Metal Mouth Message Board

I had a couple of questions for anyone who has had an underbite and asymmetry issues. My right side is stronger then the left side, being it's more prominent and filled out yata yata. But could it also be the left side isn't weaker, but the right side is actually overly strong. Who determines which side has the problem?

Is this how it would work?
A: The right side is the problem = breaks right jaw and places it further back.
B: The left jaw is the problem = breaks left jaw and brings it further out.

I'm guessing for most of us with this problem it's option B, because many have double jaw surgery. I always thought why do you have to break both jaws? It's because if you bring the left side out more, you'll fix the symmetry and mid-line, but in the process bring out the lower jaw further then before, meaning you have to bring the upper jaw out to correct the bite. Yes?

I'm in braces right now, and both my ortho and surgeon have said double jaw surgery would fix my problem, but I want to look better at the end of this. I'm not having the surgery for cosmetic reasons, but if you can not out two birds with one stone, why not? I will ask the surgeon more details at my pre-op, but I wanted to ask the people who have experienced similar.

On a side note, did your cheek fill out more on the weaker side when you fixed it? From chewing on the strong right side for so long I believe the right has developed more facial muscles.

I had (have) asymmetry in my jaw and had double jaw surgery. However, my asymmetry was due to underlying bone asymmetry, not necessarily soft tissue or muscles. I had a pretty skilled ortho back in high school who managed to make my teeth look straight and centered in a very crooked jaw. Unfortunately, for the next 15 or so years I continued to have problems with function, pain, headaches, etc - enough so to go down the surgery route. I was also assured by my surgeon and ortho that surgery would help my asymmetry, with the caveat that there was the smallest chance the asymmetry could appear worse after surgery. And it did. Much much worse. Prior to surgery, while I noticed the difference in my two jaw sides, no one else did (including family). After, it was far more pronounced. It was not an ideal outcome. My surgeon offered to "fix" it for free, but I was moving out of the country and at this point didn't really trust his aesthetic. I saw three surgeons in the US and all suggested installing a mandible implant. I NEVER imagined at the start of this whole process that two and a half years after I began, I'd be having another surgery. I really think that in more complex situations, orthognathic surgeons should be working in tandem with a plastic surgeon. Before you go down the surgery route I highly recommend speaking with your surgeon about this, and understanding all the potential outcomes.