3. Remove the ramus of the mandible by sawing through the neck of the condyle and clipping the ramus above the mandibular foramen.
Next, remove the ramus of the mandible by making three cuts as shown in this diagram,or by making the first two cuts and using bone clippers to nibble down the ramus of the mandible. You will then be able to reflect the temporalis muscle. Note the deep temporal artery and veins emerging just above the mandibular notch and entering the deep surface of the mandible. They will be cut as the muscle is reflected. Make the second cut through the neck of the condyle. You can use the saw or bone clippers for these cuts. Then you can use bone clippers to nibble down the ramus of the mandible instead of making a third cut. This way you can easily avoid cutting the inferior alveolar neurovascular bundle. Alternatively you can use the saw to cut the ramus of the mandible. This is more risky because if you cut too deeply or in the wrong position the inferior alveolar nerves and vessels can be severed. Make sure the cut is above the lingula and the mandibular foramen. Use bone clippers to remove the rest of the ramus to the angle of the mandible around the inferior alveolar vessels. Here are the vessels shown in the fat running into the bone.
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