Underbite and Long face / Increased Lower Facial Height

[gottadothisiguess]

Hey people, I am a 5'11 170 lbs male.

I have relatively straight teeth however they sort of mask my underbite because my top teeth go outward and my bottom teeth are going inward ; however this is not noticeable really. As of now my bite is still edge on ( been in braces for about 3 months). According to my ortho, my underbite is going to get worse before it gets better, and then jaw surgery will give the final finished result with a proper bite.

My main reasons for even undergoing this process was because my face always appears quite elongated and this makes me self conscious. I honestly have very little problems chewing, and my jaw has never really given me any major problems. My ortho has written I have "increased lower facial height" however my surgeon said he doesn't think I will need a reduction genioplasty in addition to the jaw surgery (but it is an option). My question is that once I undergo surgery do you think my face could appear less elongated? He also mentioned he might only have to do my lower jaw however its uncertain yet (top jaw is still likely). Has anyone who has undergone a similar procedure noticed a less elongated face? I am really hoping my face can return to what it was like when I was a junior in highschool ( a lot less elongated - more oval/normal/ideal shape).

[Bullfighter]

Hey people, I am a 5'11 170 lbs male.

I have relatively straight teeth however they sort of mask my underbite because my top teeth go outward and my bottom teeth are going inward ; however this is not noticeable really. As of now my bite is still edge on ( been in braces for about 3 months). According to my ortho, my underbite is going to get worse before it gets better, and then jaw surgery will give the final finished result with a proper bite.

My main reasons for even undergoing this process was because my face always appears quite elongated and this makes me self conscious. I honestly have very little problems chewing, and my jaw has never really given me any major problems. My ortho has written I have "increased lower facial height" however my surgeon said he doesn't think I will need a reduction genioplasty in addition to the jaw surgery (but it is an option). My question is that once I undergo surgery do you think my face could appear less elongated? He also mentioned he might only have to do my lower jaw however its uncertain yet (top jaw is still likely). Has anyone who has undergone a similar procedure noticed a less elongated face? I am really hoping my face can return to what it was like when I was a junior in highschool ( a lot less elongated - more oval/normal/ideal shape).

This is very difficult to answer without knowing how big an adjustment is being made. If your bite is close to normal, that suggests the surgery might not involve much change in how far your mandible protrudes. I would be surprised if the surgery by itself would make a big difference in your profile.

One thing to consider is that genioplasty is a relatively minor "add-on" procedure once you're already under anesthesia, in the hospital, having jaw surgery. It doesn't really affect recovery time. If your surgeon can do a projection and show you how you might look with and without a chin reduction, that should help you decide.

Another thing... it would be a letdown to go through jaw surgery (which isn't all that fun, to be honest...) and healing and not think your appearance had improved noticeably. I'm not a surgeon, but I suspect that a reduction genioplasty is something you should consider now.

[joyayn]

I just had a BSSO and Genioplasty to fix some asymetry and my lower facial height. My face certainly is less elongated. Its a little weird to me actually, since before I would have said that my face shape was more oval, and now its more square (no its not the swelling).... Honestly, its strange to look in the mirror and see pronounced jaw structue when I had a more oval face before, but I am getting used to it. I was told before my surgery that the genioplasty was an option, and I did decide to do that as well since I wanted to be as close to symetrical as they could make me. My long face is now considered "normal". From what my OMFS told me, the face shape is going to change, due to the underlying structure changing. It seems as though most of my co-workers and friends dont notice it as much as I do, but they say that you are your own worst critic.

Not sure if this was helpful.

JoyAyn