Underbite Tooth Correction? How to Improve a Receded Chin Without Double-Jaw Surgery or Chin Surgery

Underbite Tooth Correction? How to Improve a Receded Chin Without Double-Jaw Surgery or Chin Surgery

Hello.

I’m Oh Su-hwan, an orthodontic specialist with 18 years of experience.

There are chin-related concerns that many people worry about when looking in the mirror, and 대표적인 examples are a protruding chin and a receded chin.

Among them, a receded chin (mandibular retrusion) means that the chin looks small or is set back,

resulting in an imbalanced facial appearance.

When viewed from the side, the lower jaw may look small, making the face appear flat, or the nose may seem relatively larger.

In general, many people consider double-jaw surgery or chin surgery to correct a receded chin,

but surgery is not always necessary.

There are cases where it can be improved sufficiently with underbite tooth correction alone, without surgery.

In today’s article, I’ll explain how receded-chin correction is carried out,

and what you should watch out for during the process.

Treatment methods for a receded chin Which is better: surgery or orthodontics?

Underbite tooth correction

The biggest characteristic of people with a receded chin is that the chin tip is set back, so the jawline is not clearly defined,

and the distance from the neck to the chin tip appears short.

Because of this structural issue, many people have difficulty closing their lips naturally,

and the mouth often appears relatively protruded.

| * How is a receded chin diagnosed? An X-ray is used to measure the angle between the upper jaw and lower jaw (the ANB difference angle). The larger this angle is, the more it indicates that the lower jaw is skeletally positioned backward compared with the upper jaw. |

So, what treatment should be chosen to improve a receded chin?

There are two major approaches.

One is jaw advancement surgery.

A receded chin is a skeletal problem caused by insufficient growth of the lower jaw,

so for a fundamental solution, surgery to increase the length of the jawbone can be considered.

Jaw advancement surgery moves the lower jaw forward,

and orthodontic treatment is often performed together with it to create an ideal facial skeletal structure.

However, while this is a fundamental solution,

many patients feel burdened by the fact that it requires surgery.

That is why some people consider orthodontic treatment instead of surgery.

Since orthodontics does not increase the actual size of the jawbone, complete correction is difficult to expect,

but there are quite a few cases in which patients see a satisfactory level of improvement.

For example, underbite tooth correction may be effective in the following cases.

1. When protrusive mouth position is also present

In patients with a receded chin, the chin may look small while the mouth is also protruded.

By performing protrusive-mouth correction that moves the teeth backward,

the mouth is set back and the chin appears relatively less small.

In this process, the line from the nose tip to the chin tip can also appear more pronounced,

which can create the impression that the receded chin has improved.

2. When the receded chin is not severe

If the jawbone itself is very small, orthodontics alone has limitations.

However, for a mild receded chin, orthodontic treatment can improve it to some extent by setting the mouth back.

In particular, if the chin tip does not look too set back from the side view,

there are many cases where orthodontics alone produces satisfactory results.

3. Growing adolescents who still have room for lower-jaw growth

If the patient is in their teens and the growth plates have not yet closed,

functional orthodontic appliances can be used to encourage lower-jaw growth.

With proper orthodontic treatment during the growth period, it may be possible to prevent the receded chin from becoming more severe in adulthood.

4. When surgery is not desired, or a reasonable compromise is needed

If the burden of surgery is great, or if it is something you absolutely want to avoid,

you can set a goal of improving only as much as is possible with orthodontic treatment.

In that case, it is important to set expectations accurately,

and it is best to have a thorough consultation with a specialist about how much improvement orthodontics can realistically provide.

Underbite tooth correction,

It is better to decide on extractions carefully

Some people worry, ‘If I get underbite tooth correction, won’t the lower jaw and lower teeth look pushed too far back?’

This is a common concern.

When making a treatment plan,

this is a sufficiently adjustable issue if extractions are considered carefully according to each patient’s condition.

In general, extraction decisions are made by comprehensively considering factors such as the following.

<1> The front-to-back relationship of the upper and lower front teeth (overjet)

In patients with a receded chin, the upper front teeth are often protruded forward more than the lower front teeth.

In such cases, it is often adjusted by extracting only the upper teeth so that the receded chin does not become more pronounced.

Conversely, if the overjet is not large,

a method of extracting teeth from both the upper and lower jaws to secure space may be considered.

<2> The degree of crowding in the teeth

If the teeth are aligned very crookedly,

and there is not enough space to arrange them,

space may need to be created in order to proceed with orthodontic treatment.

In such cases, space is made through extraction,

and then the teeth are moved backward to achieve an improvement in the receded chin.

Even when a receded chin is present, simply extracting teeth is not always the answer.

It is important to create appropriate space through orthodontic treatment and move the teeth,

to create a natural facial contour.

Underbite tooth correction alone can often bring enough improvement,

so after accurately understanding your condition,

it is important to choose the right treatment method.

I hope you will find the method that is most suitable for you through consultation with a specialist.

Thank you.