Condyle Position

00:16:35 The Custom Plate Workflow Explained

00:19:14 Sullivan’s Splint Workflow

00:20:29 Custom Plates Aren’t More Accurate

00:21:39 “It Makes an Inadequate Surgeon Adequate”

00:23:05 The Upper Lip Drape Problem

00:25:55 When the Bite Doesn’t Come Together

00:29:30 Condylar Resorption Explained

00:32:24 Plan Around the Incisor, Execute Around the Joint

00:34:48 Is Non-Custom Surgery Obsolete?

00:35:47 Why Jaw Surgery Isn’t a Rolex

00:39:49 The Economics of Jaw Surgery

00:41:42 How Insurance Nearly Killed Jaw Surgery

00:45:44 DRGs and Economic Credentialing

00:52:39 The 60-Minute Double Jaw Surgery

00:56:06 “I Save 2.5 Hours on a Jaw Surgery”

00:58:02 Why 90% of His LeForts Are Segmental

01:05:23 Over-Advancing the Maxilla

01:10:11 Airway Volume: 3.5% Per Millimeter

01:13:04 The Traditional LeFort and the Wolford Step

01:17:40 Why He Calls MIOS Nonsense

01:21:17 Steroids, Speed, and Recovery

01:23:18 The Sullivan LeFort Cut

01:30:43 Jaw Surgery and the Soft Palate

01:33:06 Genioplasty and Custom Plates

01:38:51 Treatment Planning: Garbage In, Garbage Out

01:40:06 Reading Your Own Lateral Ceph

01:45:24 Advancement Without Chimp Lip

01:47:25 The 90-90-90-10-10 Rule

01:49:16 When You Need a Total Joint Replacement

01:53:17 Inverted L vs Inverted Z

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DISCLAIMER

NO MEDICAL OR DENTAL ADVICE. Ronald Ead and JAWHACKS, LLC, dba JawHacks (collectively, “we”) does not give medical advice. We are not licensed medical professionals. The information provided in this video is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Always seek the guidance of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition.

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